Brandon“Brandon invited me. Of course, I’ll come. Isn’t that right, Brandon?” Pauline says, and her fucking remark added to my exasperation.
“Is that right, my boy?” my grandfather asks as if amused.
His endearment always gives a sour taste to my tongue.
“Petros.” Sebastianos acknowledges my grandfather’s presence with a handshake. The family tree is vast, but everyone in the family circle is a friend to him. Sebastianos Leandros’ great-grandmother is a Dragoumis.
“Ah! Sebastianos, come, come.”
I roll my eyes. I glance in the direction she went earlier, but I still don’t see her.
What are you doing there, love?She’s been in the restroom for over fifteen minutes now. I am beginning to worry. After everything my grandfather had said, of course, she’d feel unwelcomed. It’s not a good sight. I regret ever inviting him here. I’m entirely mortified in front of her mother, and I know I have to apologize to her family later.
“Elizabeth,” I call Alayna’s mother’s attention because I can’t prolong this uncomfortable situation for their family anymore. I stand up and walk to her seat, then lean close. “I’ll just get Alayna, and we will all leave, okay?”
Her lips are pressed tight. “I don’t like this kind of treatment, son. Your grandfather is an arrogant man.”
“Mom, will you calm down?” Jason hisses.
“How can I calm down? He’s a snob. My daughter doesn’t deserve this.”
“And she needs us to act civilized.” Chris holds his adoptive mother’s hand. “Please.”
I glance at my grandfather, who is now busy talking to Pauline and her fiancé. I sigh. From the moment he started talking, I begged for the celebration to be over. Half of the guests have already left anyway, including most of the press.
“I’m so sorry about that. I shouldn’t have invited him. It’s all my fault.”
“It is not, but I certainly don’t want to be in the same room with him again.” Elizabeth drops her utensils on the table. “Get Alayna, Brandon. Get her out of that man’s sight. Jason, Chris… Tell Arianna and the kids we are leaving.”
I look over my shoulder. Their siblings are at a separate table, and it’s too bad they seem to be enjoying the meal.
“Let’s wait for them to finish,” I advise. “I’ll look for Alayna.”
Elizabeth is hesitant, but eventually, she agrees. “Tell her to hurry. I’m sorry about this too, Brandon. But I can’t stand your grandfather. He insulted us enough.”
“No, please. I should be the one to apologize. We’re leaving in a moment.” I tense up and make an announcement. “Gentlemen, ladies… Your presence is meaningful to my bride and me, so I’d like to thank everyone for being here with us.” My voice carries across our table, and ten pairs of eyes shift to me. “However, I’m afraid that I have to excuse myself and call it a day. Anyone is free to stay, the night is young, but my bride must be tired. Like me, she’s still not used to large crowds. Excuse me.” I walk briskly away from the table because I don’t want to hear any more words from my grandfather.
Invited him because I respect him, and he’s still the head of the family—that’s all. I’m my own person. He was not even there with me when I needed him the most or when Mom and Elga died, so basically, his opinion about my marriage doesn’t count.
I head toward the women’s restroom and knock on the door. “Alayna? It’s me. Are you okay?”
No answer.
“Alayna? We’re leaving.”
I wait for another moment. But there’s still no answer.
I knock again. “Alayna!”
An event hall attendant walks past me in a rush, so I call her.
“Miss? Miss!”
She halts. “Yes, Mr. Lucien?”
“Are there any other ladies’ restrooms on this floor?”
“None, sir. But we have more on the upper floors. Can I help you with anything?” she asks.
“No, thank you.” I rest my hands on my waist. It’s unlikely she’d go upstairs because she’d have to exit from the main door. The attendant walks away.
I attempt to knock again, but I turn the knob instead. It is open.
“Alayna? Darling?” I step inside and look around. She isn’t here.
I rake my fingers in my hair. “Where are you?” I mumble to myself. Maybe she’s already back on the table —
I stop as I notice a black piece of clothing on the restroom floor inside of the cubicle. My heart begins to knock loudly against my ribcage. I push the cubicle door and grab the chiffon fabric from the ground.
It’s her dress!Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
I clutch the garment with my fist, but with my eyes starting to blur, my head feels heavy, and I feel suddenly out of oxygen.
Think. Think. Think.She’s in danger. Alayna’s in danger.
“No!” I scream in despair.
Frantically, I sprint out of the ladies’ restroom and scan the place, but the range of the two balls in my skull’s socket is entirely useless. I am abruptly a mess. My eyesight is getting hazier, my lungs are out of air, and my chest feels tight.
I clench my left pectorals where I can feel the pain the most. It’s the same pain—the pain I have been suffering for the past eleven years.
Shit!
I don’t know what happened, but Cassius and Oliver advances toward me.
“She’s gone…” I say breathlessly.
“Brandon.” Oliver catches me, blocking my way. “What happened?”
“Alayna’s in trouble!” I snarl.
“What?” Cassius snatches the dress from my hand. “This is hers.”
“Come on now,” Oliver says. “Let’s get you out of here. It’s not a good sign.”
“She’s gone. It must be him, Ollie… He fucking took her.” I look up at him.
He stops me again. “There are still press around. Our families are still here. Let’s just call the police.”
“Get the fuck away!” I shove Oliver aside. I can’t stay here like this.
“Brandon!” my cousin shouts from across the event hall when I dash to the door, ignoring the building pain in my chest and the prying eyes around me.
I head to the hall’s entrance. The night air is humid and cold. I turn to every corner and scan the road while blood pulses in my head, through my ears. I try to convince myself that I’m only imagining things, but it’s been almost half an hour since she went to the restroom. The dress is evidence that something’s wrong. She must’ve changed in the restroom to avoid attention and clandestinely left the place.
He has her. I’m sure of that. My sweet, caring, and generous woman.
That fucker.
I run back to the building to search the hallways. I search every person’s face inside, but she’s not here or anywhere.
I sink to the pavement as I shatter into pieces, burying my face into my palms as I cry.
“Brandon? Brandon!” Two identical voices echo. I lift my head and catch sight of the twins. They are awfully late—not that I care about their arrival—but the sight of them sends me a tiny piece of hope.
Alayna“You did good back there. Like always,” Drake says calmly, breaking the silence I try to keep for the last few minutes. We’re now traveling to an airport while a piece of pop music is playing on the stereo. “That’s what I love about you. You’re always following directions.”
“Fuck you.”
His finger touches my cheek, and I instantly cringe. “You are breaking my heart, Laynie.”
I shove his hand away. “You threatened to kill my family and my fiancé, and you expect me to submit to you? You can do whatever you want with me, but my heart will never be yours.” I tighten my arms around my body and sink myself deep into the seat.
He sighs. “Enough of your nonsense, and stop crying. In the future, you’ll forget all about him.”
I finally look at him. “Why are you taking me to Kansas? You are a mayor here. So you’re just going to leave everything behind?”
He clicks his tongue. He pulls out a napkin from the backseat and tosses it into my lap. “Wipe your face.”
I draw out a wad of tissue and wipe my face and mouth. My eyes feel swollen from crying nonstop. Brandon must be dead worried by now, looking for me everywhere, but he won’t be able to find me. He would assume I left him. He protected me from any kidnapping several times, and it turns out this is really going to be my fate. How ironic.
“Yes, I was born in Kansas—we both were, but what am I going to do there, huh? Sit at home while I wait for you, just like what you did to me before?” I snivel. Or maybe I will finally die in his hands.
No, no. I can’t die now. Maybe I can still escape. There must be a way I can.
“I’m not that crazy, Alayna. I won’t repeat what happened before. I swear.”
“What, no?” I chuckle derisively. “You’re insane, Drake. You’re already kidnapping me. You took me away from my family and my fiancé on my engagement night!”
“When did I ever lie to you?” he retorts, turning the volume down on his stereo. “I took you away for a reason, and you wouldn’t listen to me if I spoke to you in a civilized manner, so I needed to use force so you could come with me.”
“Yes, by abducting me! Everything you did has a reason—that’s how you’ve always manipulated me. I was naïve back then. I was foolish, but not anymore.”
He laughs, but the humor never reaches his eyes. “I’ll tell you the reason when we get to Wichita.”
“Why there? Why not now?” I demand.
“Because there, you are safe there.” He looks at me, and his eyes soften.
“Safe? No, I’m not—with you, I am not!”
“Alayna, you don’t always know me,” his tone turns quiet. “You thought you knew, but you didn’t.”
I shift my eyes back to the road.
“It is true when I told you I left because I was ashamed.”
“You told me that already. Because you saw how my dad… died.” A ball of lump blocks my throat. “I know you don’t lie, Drake. But this? This made me realize you haven’t changed.”
“Does it matter? This is the only way I know how to live. I survived this way. I am like this, and you know that from the very start. I told you to get away from me, but you stayed. You said you accept me for who I am!”
“That was before you hurt me!” God, I’m just so tired of explaining. “Physically, emotionally, and mentally!” I cry. “I was too broken when you left. I was too ashamed of myself, but I woke up from that nightmare. All I see now is now a monster.”
He smacks the steering wheel. His jaw clenches, and a muscle in his cheek twists. “I told you. You still don’t know me.”
I whimper. “What else do I have to know, Drake? I am so tired of all of this. Just let me be happy, please…”
“My eyes. There’s something I didn’t tell you before,” he starts. “They were my mother’s.”
I frown. “They were?“When she died, Dad gave me her eyes. I have a chronic eye disease. I cannot see with my left eye now, Laynie.” He touches the middle of his left eye and takes something from his eye. “See?”
He shows me a piece of contact lens between his fingers, then shows me his left eye. The color is different. It’s all white instead of light green. The contact lenses are only there to conceal his imperfection.
“I’m blind with my left eye. No one knows but you, of course.”
I remain silent.
“Look, I’m not asking for sympathy. I just want you to hear the rest of my story. I mean it, Laynie, but you just can’t keep quiet.”
“Because how can I not? You kidnapped me, and my family and Brandon must be worried—”
“My corneas, they’re not my mother’s anymore,” he suddenly reveals.
I scowl. So what’s his point? Where is he going with this?
“What? Didn’t you already have surgery?”
“Yes, but with my eye, it’s incurable, so even if I get another transplant, the success rate is unlikely because the optic nerves are already damaged. The vision with my right eye is deteriorating as well. I’m going to be blind again, Alayna—maybe for the rest of my life now. But before that, I have to tell you something else.”
My heartbeat speeds up. Why am I even giving this a chance? What if he’s just trying to manipulate me again? “I’m not listening to any more of your—”
“It’s about your dad.”
I grit my teeth. “What about him?”
“These eyes… They’re his. They’re your dad’s.”
I gape at him, and the clock seems to have stopped ticking.
Oh, Daddy…I hold on to the handlebar to brace myself. My chest starts to feel cloudy again. “But how can I believe you after everything you did to me?”
“Laynie, you know me better than anyone. I. Don’t. Lie. Not ever.”
I swallow dryly. “But you said your father murdered him… This is a completely different story.”
His expression turns darker. “That’s why I’ll tell you the rest of it—your dad’s and mine, but only if you behave and come with me quietly.“Or what? What if I don’t want to?” I challenge.
He grimaces. “There’s no bargaining here. If you defy me, you know the consequences. I have plans I need to fulfill, and I don’t have much time. Only then, I’ll set you free.”