Cold.. Why is it so cold? Where is the blanket? Why is the bed so hard? I reached around to get a blanket, but there was none. Why couldn’t I move my right arm? Did Damian really chain me up?   I opened my eyes and sat up. I looked around. Where am I? This isn't the villa. I was in a large room with a wooden floor and a small window near the ceiling. There was nothing else around me except for the pole in the middle of the room where my right hand was chained to. I didn’t even want to know why a pole was in the middle of a room. Am I in an abandoned house?   I tried to call for help, but no one came. There was no use in shouting for help. It only made my voice hoarse and made me thirsty. I don't know how long I’d be here or whether I would get food or water. I have to conserve my energy.   I groaned as I felt the back of my head aching. I reached toward it and was relieved to find there was no blood. &nb

Another day had passed, and today is the fifth day I'm here. I felt myself getting weaker. I was hungry, I was cold. They didn’t provide me with a blanket, but I was kidnapped.. what could I say? It wasn’t their job to make me comfortable. I was lucky they hadn’t killed me yet. I had tried to open the handcuff with the fork the little girl had handed me, but it wouldn’t come off. She even tried to help me, but if a grown-up like me couldn’t do it, then a small child wouldn’t be able to free me. I spent yesterday having a one-sided conversation with the little girl. Always telling her stories about my little boy. Whenever I cried, she would give me a tissue to wipe away my tears. She still wouldn’t talk to me. Maybe she couldn’t talk.. Did she suffer from mutism? She could hear me fine, but she hadn’t spoken to me. I asked her once about it, but she just shook her head. I wouldn’t wa

"Mom.. little Rai!" I exclaimed in panic. I'd forgotten to ask about him yesterday when I regained consciousness. "He's safe and sound in Jakarta with his grandpa, dear," Rai's mom quickly comforted me and gave my hand a little squeeze. "Does he know?" I asked her. "No, dear. We told him you were sick and unable to call him. He was sad, but Damian has been calling him on your behalf," she answered in her motherly voice.  I let out a sigh of relief. I didn't want my little boy to know what happened to me. I didn't want him to worry. "Katarina, dear.. We are still unable to contact your mom," she said after hesitating for a while. "It's okay, Mom. They always switch off their phones when they are on vacation." I sighed. "Is there any way to contact them?" Rai's mom asked with concern. "No, Mom.. It's best if they d

“Baby girl, are you ready to go home?” Damian’s voice asked me. I was staring out the window of the hospital room, looking at nothing in particular when I heard his question. Home.. The villa that we had stayed in. Could I still call it a home? I turned my head to look at him and nodded. The hospital had provided a wheelchair for me to use, but Damian would not take it. He rather carried me out of the hospital in his arms. Damian didn’t drive us to the villa, he rather sat in the backseat with me. He positioned my broken leg up against the window sill, with me lying down, my head on his lap. Luckily I was short, so I was able to lie down comfortably. He kept stroking my hair throughout the drive while looking out the window. I quite loved his gesture. I’d missed him so much, and it hurt not to be able to tell him that or that I loved him. I hate the

"Mommy, can I go to the beach while waiting for Grandpa?" my precious little boy asked as I was washing the dishes after we had finished our lunch. "Sure, Rai. Let Mommy finish washing the dishes first, then we can go to the beach." I glanced at him and gave him a smile. "I'll take him, Baby girl. You stay here and rest. It'll only be a while. Dad is on his way over," Damian offered. "Oh, okay. Thank you." I smiled at him. "Bye, Mommy," little Rai said and hugged me. "See you later, Baby girl." Damian planted a kiss on the top of my head, and they walked toward the door to the private beach. "Enjoy you two," I called out to them. Little Rai waved his not-so-small hand anymore, and Damian smiled at me. "Ding Dong," the bell sounded just as I finished washing the dishes. "Hi, Dad," I greeted Rai's dad and kissed his cheek. I quickly prepared a cup of coffee for him and placed them on the sofa table. "Thank you, dear. You are looking better," he said as he reached for the cup