Treasure

Chapter 1

Phoenix

I trace my hands over her name Arabella Ann Adams, I named her after my adoptive grandmother Anna who welcomed me with open arms along with her friend Arabelle. Anna adopted me when I was a child, but she said she was old enough to be my grandmother. Those ladies were my saving grace when all of this happened and unfortunately both have passed away. Arabella has passed away ten years ago. I do miss all three of them every day. Anna died from lung cancer but no surprise that the woman smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. "I am going to die anyway let me at least enjoy my life." And Arabella died from a stroke but I believed she died of a broken heart. She had lost her husband years ago and after Anna died, her best friend who was more like a sister. She lost the will to live, her heart drastically started to decline.

"Hi, baby girl. Happy birthday today is your tenth birthday. We would be throwing you a party. I can imagine if you were here, we would have special birthday breakfast. We would have presents, cake and ice cream. We would stay up late and have a slumber party; you would invite your friends over. The house would be filled with laughter." I take a moment to catch my breath since I am now crying. "I am so sorry Arabella. I should have left him if I did you would still be here. I failed you as a mother and did not protect you from your father. I should not have to defend you against your father. I wish he were the man I used to know but he is not anymore, but he supposedly is better since he has been in jail. He has been writing letters to me, but I can never forgive him for pushing me down those stairs and killing you." I kiss her gravestone and wipe my eyes as I walk away.

I always wonder what she would have looked like. Would she have my blue eyes or Wyatt's hazel eyes. Would she have brown hair or Wyatt's blond hair. Would she be feisty and stubborn like me? Would she be sweet as sugar? Regardless I know my angel would have been perfect.

I still continue to cry as I am walking my way back to my truck. I am heading over to the store to make my friend Amanda some soup since she is not feeling well. She has been extremely dizzy and really nauseous and really can't hold anything down for about a week. Henry, her husband, they are high school sweethearts. He is in the navy and is about to be deployed for six months if it does not get extended.

I am grabbing carrots and celery since I decided to make her chicken noodle soup. I hear, "Well, look who we have here. The bitch who sent my son to jail."

Great, I see my evil ex mother-in-law. "Hello, Loretta. What can I do for you?" She walks over to me, with her bleach bottled hair that falls to her shoulders and the hazel eyes Wyatt got from her. She stands in front of me, and we are only inches apart. "I was wondering if you heard the great news?" She says in a cheery tone. I keep a blank face, "What good news?" She gives me a smile that stretches across her face. "Well, Wyatt will be released early for good behavior. He will be home in three months." Her happy expression changes to a hateful glare. "You better stay away from him. You have ruined his life enough; I will not let you do anymore damage." I take a deep breath and count to ten in my head, like my therapist taught me.

"Loretta, I have no interest in anything that has to do with Wyatt. I actually prefer not to talk to him. The house is still in his name, I moved out and I will never move back in. He killed our daughter when he pushed me down the stairs knowing fully well, I was pregnant with our child. When you talk to him tell him to stop contacting me, I have never opened any of his letters and I won't open any he sends me in the future. We are divorced for a reason and I want absolutely nothing to do with him. I will not talk to him unless I am ordered by the court."

I do not wait for her response. I finished buying my groceries and go to Amanda's house. I need to go talk to the detective who was in charge of my case. To see if what Loretta said was true and if it is I want a restraining order to put on him because as much as he has been calling me and writing me letters. I do not trust him, plus he was super obsessive when we were dating, I should have seen the signs. I will never be with him again.