Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THREE years had passed since Azariah's dramatic return home, and life had settled into a sense of normalcy.
The young woman was now 22 years old, having graduated from a small community college nearby. Her days were spent working at a local coffee shop, which she found to be quite fulfilling.
Her parents, Liliana and Valentina, remained as protective as ever, watching over her closely like a hawk.
Her brother, Christian, and her sister-in-law, Mack, were also always just a phone call away, ready to intervene whenever they perceived any threat to her wellbeing.
She'd always do the same thing over and over, work, come home, play with her dogs, call her moms, eat and do anything else she had to do. She was bored.
She didn't know why but she'd rather be somewhere else.
Alec tried cheering her up but she had not been the same ever since Adriana was taken away. Which was always a mystery. She was never on the news, she fell off the face of the earth, not even her family mentioned her.
Lying on her bed, Azariah absentmindedly tossed a stuffed toy in the air for her dogs, Ace and Daph, to catch.
They scrambled after it, their paws scratching against the wooden floor, and Azariah's heart was filled with affection.
As her two furry friends panted on the floor, tuckered out from their play, she glanced at her phone, scrolling through her contacts. She missed the thrill, the excitement, and the danger
It was bad that she did yes, but it invaded her mind. She wanted something more.
After what happened to her, what happened to Adriana she had time to think, three years really.
As her mind wandered, thoughts and memories of the past three years flashed through her mind. The safety of her parents' home, the comfort of routine, the constant overprotection, it all played like a film. But... there was something missing.
Azariah's heart ached with a deep restlessness. A longing for something more than just this mundane life.
She tried to push it away, telling herself that this life was enough, that she was safe and cared for. But deep down, she knew she was lying to herself.
She got a call from Liliana and of course she answered. "hi mama."
Liliana's voice crackled through the line, warm and familiar "Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing?" she asked, concern laced in her tone.
"Fine from the last 20 minutes that you called. Mama I'm fine, I'm 22 I'll let you know if anything happens. Why don't we even forget about this already? It's been three years."
Liliana sighed on the other end of the line. Azariah could almost picture her mother's worried expression.
"I know, sweetheart. It's just... I can't help it. After everything that happened, I just want to keep you safe." Liliana said.
