Colette

Elizabeth was sitting in front of the television watching her favorite after-school program, and Liam was napping in his room. While she had peace and quiet with her daughter, she sat while she closely surveyed everything that was Elizabeth Rebekah Dubroise. She was beautiful, the perfect combination of David and herself. Having Colette’s original thick dirty blond hair and David’s dark brown eyes, Elizabeth was a beauty. Her child’s wit was quick like Colette’s, but her intelligence was certainly from her father. She never wanted to contemplate a life where she’d been left to Blake’s devices. But if there never was David, would she have married Ethan? It was hard to tell, but she wouldn’t have Elizabeth or Liam, and for that, she didn’t even want to venture where her life would be without David.

Just two weeks after they had returned from their trip to Bellingham and Vancouver, their absence was almost forgiven with the arrival of Goldie, the newest member of the family.

“Mom, if we get a new pet every time you are gone, then I won’t be so mad if you leave again.” She was happy to know her daughter could be bribed so easily.

She missed her kids terribly, but as she watched them with Goldie, she couldn’t escape the fact that today was her parents’ anniversary. She was a better person because of them, but at times, doubt crept into her mind about whether her parents knew Blake’s true nature.

When she met Anna and Emily, it was as if she was reliving the twelve years of her life she missed. She could envision Jenna throwing elaborate birthday parties for her children. Jenna never did anything simplistically. For her high school graduation, she talked their mom and dad into having her party at Whatcom Falls, a large park with wonderful waterfalls that lined the trails. Moreover, she knew some of the older partygoers would need help up the trails, so her parents rented two golf carts.

Blake was the opposite; he asked her parents to use the money that would have been spent for his party on a trip with his friends to San Diego. That trip was good for Colette too, giving her a break from him. He also met someone; becoming serious with a girl from California. He took his frustrations out on Trudy, who had already been accepted to the University of Washington in Seattle. After the long and turbulent relationship, Trudy ended up moving back to San Diego, assumedly to escape the ups and downs of Blake Miller.

Colette was in her own thoughts as Maribel walked into the house. “Cole, you seem a million miles away.”

“I am,” she said when she finally acknowledged her best friend.

“Ah, I don’t need to ask where you have gone. Are you doing all right? You look as if you have seen a ghost.”

“I was just thinking of, well, you know,” she whispered. She was very careful never to talk about her family in front of Elizabeth who had sensed something was off with her mom well before their hiatus to Bellingham and Vancouver.

“Ah, given any more thoughts to the next move?”

“No, we gave it that day in Vancouver, and she made the drive. We’re pretty sure she wasn’t followed.”

“Now what?”

“I will make contact eventually. I’m just not sure when.”

Maribel touched her friend and gave her a thoughtful smile. “I know when you do, it will be the right time.”

Maribel was privy to her fears that her mom wouldn’t understand or wouldn’t accept the illness that gripped her brother.

“I hope so, Bell. I really hope so,” she echoed.

* * *

Libby

The note only indicated to visit the park on that one occasion, but she was no closer to seeing or meeting her daughter. She left wondering what Mikayla was proving by making her jump through hoops. More so, she was furious with her daughter as it became more apparent she’d left on her own. Of course, she left on her own, Libby silently cursed. The note was clear about this fact; she chose the man who kidnapped her over her family.

How could she believe that this would lead to reconciliation with her daughter? And worse, Adam thought she was a fool. She sat in her living room window, envisioning her kids playing hopscotch as if it was twenty-five years ago.

Adam had moved out of their room and was sleeping in Blake’s old room. He had not spoken more than ten words to her since she decided she needed to see her visit through in Vancouver.

Her husband had never been so cruel to her in their forty years of marriage. Their anniversary passed just days ago without either one uttering a word of love toward the other.

It wasn’t that her hope in their daughter panned out that hurt her; it was her husband not understanding that she had to do whatever to be reunited with their daughter again. She’d walk the earth a million times to see her Mikayla.

Taylor was spending a lot of time at the house, almost as if she was avoiding Blake. If anyone had a perfect marriage, it was Blake and Taylor. He loved Taylor as if it was a necessity, as though she was his oxygen, and he was such a doting father to Dexter. She couldn’t wait to see him with a daughter. It made her day when she found out Taylor would give him a daughter and even more fittingly since they were naming her after someone Blake adored.

* * *

When Libby arrived home, Dexter came barreling into his grandma. “Grammy, guess what?” With his lips trembling, he whimpered, “Mommy is upstairs crying.”

“What?” she asked for clarification.

“Yeah, she got off the phone with Daddy, and she crying.”

“Oh, married couples fight. It’s normal, sweetheart. I’m sure she’s okay.” She looked down at her sweet grandson, but he was troubled by her explanation. “Your grandpa and I had a fight the other day, and it went on for a while, but we are fine.” And although they weren’t, they would be, eventually.

“Ah, so Grandpa yells at you a lot too, then?”

Her arms wrapped around Dexter as she stooped down to his level with her hands shaking. “No, Grandpa doesn’t yell at me, maybe once or twice in his life. Normally, if he’s mad, he sits down and talks to me. Why?”

Dexter looked down, confused. “Oh, I guess it not okay then if Grandpa don’t do it.”

“Do what?” She could see Dexter had become more secure than Fort Knox. “Dex, honey, I’m your Grammy, right? It’s okay, you can tell me.”

“Daddy sometimes be mean to Mommy. He doesn’t know I see it, I do. He yelling, and couple of times, he hurt her, but not like how Mommy give me spanking. He scary.”

She gripped the counter for support as she picked up her phone and sent Jenna a text, asking her to take Dexter for the night. As soon as Jenna replied, Libby loaded Dexter in her car, leaving a note for Taylor, telling her that Dex and she had gone out for a while. After leaving Dex in Jenna’s capable hands she took a few moments to collect herself. Her hands had been shaking but calling Adam and hearing his voice helped calm her.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“Adam, we have a real problem on our hands.”

“Bigger than you secretly hoping our daughter will return to our lives?”

She wanted to reach through the phone and strangle her husband, but she bit her tongue. “I think Blake might be hurting Taylor.”

There was silence on the line until finally Adam replied, “Tell me everything you know.”

* * *

Taylor

The days were growing old of Taylor feeling worthless in regard to her husband. She was walking on eggshells, yet she was growing confident in herself and the ability she had to walk away from him, if he pushed her to it. She increased her defiance with regards to his rules.

One-night Dexter was playing with her phone. “Hey, Mommy, this Grammy?” he asked, looking at the picture she had programmed of Libby.

“It sure is. Now you know how to call her.”

Walking away from her son, she was amazed by him, but then the mood changed in the house when Blake stormed in the front door. With Dexter on her phone, he lit into her with accusations of her rotten parenting, but she wasn’t silent, not this time. “Things are going to change, and if you don’t like it, you can leave.” He raised his hand to her and came within inches of hitting her, but she knew the baby girl growing inside her was what stopped her husband from hurting her.

She didn’t stop. Looking at him squarely, she said, “You ever hit me again or either of our children and I will leave you so fast, faster than a magician can pull a tablecloth from underneath a place setting.” She walked away before Blake could even comprehend what she said, and then added, “You are on your own for dinner. Dex and I already ate.”

She was amazed at how brazen she had become. She refused to be a scared kitten when it came to her husband anymore. She had no idea how he would react once Mikayla Jane was born, but until then, she’d act as if her bold behavior could last forever.