The soft knock on my door came exactly as I'd expected.

"Kaira? I'm coming in," Tony said.

I quickly composed myself. When Tony entered, his face was filled with the same pity I'd grown accustomed to seeing from him.

"Are you... Okay?" He asked, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm fine," I said, forcing a weak smile.

"Thank you for what you did out there. You didn't have to..."

"Why not?" His interruption came quickly and intensely.

"I should have stepped up sooner, then it might not have turned out this way. I'm sorry, Kaira. I'm so sorry for all of this. It's my fault." Tonia added.

"You are someone special.. and I.. I let them continuously hurt you for so long. I was a fool.."

The genuine remorse in his voice made my throat tighten. I looked away, afraid I might cry.

"And now, they want you to go to the grocery store," he continued, his hands fidgeting at his sides.

"I know it's not fair, I.. let me go with you.. "

"No. You don't have to. I'll be fine, brother." The word slipped out naturally.

But Tony's face crumpled at the word. He made a small clicking sound with his teeth, a nervous habit I'd noticed whenever I called him brother, but I never understood why. He prefers I call him by his name.

The sadness in his eyes deepened, and I wondered what memory I'd triggered.

He let out a deep breath, his head facing downward,

"Please forgive me. My cowardice ends today." He said, intensely.

I replied with a nod and stood to leave, but his hand caught mine.

"Wait. I'll be right back." He said.

"But.." I was cut off as soon as I started talking.

"I've got you," he said simply, and disappeared from the room.

He returned minutes later with a tube of pain relief gel.

"Thank you," I breathed, accepting the tube with trembling fingers.

I began applying it to the visible bruises on my arms, but when I tried to reach the spots on my back, Tony stepped forward.

"Let me." He said.

I hesitated before slowly lifting the back of my shirt, exposing the red welts left by the mop handle. His intake of breath was sharp, pained.

"Ouch!" The exclamation escaped before I could stop it as the gel touched a particularly tender spot.

"Sorry, sorry," he murmured, his touch becoming even gentler.

"I'll be more careful."

His hands were steady as they worked, applying the medicine carefully. When he finished with my back, he guided me to sit on the bed again.

"I'm not finished yet." He said.

"Is there more?" I asked.

"Your face. Some parts are swollen." He replied.

My fingers moved to my cheek, finding the tender spots I'd somehow missed.

As Tony began applying the gel to my face, his movements slowed. His eyes grew distant, and his hand lingered on my cheek with a gentleness...

"Tony?" I called softly.

No response. His thumb traced the curve of my cheekbone as if he were memorizing it.

"Tony?"

Still nothing. His breathing had changed, and there was something in his expression I couldn't quite read..

"Brother!" I said more firmly.

He blinked, startled back to the present.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I was..." He pulled his hand away abruptly, color rising in his cheeks.

"I'm done." He finally said, calmly.

I stood to leave, genuinely grateful.

"Thank you," I said.

His hand caught mine again, holding me in place with surprising strength.

"What are you doing? They're waiting outside. I'll only complicate things if I don't leave now, Tony."

"I know. But, Kaira..." He paused, struggling with words that seemed too heavy for his tongue.

"I-I.." He stuttered.

"Is it really true that you don't remember anything about it?" He asked.

Before I could answer, he continued,

"No, it's a good thing you don't remember him." He said.

"I'll come with you, Kaira. Let's go to the hospital before Dad's return. Let's abort the baby." He said, in a serious tone.

The betrayal hit me.

"Even you?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them, carrying all the hurt and disappointment of discovering that my last ally had joined them.

"Let go of my hand," I said weakly.

He released me just as weakly, and I walked away from him, feeling more alone than I ever had...

* * *

Inside the car, Damien James stared out the tinted windows as the city blurred past. The conversation with his father replayed in his mind, but it was overshadowed by the growing clarity of that night.

"Take me to the sketch artist downtown," he told his secretary.

Soon, they arrived there. The artist asked detailed questions as her pencil moved across the paper. Eye shape, nose, the curve of lips, the way her hair had fallen across her shoulders..

"Yes, this is it. I think." Damien studied the finished portrait.

He handed the portrait to his secretary. "Find her. Everywhere and anywhere. She must be found, no matter what it takes."

The secretary bowed slightly.

"Yes, sir. Any particular place you have in mind?"

Damien paused.

"Check the bars first. The Meridian, The Glass House, places like that." He said, unsure.

As his secretary left with the portrait, Damien settled back into his car.

"Dad, just a little more time. You'll get what you want. The marriage.. but not with Sarah." He said, inwardly.

* * *

The neighborhood felt different as I stepped outside to go to the grocery store. Eyes followed me from different directions.

"Tonia. She's done her specialty again." I said, inwardly.

Tonia had always been gifted at spreading gossip, turning small truths into dramatic scandals. Just in for my downfall.

Mrs. Chen, who lived three houses down, deliberately stuck her foot out as I passed. I stumbled, my hands scraping against the floor as I caught myself.

"Oops," she said.

"How clumsy. I'm sorry." She added, faking an apology before leaving.

Before I could get up, two girls from high school approached me. Both were younger sisters of Tonia's friend

"Look who it is," the taller one sneered.

"The neighborhood's newest prostitute." She added.

"I heard she doesn't even know who the father is," her friend said, mockingly.

The familiar shame began to rise in my throat. Together with anger that burned away the self-pity I'd been drowning in.

"So what?" I stood up, brushing dirt from my hands.

"Why do you even care when you're not the one carrying the baby?"

The taller girl's eyes widened with surprise.

"Look at her, raising her voice at us. Do you think you're special because you have a bastard inside you? You should be ashamed!" She said, in a bit louder voice.

"A bitch carrying a bastard," her friend chimed in with a cruel laugh.

"How ridiculous." How ridiculous.

The word hit me like a slap, but instead of crumbling, I stood up.

"I advise you girls to leave. Now." I said, firmly.

"Or what?" They retorted with a scoff.

"People will always believe a lie," I said, my voice steady despite the fury coursing through me, "because they want it to be true or are afraid it might be true," I added, letting out a short smile.

"People who get swayed by gossip don't care about the truth anyway."

I dusted off my clothes and walked past them, deliberately bumping the second girl's shoulder hard enough to make her stumble.

They stood there with their mouths open, shocked by this version of me they'd never seen before.

"My baby did nothing wrong," I said to myself, inwardly as I walked away with my head held high.

"He isn't even born yet, and he's already being treated like this. No matter what happens, I won't let my child see me broken. I won't let him be treated the way I've been treated." I added.

The grocery store was just across the main street now. Lost in thought, about how my future had turned, I stepped off the curb without looking.

The screech of brakes and the blare of a horn pierced the air. I looked up to see a black sedan bearing down on me, the driver's eyes wide with panic behind the windshield.

Time slowed. I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but stare at the approaching car.

Then something slammed into me from the side...

Strong arms wrapped around me as we both tumbled away from the car, rolling across the rough asphalt in a tangle of limbs.

The sedan squealed past, missing us by inches.

I lay there gasping, my rescuer's weight pinning me to the ground. When I finally looked up, I found myself staring into familiar eyes.

"Are you hurt?" he gasped, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead where he'd hit the pavement. His eyes were filled with concern.

"Oliver James?"

* * *

Oliver James was a senior at my university.

I remembered him from my first year, when I was scrambling for every penny to stay enrolled and he was gliding through his final year like he owned the world. The rumors about him being transferred from some prestigious university abroad to here followed him. His reasons were that he preferred home.

Everything about him had irritated me then. The designer clothes, the casual way he'd buy coffee for entire study groups without blinking, the confidence that came from never having to check your bank account before ordering anything. I'd lumped him in with all the other rich spoiled kids. Shallow, completely disconnected from reality.

But Oliver had always been... different. When I'd dropped my books rushing to my part-time job, he'd helped me gather them. When other students whispered about me, being a money grubber, he'd simply nod hello like I was worth his time.

It had confused me, made me question my hatred of anyone born with a silver spoon. But I'd pushed those doubts away. Rich people were all the same, I'd told myself. He was probably just better at hiding it.

And there was also a time when he adamantly escorted me to one of my part-time jobs at a convenience store, which was a night shift. Even when I had told him he didn't have to, he refused.

"I can't allow a lady to walk at night alone." He said.

I reminded him we aren't close enough for him to be concerned about my safety, but still..

He waited longer than I had thought, helping me arrange things at the store, taking out expiring products as per my boss's command.

Tonia stopped by that day, showing her real self just as always, with no reason. She took some snacks without paying. I didn't say anything because it had always been like that. I pay for it. But instead of leaving, she decided to humiliate me before Oliver stepped in.

"Leave while I'm saying nicely." He said, calmly.

Tonia glared at me, stunned by his appearance before leaving shortly.

Since then, her jealousy increased; she thought there was something between me and Oliver. And told me to stay away from him that she likes him and will have him soon.

He was never mine to begin with. Who cares?

# Back in the present#

"Kaira..." Oliver's voice was barely above a whisper, and then his eyes rolled back, his body going limp.

"Wait, what?" I murmured.

Panic shot through me as I scrambled for my phone, my hands shaking so badly I could barely dial. The paramedics seemed to take forever, though it was probably only minutes. As they loaded Oliver onto the stretcher, I followed without thinking, my heart pounding with guilt and fear.

He'd saved me. Again.

* * *

Damien James sat behind his desk, the portrait spread before him. His secretary stood at attention, having just delivered a report.

"Her name is Kaira Yaren, business major at Metropolitan University," He said.

Then tucked in his hand inside his pocket to get his phone. He sent Kaira photos to Damien instantly.

"Sir, I just sent you a photo of Ms Kaira."

Damian stared at it immediately, taking in her features for a while before ordering his secretary to delete the photo from his phone.

He breathed a sigh of relief after finally getting back all of his memories. Alcohol, sure did them bad? They were both lightweight. So, of course, they were easily drunk.

She seemed nice, innocent, and..

"Go on with your report." He ordered, his face stoic.

"She is twenty years old and worked part-time at The Glass House as a bartender until about four weeks ago, then disappeared from their employment records."

"Twenty years," Damien murmured,

"She's young." He added.

"Probably too young for the complications my world would bring her." He said, inwardly.

"That metropolitan, isn't that where my brother is schooling?" He asked.

"Oliver, he's also a business major, right?" He added.

"Yes sir." His secretary replied.

"Find where she lives. Making discreet without Oliver finding out about it," he ordered, his expression hard.

"Let me know as soon as you get her current address." He added.

His secretary bowed slightly.

"Yes, sir. Immediately."

"May I ask how important this lady is?" Curiously, his secretary asked.

"It's not in your place to ask," Damien replied.

"But I will answer your question, to avoid you losing your job soon." He added.

"Kaira, she will become my wife soon. And your boss.

So when you find her, be reminded of this and treat her well. Being rude to her is the same as insulting me." Damien said, in a serious manner.

"I will bear that in mind sir." His secretary said in a bow.

"And if words link out, be ready to bear the consequences," Damian warned.

"You may leave." He added.

* * *

In the hospital, I sat on the uncomfortable plastic chair beside Oliver's bed, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, trying to process what the doctor had just told me.

"Miss Yaren," Dr. Patel said gently,

"Mr. Oliver has a history of previous injuries. The impact when he hit the pavement aggravated an old leg injury, and the head trauma could potentially cause temporary memory loss. We won't know the extent until he wakes up."

"What?" The word had fallen from my lips. I'd rubbed the back of my head, completely at a loss for words.

The doctor had given me that sympathetic kind but distant look.

"We're hoping he'll wake up within forty-eight hours, but I can't make any guarantees. These things depend entirely on the patient."

The doctor had also advised me about stress, after a quick check on me.

"You need a lot of rest, Miss. You are carrying a child inside of you." Dr Patel said.

I thanked him for his kind gesture and also used the opportunity to ask him, I wasn't sure, I wasn't going to do it either but I asked regardless.

"About... aborting the baby, Dr." I paused.

"Do not try it except you do not want to ever have a child of your own." The doctor said.

"I regret informing you, but if you get rid of the baby, you won't be able to conceive again. So, the choice is yours." He added.

I wasn't going to kill my child anyway, and I also regretted asking something like that.

Now, staring at Oliver's still form, guilt ate at me...

"You should have let me take the hit," I thought, then immediately felt sick as my hand moved instinctively to my stomach.

But Oliver... what if he never woke up? What if he did wake up but didn't remember anything? having signed the forms when no family could be reached.

The responsibility felt crushing. How could I go back to that house? When Oliver might need someone to help him recover...

A memory surfaced.

There was this run-down apartment I'd put a deposit on months ago. It was tiny, barely more than a room with a kitchenette. The apartment was hidden in a maze of narrow streets near the university. I'd planned to move there to be closer to school, but had never found the courage to tell my aunt and uncle. I'd been considering asking for my deposit back.

Now it seemed like providence.

The money I'd saved for next year's tuition would have to go toward completing the rent. It would mean delaying my return to school even longer, as I had already missed a whole semester. But what choice did I have?

"I will be back for you, Oliver," I murmured before leaving.

* * *

Soon, after the grocery shopping, I rushed home immediately. The house felt more hostile. Tonia was waiting by the front door.

"What took you so long?" she demanded before I'd even crossed the threshold.

"Out flirting with another man? A married one this time?"

I tried to walk past her, exhaustion weighing down my limbs, but her hand shot out and grabbed my hair, yanking me backward.

"Come back here! I haven't finished talking. How rude!"

Pain shot across my scalp, but I gritted my teeth.

I told myself to just endure it a little longer.

"Do you think because you've tasted what adults do, you can act like one? How brazen!"

My patience finally snapped.

"I know. Please let a bitch like me rest."

Tonia's eyes went wide with outrage.

"MOM!" she shrieked.

"MOM, COME HEAR WHAT KAIRA JUST SAID TO ME!"

Aunt Martha's footsteps approached quickly, her face already twisted with rage before she even knew what had happened.

"She called me a bitch!" Tonia lied smoothly, tears actually managing to gather in her eyes.

"I was just asking where she'd been, and she started insulting me! As her older sister, I deserve respect!"

"What did you say to her?" Aunt Martha asked, angrily.

The truth didn't matter. It has never been in this house. Before I could even attempt to defend myself, Aunt Martha's hand connected with the side of my head, sending me stumbling into the wall. The grocery bags fell from my hands, cans rolling across the floor.

"Two years older!" Aunt Martha continued, punctuating each word with another blow.

"You think because you're grown enough to spread your legs, you can disrespect your elders? I'll teach you the home training you deserve!"

I curled into myself, one hand protecting my face, the other wrapped around my stomach as Aunt Martha landed me with a slap.

"Be strong, Kaira. Endure just a little while..." I said to myself, inwardly.

But Tonia wasn't satisfied with just watching. With a cruel smirk, she pushed my protective hand away from my stomach.

"What are you protecting?" she said, mockingly.

"Your little bastard?" she added.

"Thank God Tony isn't around to save you this time, let's see how long you endure.

Tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

Aunt Martha raised her hand for another strike, this one aimed directly at my face. I closed my eyes, bracing for impact.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of someone pounding on the front door echoed through the house, but my aunt was too focused on her rage to notice. Tonia also.

BANG!

The door burst open on the third knock, just as Aunt Martha's hand began its descent toward my face.

A hand caught her wrist mid-swing.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The voice was filled with anger.

Aunt Martha's mouth fell open in shock. Tonia took a step backward.

I slightly raised my head up...

* * *

# Kaira

I saw a face I had never seen before. He was dressed in a blue suit and had sharp features... neat and presentable. The seriousness on his face was unmistakable.

A stranger had come to my rescue.

"Who is he?" I pondered

Aunt Martha's wrist snapped back as his fingers closed around it. She yanked against his grip, her face twisting.

"Let go of my hand!"

He released her but didn't step back. Instead, he turned to me, extending his hand.

"Are you okay, Miss Kaira?" My legs trembled as he helped me stand on my feet. His voice was firm but gentle.

Tonia's mouth fell open. She blinked twice, then smoothed her hair and stepped forward, her hips swaying. Her eyelashes were batting like butterfly wings.

Before I could thank him, Aunt Martha's voice struck with annoyance.

"Dressing in a nice outfit doesn't give you the audacity to address an elder rudely!"

"And what you just did was breaking and entering, which won't be taken lightly. Out of my house, now!" She pointed toward the door.

"No, Mom... wait." Tonia covered the distance between them, her voice as sweet as honey. She tilted her head, studying his face like she was solving a puzzle.

"How do you know my sister?" She asked. The word 'sister' dripped with false concern.

"Where do you work? You seem well off..." Her eyes traced his expensive watch, and his Italian leather shoes.

My stomach clenched. Here it was again... Tonia's radar for money. She loved money but never worked for it. All her potential boyfriends were just ATMs to her. She never loved genuinely, only someone she could use.

I once overheard her dumping a guy who'd just spoiled her with gifts. She punched him when he tried to kiss her.

"Let's break up," she'd said, examining her nails.

"Why?!" he'd screamed, confused.

"You didn't say anything before. You said you loved me. We are in love... right?"

"Wait, you believed I loved you?" she'd laughed, cruel and cold.

"I just wanted your money, fool." She scoffed.

She had been using him to drain his money. When he wasn't giving her enough anymore, she dumped him.

## Back to the present.

"You must be Tonia Yaren," The man said, and then reached into his jacket and withdrew a cream-colored business card.

"Yes," Tonia replied quickly, and snatched it before he'd fully extended his arm.

"Tonia..." Aunt Martha's warning died on her lips as she watched her daughter's reaction.

Tonia held up one finger without looking at her mother. Aunt Martha's jaw snapped shut.

He straightened his tie. "I'm Vincent. I work with De&J Enterprise."

She saw it on his card before he announced it himself.

The card slipped from Tonia's fingers and fluttered to the floor like a fallen leaf.

"What!" The word slipped out of her mouth in surprise. Even Aunt Martha's eyes widened until I could see the whites all around her irises.

Tonia's hands shook as she bent to retrieve the card. De&J Enterprise... the company that owned half the skyscrapers downtown, the one whose CEO's face graced magazine covers. The company she'd applied to three times and never even gotten a phone call back.

She looked at me, with a sharp gaze. I pressed myself against the wall, still feeling the sting from the earlier beating received from Aunt Martha. I didn't dare walk away, either; I just stood quietly and was grateful to Vincent for rescuing me.

My own chest tightened also at the revelation. De&J Enterprise might as well have been on Mars for someone like me.

"Why... why is someone like you here?" Tonia asked, with a cracked voice.

Vincent ignored her question; his attention stayed fixed on me.

"I'm sorry for abruptly coming in. I knocked but there was no response, and I needed to act fast when I saw what was happening through the peephole."

"You can file your complaint later, Mrs. Yaren." He looked towards Aunt Martha.

"For now, I'm leaving with Miss Kaira." He turned toward me, his movement was calm. "Please come with me."

He bowed... like I was some kind of royalty instead of the family disappointment.

Tonia and Aunt Martha exchanged glances at his courtesy towards a nobody like me, raising their eyebrows.

I looked between them, waiting for the explosion, the shouting, the accusations. Instead, they were quiet.

"Please come with me," Vincent repeated, his voice unchanged. Still calm and respectful.

Still nothing from them. No grabbing, no threats.

"I will tell you the details outside if you don't mind stepping out with me."

My feet moved before my brain caught up. Each step toward the door felt like walking on ice.

Outside, Vincent's shoes clicked against the pavement in a steady rhythm.

I thought he was going to explain, but he was quiet and walked me toward his parked car.

"Where are we going?" The words tumbled out.

"Please get in ma'am." He opened the passenger door, standing beside it like a chauffeur.

"Ma'am? He's now calling me ma'am?? What the hell am I to this man? He's probably way older than I am but...

Who is he?" I thought to myself.

Then I asked curiously, hoping for a genuine reply this time.

"You said you would explain outside."

He did not say anything and instead, he gestured toward the car's interior leather seats, it has a spotless dashboard. I remained rooted to the sidewalk.

"I know what you are thinking. But it's not that. You are safe."

Something in his tone made me relax.

I slid into the passenger seat. The leather was soft. Through the tinted window, I caught a glimpse of movement near the house.

"Kaira!" The voice was muffled but familiar. I pressed my face to the glass, scanning the street.

"I thought someone called my name," I whispered, brushing it off.

"You speak to me in an honorific manner... why?"

Vincent's hands stilled on the steering wheel.

"Because I do not dare speak down to you."

He took his phone from his pocket and typed rapidly, his thumbs moving over the screen, then slipped it back into his pocket before starting the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked again.

"You will find out soon."

The engine purred to life. Vincent shifted into drive, and...

Suddenly, a figure stepped directly in front of the car, arms spread wide like a shield.

Tony.

His chest rose and fell rapidly. His T-shirt was wrinkled, his hair disheveled like he'd been running.

"My ears weren't wrong; it was Tony who had called my name."

"Move," Vincent said after a beat with a flat voice.

But Tony didn't budge, he planted his feet wider.

"Stop the car, he is my brother."

Vincent's head bowed slightly, and then he killed the engine.

I rushed out, my hands reaching for Tony's shoulders, checking for scrapes, bruises, anything.

"Are you okay?"

Vincent emerged from the driver's side.

"And you must be Tony," he said.

Tony's fingers closed around my wrist. "You followed a stranger? What if he wasn't who he said he was?"

"I..." My mouth opened, then closed. I had no answer.

Then I was about to ask a question when Vincent cut in.

"How did you..."

"She is coming with me," Vincent stated.

"Says who?" Tony stepped forward, his shoulders squaring.

"Look, I do not know who you are or care what you do, but you are going nowhere with her."

"Tony..." His name came out as a whisper.

His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin. He tightened his grip on my wrist.

"My boss," Vincent replied, taking a step closer.

"So do not dare stop me." He added.

"I have already stopped you..."

The air between them crackled. Tony's breath came in short puffs. I wondered what to do in such a situation... two men faced off over me. I stood frozen between them, my heart pounding with uncertainty and fear.

* * *