Prisioner In Your Arms

Days passed, and Rina grew desperate. She thought that maybe something had happened to him. She called his apartment, but there was no answer. She cried inconsolably. If she couldn’t find out about him, she would seek out his parents, even if it meant enduring humiliation.

Maggi, seeing her so depressed, insisted on accompanying her to the café. Her boyfriend, Sergio’s friend, suggested that they go there that day. Reluctantly, she agreed, hoping that the guy might have some information about Sergio.

Upon arriving at the café, they immediately heard a commotion. A group of boys and girls were having fun. As Rina entered, she felt her perfect world crumbling. Among that group was Sergio, with a beautiful blonde sitting on his lap. When he saw Rina, he kissed the girl.

Rina couldn’t bear it. She ran out of the place, and Maggi approached Sergio. Without thinking twice, she slapped him.

“You’re a son of a bitch,” she said.

She gave her boyfriend a deadly look, realizing that he had invited those girls with the intention of making Rina find out and then run away.

Sergio immediately pushed the girl off his lap. The blonde couldn’t understand what was happening. First, he kissed her, and now he treated her that way. She tried to approach him again, smiling flirtatiously, but received the same response from Sergio.

“I’m sorry for what you’re going through, friend. You should go after her and go as far away as possible from your parents.”

“I’m their only son. Blood matters a lot to them. They would search for us until they found us. I’m sure they would kill Rina. They’re despicable,” he said, tears streaming down his cheek.

A couple of months later, Rina was with Maggi. They had returned to university, and after finishing their classes, they headed to the cafeteria. Rina knew that Sergio had returned to Italy with his parents; Maggi’s boyfriend had informed her.

As they got out of the car, Rina fainted, but Maggi managed to catch her and prevent her from falling.

When she woke up, she was in the hospital, with Maggi by her side. From her friend’s expression, she could tell that something was wrong.

“What’s happening?” Rina asked.

“Oh, friend, how do I say it?” Maggi nervously bit her nails.

“Just say it already.”

“They ran some tests on you.”

“And?” Rina asked nervously, imagining that maybe they had found a terminal illness.

“You’re pregnant.”

“What? No, that can’t be.”

“I spoke with the doctor, there’s no doubt.”

“Oh God, what am I going to do? My parents will kill me. They won’t let my child be born,” Rina exclaimed, as she touched her belly.

“They will perform an ultrasound to determine how far along you are,” Maggi lowered her head, knowing that her friend was in a big mess.

After the ultrasound, the doctor informed her that she was four months pregnant. They left the clinic, both of them crying inconsolably.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Maggi, I know you’ll be mad at me for this. I spoke with my parents, and you will stay with us during the pregnancy. Once the baby is born, you can decide whether you want to raise it or put it up for adoption.”

“I will never give my child up for adoption. I appreciate your parents’ support, and I hope my parents don’t find out,” Maggi said.

“They never visit you, and nobody here knows them, so I think you’re safe.”

Months went by, and the moment of delivery arrived. Rina suffered a lot. It was hours of intense pain, but in the early morning, her baby was finally born. She felt overjoyed when the doctor placed the baby on her chest. The umbilical cord hadn’t been cut yet. He was a beautiful boy, a bit chubby. His eyes and hair reminded her of his father. Maggi and her parents were there with her.

“He’s a very healthy baby. We’ll examine him, and then we’ll bring him to you. I don’t think he needs to stay in the nursery,” the doctor said.

“Thank you, doctor,” Rina said. The pain she had felt just moments ago was forgotten, replaced by a huge smile of happiness on her face.

“Your son is beautiful, friend. It’s incredible how much he resembles his father,” Maggi covered her mouth when she realized what she had said. Rina couldn’t help but cry. “I’m sorry, friend. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“Don’t worry. I have to get over it.”

“I was determined to overcome it. I had to be strong to move forward with my child.”

“Congratulations, daughter. Your baby is beautiful. I commend you for your decision to raise him. We will help you in any way we can. Now, we have to say goodbye as we have work tomorrow.”

“Thank you very much, ma’am. I truly appreciate the support you have given me.”

Maggi stayed with her that day. When Rina fell asleep, Maggi went down to the cafeteria. At that moment, Sergio entered the room. He observed her sleeping and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

“I hope that one day you can forgive me. They want him with them. After all, he’s their grandchild. If I don’t take him, they will harm you.”

Sergio spoke in a low voice, then hurriedly left while crying. Part of his heart remained with her, knowing that by taking away their son, he was causing her the worst kind of pain.

Later, Rina woke up to a commotion. When she opened her eyes, she saw Maggi crying.

“What’s happening?” she asked, confused.

“I’m sorry, friend. I just went down to the cafeteria for a moment.” Rina instinctively looked over at the crib where her son should be.

“My son, where is my son?” She felt her heart tighten.

“When I came back, he was gone. I thought the doctors had taken him. We didn’t realize he had been taken until the nurse came in and found this in the crib.” Maggi handed her an envelope.

As she opened the envelope and read the contents of the brief letter, she felt like she was dying.

“Don’t worry about our son. He will grow up with me. For your safety, don’t you dare look for us. Forget that we ever existed, think of us as nothing more than a dream.”

“Sergio has taken him. Why? What did I do to deserve this? My only mistake was loving him.”

Maggi’s parents entered in alarm. As soon as Maggi realized what was happening, she had called them. Rina could see that her father was bleeding; someone had attacked him.

“Oh God, Dad, what happened to you?” she asked, alarmed, approaching him.

“When we got out of the car, some men ambushed us. They threatened us. If we report the child’s disappearance, they will eliminate us. They hit me as proof that they’re not playing around.”

“For God’s sake, Sergio, how far have you gone?” Rina exclaimed, crying inconsolably. The kind and gentle boy she had known didn’t exist; he was just a character.

Months passed, and Rina couldn’t recover from the loss of her son. She felt a deep hatred for Sergio, and the love she once felt for him had vanished. Sergio refused to let go of her, keeping her under surveillance without his parents’ knowledge. He knew every move she made, cherishing the photos sent to him by the men who were watching her.

Rina remained alone for a long time with her pain. She finished university and stayed to work in Los Angeles. Thirteen years later, when she was considered a spinster, she met Gío Rossano. He came to the place where she worked and was captivated by her beauty from the moment he met her.

Noah had been pursuing her for a few years, but she hadn’t been able to reciprocate his feelings. When she met Gío, she was struck by his smile and honey-colored eyes. She, who believed she would never fall in love again, became hopelessly enamored. He showered her with compliments, gifts, and flowers, and he asked her to be his wife. She immediately accepted.

Gío managed to make her forget about Sergio, but she could never forget her son. She opened her heart to Gío and told him about her past. He promised to help her find her son. Unbeknownst to Rina, history was about to repeat itself. Since childhood, Gío had been engaged to Amanda, his parents’ goddaughter. He had been putting off the engagement, but when his father sensed his impending death, he made Gío promise to fulfill his last wish-to leave Rina and marry Amanda.

With a heavy heart, Gío fulfilled the promise made to his father.

“Rina, we need to talk,” he said. His heart was shattered, knowing she didn’t deserve to suffer again and that he would be the one to hurt her deeply.

He had just returned from Australia, and she welcomed him with a big smile.

“Of course, my love. Let’s talk while we eat. I’ve prepared your favorite dish.” She felt happy that he had returned to her side.

“We need to end things between us. I don’t want to deceive you. I’m getting married soon.”

Rina felt her heart break in that moment.

“How could you do this to me, Gío? We’ve been living together, you promised we would marry. You only used me.”

She cried uncontrollably.

“My father’s dying wish was for me to fulfill my promise of marriage to Amanda. I’m sorry, I couldn’t refuse.”

He said as he cried.

“I understand, just leave already,” she said, turning away. She knew she wouldn’t achieve anything by begging him; he had already made up his mind.

Shortly after his departure, she realized she was pregnant. But news of his marriage had reached her ears, and if he found out, she feared he would also try to take her child away. What kind of karma was she paying that men kept abandoning her?

She decided to accept Noah’s proposal. He was thrilled and immediately asked her to marry him. They got married in California, and she pretended to become pregnant quickly. Noah loved her deeply, and Rina tried her best to show him affection. However, she couldn’t forget Gío. When Nicole was born, she paid a considerable sum to the doctor to certify that the delivery had been premature, and the baby had been born at seven months of pregnancy.

Nicole’s parents didn’t accept Noah because he was humble. With the inheritance from her grandparents, Rina helped him establish a company in New York. Soon after, her parents passed away, leaving their inheritance to Nicole, and Rina became her trustee.

When Nicole was not yet a year old, still being a few months old, one day Rina went out shopping. Noah was waiting with Nicole to surprise her; he had bought her a new car. He waited until late at night, but she didn’t return. He tirelessly searched for her but couldn’t find her. Days and months passed, and Noah, desperate, listened to what the authorities had to say.

“Mr. Williams, we will suspend the search. You can’t find someone who doesn’t want to be found. Most likely, your wife has run away with her lover. It’s as if she disappeared off the face of the earth. She must be hiding somewhere,” they said.

“How can you say that? My wife would never abandon our little daughter,” Noah said. Deep down, he still held a glimmer of hope that Rina wasn’t the woman everyone, including himself, believed her to be.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Williams. It’s what we believe,” they replied.

Noah left feeling defeated. A couple of years later, he met Emma Miller, who already had a little girl named Sondra. They married, and Noah raised Nicole as his own.

In his heart, Noah felt a great resentment towards Rina. He didn’t feel love for his little daughter, believing that Rina had callously abandoned her. Meanwhile, Rina suffered in the worst of hells beside Sergio, who, after his parents’ death, had decided to kidnap her.