The Perfect Storm 3

Chapter 290

I don't know how long we've been like this, but I can almost feel Miles's hand on my waist even after it's been a few minutes since he's shifted it to my upper back.

I allow my thoughts to wander, and regretfully, I split my eyes wide at him.

"Miles," I say, my arms untangling from his neck and dropping down until I reach one of my hands to touch my neck. I was so stupid, I can't believe I forgot the most important thing to me.

"What?" he looks in equally as much shock and worries as his eyes stare hard into mine, his knees bending slightly so that he can be on my eye level, trying to somehow reach what's behind my eyes and in my mind by staring at me with his dark hazel eyes that make you want to spill our your soul to him.

"The necklace . . . it's--it's gone," I finally manage to speak and I can see Miles's eyes easing slightly, in a way I can barely notice, it's too much of a slight difference.

"Where'd you last see it?" he asks in a rush and my mind goes back to the horror I had to live through.

"David, I must have . . . I . . . I left it there," I speak, and instantly my heart shatters, I'm almost one and a half months pregnant, and I don't feel as though I can take anything but a calm environment, I feel my stomach shake as though nerves are running through me, but not in the way of regular stress but rather the sickness that this pregnancy has been causing my body.

"You stay here, I'll be qui--" I stop him.

"No," I shake my head, "I'm coming with," I say, my eyes determined even though the rest of my features probably indicate I should go to the bathroom and get sick. But through my determined eyes, Miles nods.

He helps me into the car and then quickly gets inside the car himself, the engine is on and we're on the main road, but he drives carefully and considerately, speeding but also slowing down.

DAVID AND SANDRA'S HOUSE LOOKS nothing like it did before, instead of the homey exterior and the inviting trees outside. It now seems so much darker, bot inviting and not homey, the trees wave slightly in the light breeze but they look somehow less green now, almost dead, brown on brown, the pebbled in the driveway are scattered and not as tidy as they always were, branches lay scattered around and it's as if the home hasn't been visited in over ten years.

We walk toward the front door that now looks much older and has even started to creak as soon as we open it, the interior is cold and plain, nobody seems to be living here. Clothes and backpacks, suitcases, and brown boxes lay all over the place as if someone is in the middle of fleeing something; someone.

I gulp and Miles quickly shifts, placing himself ahead of me instead of behind.

"Stay back, babe," he says quickly as he takes one black Vans step at a time. I follow slowly behind and when Miles starts to walk normally through the house I follow quickly behind.

"No one's home," He says and I nod at him before walking into the kitchen before Miles covers my eyes quickly.

"No one has cleaned it yet," he gulps, his eyes only on mine as he speaks. And I try my best to nod because I know I can't speak right now.

"Where'd you leave it?" He asks and I shake my head, "I don't know, maybe upstairs in the bedroom," I try to speak and he offers me to come with but I shake my head, standing by the door, not sure if I can stay here much longer, and just in case I need to escape, I want to be right beside the exit.

I stare at a clock I spot above a wall and watch the seconds tick by, Miles still upstairs, soundless, as if he's looking through pillows and soft sheets, rather than moving furniture, entering doors, and closing them behind him.

And then finally, I hear something but it's not from upstairs, it's coming from behind me and instantly, shivers of terror run through me as if I've been tranquilized, and I can feel the way it's spreading over my body, making every cell, one by one, a thousand times weaker than it was before.

I turn around slowly, my heart pounding and my body barely being able to hold me standing up. I watch the door shift open slowly, as if someone's trying to sneak inside and I almost collapse but then I spot someone that isn't David; Sandra and Becky.

"Oh, Madison," Sandra says startled and I offer her a kind smile, trying not to collapse in front of her.

She stares at my swollen stomach and her eyes are teary. Miles is still upstairs and I wish he'd leave the necklace and hold me, I need his touch, I need to know that I'm okay being in this house.

I only pray that Sandra doesn't bring anything up about either of us because I don't know if my heart can take it; the hurt that he has caused both of us. I don't want to know what he did; I want to move as far away from it as I can and I'm thankful when she notices that in my eyes and quickly sniffles and wipes the tears by her eyes.

"I'm actually glad that you're here, I . . I have something to ask you and I know it's a big deal but I--I can't seem to figure anything else out," she says desperately moving to the couch, and grabbing everything she can as quickly as she can, Becky in her arms.

A backpack is already on her back and all of the clothes I saw before are already stuffed into a small suitcase that she's now holding beside her feet.

"I . . . David took something special from me; my first child and I . . . I've been going crazy . . ." she looks down, tears coming down her fragile cheeks.

Sandra parts her lips, trying as hard as she can to look me in the eyes. I somehow know what she's going to ask me as if it's an instinct I've never had before but am now somehow feeling and I know what my answer is.

"I haven't been able to function properly and that's not right, I need to seek help and I know that I am doing that but I, I realize you and Miles didn't agree to be our godparents, but I . . . I can't stay with Becky--I just can't--"

"We'll take her," I hear Miles speak the exact words I kept behind my lips and we both turn to the voice behind me.