Dancing with a stranger

Chapter|20✨

Everything's going fine for now I haven't been home since that night if you would call it a wedding. I ended up having the baby and I had a little baby girl. She was a spitting image of her daddy. Full head of hair and dark gray eyes. Kian has been there every step of the way. Right now he's visiting and doing some business for his father. I finally called my father and told him about the baby. He wasn't exactly too happy or angry with me. At least he would get a grandchild. Because I don't know how he would get to ever know his only son he thought was killed.

I was home alone with the baby and she was taking a nap. I was in our room putting clothes away waiting for Kian to come home. All of a sudden I heard Aaliyah crying. It was all new to me so I ran to her room and I didn't see her in her crib. I knew she was just in there. I'm frantically searching the house. I called Kian and he was on the way home. So it wasn't him

Grace got here as fast as she could and told me to call the cops. Kian pulled in as soon as I was talking to the cop. I didn't know who would want to take a month or so-old baby. I was describing to the cop what she looked like. He took my statement and then left. Of course, the cameras around the house quit working.

I was so shaken up I couldn't calm down. Jain and grace tried everything. I even contacted my father but he was in a different country. Lorenzo vouched for him on that.

It was nearing midnight and still nothing. Grace left because Charlie was at home waiting. He was worried and he said prayers and hoped everything turned out. Then that's when I got a message from a number.

If you want to see your precious baby again you do as I say. With a picture of her sleeping in a crib And there was a date and time. I showed Kian and I dropped to my knees and broke down. I just want my baby back.

He sat next to me hugging me and rubbing my back and told me was going to be okay and we are going to get our baby back. I decided to try and sleep until I heard anything besides the text. Kian said he was going to call some people.

I fell asleep hoping this was all just a big dream.

I tossed and turned and finally gave up and looked at the time it was 1:30 and Kian wasn't in bed. I heard him talking to someday. I get out of bed and walk out to see him talking to some dude at the kitchen table.

" hey, baby" he gets up and kisses me. "This is Stella my girlfriend," he tells the guy sting at the. Stells this is Ramone a family friend and he's going to help us get a little girl back. I tried to give him a self but I just couldn't. It broke me.

"He says he has a lead and he thinks it's your mother because the name found was Leanne" " yes that's my mother's birth name," I tell him.

After talking to Ramone he gets up and leaves not before biding us a goodnight.

Then we sit on the couch in silence while Kian hugs me.

Kian's arms around me feel like the only thing holding me together. My chest feels tight, and my breathing comes in shallow gasps as I sit there next to him on the couch. The silent, cold weight of fear presses against me, but Kian doesn't let go. He doesn't let me fall apart completely.

His fingers gently stroke my hair, and his voice is steady, almost soothing as he murmurs, "We'll get her back, Stella. I swear to you, we will."

I try to breathe, try to cling to his words, but the image of Aaliyah's face, so innocent, so trusting, keeps flashing in my mind. The picture they sent me, her asleep in her crib, taunts me, mocking how helpless I feel. She's so small, so fragile. I can't imagine what she's going through.

"It has to be my mother," I finally whisper, my voice breaking. I can feel the bitterness and the pain surfacing in my chest. "She would do something like this. She always does."

Kian pulls me tighter, pressing my face into his chest. "If it's her, we'll deal with it. Together. But don't let her get in your head. Focus on Aaliyah, okay? That's all that matters right now."

But my mind doesn't listen. The fear swirls in my chest, a constant thrum of anxiety. What if my mother does have her? What if she's been playing this game all along, waiting for the right moment to strike? It feels like a nightmare that I can't wake up from.

I pull back slightly, wiping my eyes. "I just want to hold her again. I want her back so badly."

"We will," Kian assures me, his voice firm but filled with the weight of determination. "We won't stop until we do."

I lean into him, but the silence in the room is suffocating. Every tick of the clock on the wall feels like an eternity, each second stretching out into the unknown. I don't want to think about the worst-case scenario, but it's all I can do to keep my mind from spiraling.

After a few minutes, Kian stands, running a hand through his hair. "I'm going to make some calls. Ramone has connections that might help. We need to find out where she's being held, fast."

I nod, my throat tight with unshed tears. "Just... be careful, Kian. I don't want to lose you too."

Kian's eyes soften as he looks at me, and he takes my hand in his, squeezing it gently. "You won't. I promise you, Stella. I'm not going anywhere."

As he walks away to make the calls, I sit there, staring at the wall, trying to steady my breath. I can hear Kian's voice in the other room, low and urgent, as he talks to someone. Every word he says makes the situation feel more real. This is happening. My baby is out there, and I have no idea what my mother is doing to her.

I close my eyes, trying to focus on something, anything that might give me strength. I think of Aaliyah's face, the way she looks so much like Kian-her dark gray eyes, her full head of hair. She's everything to me. I won't let anything happen to her.

The clock ticks on, and I know I can't just sit here. I need to be doing something, anything to bring her home. I get up, pacing the room, feeling the weight of the fear, the uncertainty gnawing at me. How did we get here? Why is everything falling apart again?

When Kian comes back in, his expression is tense but resolute. "I've got a lead. It's not much, but we know where to start. I'm going to get you your daughter back, Stella. I swear it."

I don't say anything, but the relief that floods me is palpable. It's a tiny sliver of hope, but it's enough.

"We'll do it together," I say, my voice shaky but firm. "We will bring her home."

Kian nods, his eyes burning with the same determination that's kept him by my side through everything. He pulls me into him once more, and this time, I don't try to pull away. For the first time tonight, I let myself hold on to him, feeling his strength, his commitment, and his love.

I close my eyes again, the promise of finding Aaliyah keeping me grounded as we brace ourselves for what comes next.