*
*
Faith lowered her eyes back to the ground, her chest tight with dread. She didn't want to acknowledge the possibility that her thoughts were probably right.
She took a halting breath against the nervousness that seemed to choke her and keep her body paralyzed.
It had to be Sterling Hunter!
The man she had tried too hard to forget even though each moment of her pregnancy had reminded her of him.
The same man who had carved his very path into her life and soul, then destroyed what she had once thought to be pure.
Her idea had been pretty simple.
She would hide from him forever and continue to gather the broken pieces of her life back together. She simply wanted a comfortable and happy life with the baby he had wanted so badly. The child she had been manipulated to bear but had managed to become the most important aspect of her life.
She loved her child even though she couldn't forget the things her father did.
Now, he took Maya away from her to exert his revenge!
Starting to feel dizzy, Faith grabbed the nearest chair and collapsed against it for support.
Her tongue felt heavy and dry against her mouth, she was still in a trance to even begin to cry.
Her daughter had been snatched from her by complete strangers, and she had been totally useless to stop them.
Droplets of sweat made her skin feel moist and clammy even though the weather was cool outside.
Her eyes flew to the door when it slowly opened, Faith jerked to her feet when Julian walked in. His features were hard with annoyance but rapidly softened when his gaze fell on Faith's miserable state.
"I've made some calls, there is nothing to be worried about, you only need to run some lab tests that will serve as evidence, then we can hire a lawyer to get Maya back." Julian started.
Faith could only give him a dumbfounded stare, how long would the procedures take? Days? Maybe weeks??
Until then Maya would be in their custody?
She was only a fragile newborn for heaven's sake!
She couldn't trust strangers to take care of her child, what if something unfortunate happens before she could get Maya back?
Faith shook her head when Julian grabbed her shoulders.
"At most, the whole process might take a week or two, but we will surely get her back__"
"We can't wait until a week! Isn't there some kind of alternative or something?! Something we can do?" Faith flared, then broke into loud soul-wrenching sobs when she saw her brother's resigned expression.
"He's doing this!!" She screamed amidst tears of anger, sadness, and of helplessness.
"He took Maya away from me! I know he's behind this! What if I never get to see her again__oh my god! What should I do?" Her voice trembled as her breaths became labored.
Her poor baby!
Oh, God!
She was barely conscious of Julian's comforting arms that were wrapped around her shoulders in an embrace.
"Who exactly are you talking about?"
Faith stared at her brother as tears continued to fall freely, the ache in her chest seemed to be getting worse.
"H_he, I'm talking about S_Sterling, remember I told you that he d_didn't know I was p_pregnant?" She stammered and Julian nodded, his gaze encouraging her to continue.
"Just before I entered into labor, I bumped into his cousin, do you think he told Sterling and that is why all this is happening?" Faith's lips tightened as she suddenly grabbed Julian's hands.
"Where are your keys? Take me out of here!" She hissed.
She wasn't going to waste any more time. If Sterling actually snatched Maya in such a cruel way, she would never forgive him! And she was going to get Maya back anyhow!
"What? Where are you going?!" Julian went after her as she stormed out through the door. With pale skin, disheveled hair, and swollen red eyes, she looked as though she would pass out any moment.
"Drive me out of here! I want you to take me to him!" Faith yelled impatiently, a growl nearly escaped her mouth when she saw the hesitant look in Julian's gaze.
"Fine if you don't want to help me! I will drive myself!"
She was going to find her ex-husband! If the situation were different, she might have felt very nervous about meeting Sterling after such a long time. Now, all she could think about was a means of getting Maya back.
"What makes you think that he is behind all these? I get that you kept your pregnancy from him, but why would he use such an extreme means to___" Julian sighed, giving Faith a pitiful glance.
"I know everything has been traumatic for you, but I seriously don't think that he__"
"I'm sure he's responsible!" Faith's voice held solid conviction.
" You don't know him and what he's capable of! He will do anything to get what he wants and make me pay for lying to him!" Her words broke off in a sob.
Julian's expression suddenly turned grave as he looked at Faith deeply.
"Has he hurt you before? What are you not telling me?"
Faith didn't respond and irritation flashed across his eyes.
"I knew something was off about your relationship! But you never tell me anything!" His tone held bitterness and anger. If Sterling Hunter turned out to have hurt his sister, he would never let him off!
"Answer me! Did he hurt you?!"
Faith flinched and Julian suddenly yelled. She could feel him tensed in rage. How could she explain that even if Sterling had not hurt her before, he surely wouldn't let her off now!
Julian's rigid stance only eased a bit because Faith seemed even more distraught than ever. Palming both her cheeks in an attempt to calm her down, he muttered. " Tell me everything, don't continue to hide things from us, we are your family! What exactly happened between you and your boss!"
Faith shook her head negatively, there was no time to begin right now.
"Fine! I'll tell you everything! I'll explain things later, but for now! I have to go meet him!" She exhaled softly, shooting Julian a pleading look. She didn't possess the strength to continue to argue.
Wearing a resigned look, Julian grabbed his car keys. They hurriedly left the house. Faith was extremely grateful that she had her brother with her, even if she possessed a thousand legs, it would be extremely difficult to face and stand up to sterling on her own.
*
*