If there was a word for that strong feeling that sluices over you and strikes your heart heavier, sinking it down to your boot like a dropped anchor, well, Kiersey was it.She had gone up to the house and rung the lip-shaped (and surprisingly loud) doorbell five times, and it was obvious no one was coming to the door.The next thought in her now scrambled mind was to sink to the bubinga-wood porch floors like a dead weight. Then maybe she could do some bawling like a four year old wanting her mommy.But what she did was lean against a porch railing and press her face into her trembling palms. Maybe she was trying to stabilize herself - give herself a few head moments, or she was trying to tamp down the swell of tears she felt in her throat.Anyway, it was no use. Two streams of tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes, smearing her palm. Wasn't she just done for? Ryan Vice was nowhere to be found and there only was a day more before she had to

At first, Kiersey Parrish thought she was drowning. Her limbs had grown heavy and were tired from flailing futilely in the grey, choppy waters. Her head could barely hold up above the current anymore and she was finally giving in to the liquid entity.It was at that moment, with her limbs raw from struggling and her throat burning from holding her breath, that she realised she was meant to drown. She didn't know why or how, but she just understood she was meant to. She dipped her head below the water and swam down as much as she could.There was a dull golden glow at the bottom of the sea and she waded towards it. Maybe it was Davy Jones's locker.As she got closer, she was able to make out the shape the light came from. It was a golden treasure box. With chains, seaweed, lock and key and everything.And it was shaped like a sleeping baby.Kiersey paused. Was this what she had been meant to find?Her lungs started to burn from the breath she hadn't known she had been holding. Somethin

The trip around took place for the whole of four hours plus. Ryan took her to The Getty Centre, where they had a lot of fun and bonding time exploring the museum to their hearts' contents. They talked about a lot of things; how he got his nickname Stacks from work, her line of work and other things.While they explored the natural park, he filled her in on some aspects of his life. About his time as an orderly at Springfield Memorial Hospital, about his neighbours at the trailer park, laughing very hard when Kiersey updated him about the newest addition to the park.Then they took an hour-long drive to Disneyland. Kiersey couldn't take most of the rides because of her pregnancy, but they had a lot of fun walking around and sightseeing. They also took lots of pictures and bought souvenirs. At one point, they even got mistaken for a couple and congratulated on their first child. The two spent the rest of the time laughing it off.Their last stop was an open terrace restaurant back in

The first rain of the year started that day. Kiersey had known it was going to rain when she had woken up to a chilly wind, and when the sky had remained moody and dark at way past seven on her way to work, she had been instantly glad she had given in to that urge to take an overcoat with her.By the time it was the second period the rain was beating down hard on the earth and sobbing heavily against the glass windows of the private school.She had only five students in her Economics class for class 12 B, so the mood in the class was light, contrary to the rain.She rounded up on her topic on International Economic Organisation twenty minutes before the end of the double period and she permitted the students to be free till the end of the class.In the free time, she messaged the housing agent whose contact had been given to her by Kizza. She had told the woman about having to start looking for a house yesterday night and she had produced the number of a housing agent instantly.Kizz

Kiersey muttered a groan as the car merged into the light road traffic and clicked the button to do up her window. She had forgotten about the rain for a moment there. Although it was significantly light, but being exposed to it for long would soak you up all the same.She decided to put away any thoughts for Rocco at the moment. Whatever his problem was, she was sure he could take care of it.She thought about picking up her phone to call Kizza and letting her know how the divorce mediation had gone but decided to put it off for later. Once she was done for the day at work, she would go soak in a much-needed bath and call. And maybe she'd call Kevyn too. He didn't know when her divorce was being finalized but he'd be worried sick anyway. And maybe Ryan too.She smiled absently as a thought sunk in. Before, Kevyn might have been the only person she'd have had to phone. In the quest for her baby's daddy, she had made a couple of friends that she never would have met otherwise.Before a