Contract Marriage: I’ve Always Loved You

Steve’s P. O. V.

Grace and I are returning home after our unsuccessful mission. She’s fallen asleep, her head resting on my chest, silent tears slipping from her closed eyes. I hold her closer, my gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the car window.

Today, she fought like a warrior to get back our daughter, but fate had other plans for us.

I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that the monster was playing mind games with us. He hadn’t actually kidnapped our daughter; he was merely toying with our emotions to get to Grace. A part of me wanted Grace to kill him on the spot, but it wasn’t enough. I want that bastard to suffer every day until his last breath for the pain he inflicted on my wife over the years. His actions have left scars on her soul that may never fully heal.

And today, he committed one more sin by lying to us and making us feel vulnerable. When he demanded Grace to strip before him, I nearly lost control, ready to storm in and beat the life out of him. But Max held me back with great difficulty, reminding me that we needed to remain patient for our daughter’s sake. However, as soon as we learned of his deception, we hurried inside without wasting a single second. After consoling Grace, I beat that fucking asshole, rendering him unconscious.

Now, every day, he will be tortured in prison with brutality. I’ll exact revenge for every tear Grace has shed because of him. He’ll beg to die, but he won’t find any mercy.

My fists clench with rage as I recall the sight of Grace standing before that monster, vulnerable and forced to endure his vile demands.

As the driver halts the car in front of our home, Grace’s eyes flutter open, and she looks up at me, her gaze filled with pain and exhaustion.

“Steve,” she whispers, “I tried so hard to get our daughter, but…” Fresh tears roll down her cheeks.

I wipe away her tears with tenderness, my heart aching as I witness her distress. She has been strong and fearless for the past week, and she gives me the courage to carry on. However, today she appears fragile, and it shatters my soul to see her in this state.

Now, I have to be strong for her because she needs me.

I clasp her face, fixing my eyes on her. “Grace, you did everything you could. You fought with every ounce of strength you had, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.”

She nods, her lips trembling as she struggles to hold back her tears. “But she’s still out there, Steve. Our daughter is still in danger, and I don’t know what to do. I just can’t stop thinking about her.”

I pull her into my arms, holding her close as she buries her face in my chest. “We’ll find her, love. I promise you, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring her home safely. We won’t rest until she’s back in our arms.” I seal my promise with a soft kiss on her forehead and a lone tear stream down my face.

***

We enter my father’s room hand in hand and find Evan sitting on his grandfather’s tummy. As his tiny eyes fall on us, he hurriedly steps down from the bed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

As he crawls towards us, a smile spreads across our faces, and for a moment, we forget about all our sorrows. His innocent joy brings a glimmer of light into our darkened world.

Grace crouches down to scoop him up into her arms, showering him with kisses, and the room fills with his delightful giggles.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I kneel on the floor and engulf both of them in my arms. Evan giggles, and it is like music to my ears, soothing the ache in my heart.

As we pull away from Evan, he crawls outside the room, calling for his sister. “Sissy… Sissy…”

Our chests become heavy with pain and tears trickle down our eyes, seeing him searching for his sister with innocence and sadness in his eyes.

We follow him down the hallway, his tiny footsteps echoing against the floor.

We reach our babies’ room, following him. “Sissy!” He exclaims in a grim tone, pointing to the empty crib where his sister should have been.

My heart sinks as I watch Evan’s innocent confusion. He doesn’t understand why his sister isn’t here, and it breaks my heart to see him searching for her.

It’s been two weeks since Giana was found missing, and Evan searches for his sister like this every day, and our heart breaks a little more every time.

Grace engulfs him in her arms, holding him close as tears fill her eyes. “It’s okay, baby,” she whispers, her voice trembling with emotion. “Sissy will come back soon. Mama and Dada are going to bring her home.”

I wrap my arms around both of them, my heart heavy with longing and determination. Even though our daughter isn’t with us now, I won’t give up hope. We’ll do everything we can to find her and bring her back to where she belongs, with us, her loving family.

***

Two weeks later,

Evan is peacefully sleeping, lying on my chest, while I’m lost in my little daughter’s precious memories.

I miss the way she used to kick her tiny legs while I converse with her and the way her innocent blue eyes look at me. Will I ever be able to experience this again?

Grace is seated on the sofa and engrossed in seeing our family photo album, tears trickling down her cheeks. It hurts to see her so upset.

One month has passed since Giana went missing, and each day feels like an eternity without her. Despite our best efforts and tireless searching, there’s been no sign of our daughter. We’ve followed every lead, contacted every authority, and appealed to the public for help, but Giana is still nowhere to be found. It’s like she’s vanished into thin air, swallowed by the darkness.

Evan continues to search for his sister, calling out her name with hope and sadness that tears our souls. We do our best to reassure him, promising that Giana will come back soon, but the emptiness of her absence overwhelms us.

What if we never find her? What if something terrible has happened to her? The thought alone is enough to send shivers down my spine.

However, we aren’t ready to give up hope, sticking to the belief that somewhere out there, our daughter is waiting for us, just as we are waiting for her.

But as time passes, the ache of her absence only deepens, and we are left to wonder how much longer we can endure this unbearable pain.

Please, God, please do some miracle and bring back our little princess.

As I finish my prayer, a sudden sound pierces the silence of our home. It’s the shrill wail of a fire alarm, echoing through the rooms.

Instantly, Grace and I pull back to reality, our hearts racing with panic. Without wasting a single second, we rush out of the room, Evan cradled in my arms, his small fingers clutching my shirt.

My heart pounds with fear as we make our way through the hallway, calling out for my father and scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.

Dad and other domestic workers also step out and scurry towards the emergency exit with us.

As we reach near the emergency exit, our eyes widen in shock and disbelief at the sight before us. There is a familiar figure sitting on the ground near the emergency exit, sucking on her pacifier with a look of innocent curiosity in her eyes.

It’s Giana. Our little princess.

Fuck! Am I dreaming? Is it really our daughter? How can this be possible?

“Giana?” I whisper, can’t able to believe what I’m seeing.

Grace gasps beside me, her hand flying to her mouth as tears of joy stream down her cheeks. “Oh my God, it’s her! It’s Giana!”

Evan’s eyes light up with joy as he sees his sister. “Sissy.” As he calls her, Giana finally looks at us, and her blue eyes sparkle.

She hastily crawls to us in excitement, and Evan wriggles in my arms in eagerness to meet his sister, constantly calling her, “Sissy… Sissy.”

Grace and I remain motionless as if turned to stone, unable to believe our eyes. It feels like we’re in a dream, watching this long-awaited dream come true after tirelessly searching for her since she disappeared.

As Giana reaches us and I make Evan sit on the floor, he hugs his sister, and fresh tears of happiness trickle down our cheeks, seeing this beautiful reunion.

I can’t believe it is finally happening. Thank you, God, for finally listening to our prayers.

Tears of relief and disbelief blur my vision as I scoop Giana into my arms and hold her close. She giggles in response, her tiny arms wrapping around my neck in a tight embrace.

“Dada…” I feel so much relief, listening to the way she calls me Dada in her sweet voice, resting her head on my shoulder. My ears were yearning for this. I can’t even describe in words what I feel at this moment. It’s like I got my breath back.

“It’s a miracle.” Grace’s voice chokes with emotion as she joins us, her hands trembling as she strokes Giana’s soft hair.

We pass each other a smile of relief and contentment, hugging our little princess together. Evan stands, grasping our legs. It feels so incredible, and I feel so complete again.

As Grace takes Giana from me, she starts sucking on her mama’s chin, grasping her pendant like she always does. Grace giggles, her eyes shining with true happiness, and it makes my soul shine too.

As Evan tugs at my joggers, trying to catch my attention, I look down at him before picking him up in my arms. He pouts at me as if complaining that now that his sister is back, we’ve forgotten him.

“Aww… my baby. Dada loves you too. It’s just that we got your sissy back after a long month.” I hug Evan while smiling at Grace and Giana, who are engrossed in each other. It’s a relief to witness this sight again.

I hold them closer, embracing Evan with one hand. After weeks of uncertainty and despair, our daughter is finally back where she belongs, safe and sound in our arms. Finally, our family is complete, and I feel so grateful.

As I hold them closer, I whisper a silent prayer of thanks, grateful beyond words for this miracle that has brought our family back together.

But a thousand questions swirl in my mind. How did Giana end up here? Where has she been all this time? And most importantly, is she okay?