“Rian’s here. Wait, talk to him.” Jasmine shifts the screen of her phone and I see my baby’s beautiful face. It’s been more than a month now since I’ve seen Rian and his absence slices through my heart. Seeing him like this daily reminds me that my deadline to tell Damien is drawing closer. The days are flying and I can’t stay away any longer from Rian.

“Hi, baby,” I tell him.

“Mommy...” he says pointing at the screen. “I want Mommy...”

“My darling baby. Mommy will be there soon. I miss you sweetheart.”

“No...mommy now. Rian want mommy now.” He sneezes once then twice and then his face crumbles.

My heart squeezes inside my chest as I watch my baby cry on the screen of my phone, miles away from me. Jasmine tries to soothe him, but he doesn’t settle. Finally, she calls out to my mom who takes him out of the room.

“This is hell Jasmine! I don’t know what to do,” I tell her when she returns to the screen.

“Hang in there, sweetie. We’re all here for him. He’s a kid and today doesn’t seem to be a good day for him. He’s been cranky the whole morning. I think your mom and I will take him to the park to distract him.”

“I can’t thank you all enough for doing this for me. It means so much.”

“Hey, stop it already. I’d do anything for you,” Jasmine says. “So, tell me how are things? You both are safe, right? No more threats?”

“Yeah, we’re okay Jas. Damien’s increased the security measures around us. So, we’re as safe as we can be under the circumstances.”

The last two weeks have been quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Although everything is calm, something about this situation doesn’t sit well with me. I can’t point it out yet, but it’s just a vague sensation inside me whispering that I’m missing an important detail here.

“Aaliya?”

“Yes, I’m here, Jas.” I exhale. “Damien wants me to move in with him. He wants me to release the house I’ve rented. I anyway spend most of the day at work with him here in the office and the nights at his house.”

“Cool, so what is the problem then?”

“The problem,” I tell her, “is that I can’t keep him in the dark anymore. I can’t continue to lie to him. So, having my own space gives me a sense of comfort because I honestly don’t know how he will react when I tell him.”

“I thought you said he’s making progress with his memory.”