"Axel, come on!" I yelled to my eighteen year old son. He was always taking long to get ready, now that he was in college.

"Mom, you know how he is. Always gotta impress the girls." My twelve year old daughter, Michelle commented, eating her cereal. I laughed and ruffled her dark blonde hair. She had grey eyes just like her brother.

"So true. Axel, now!" I shouted, going into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Michael walked in, carrying his briefcase.

"Leave the boy alone, babe. He has to make sure he's looking sharp." Michael winked at me and kissed my cheek. "What's for breakfast?"

"No breakfast for you, my dear. You defended Axel." I said, tasting my cooking. I felt Michael's presence behind me and I bit my lip, smiling to myself.

"No breakfast for your wonderful husband? I thought I deserved better than that." He whispered in my ear, running his hands up my arms. After Natalie's fifth birthday, we dated for a year and a half longer before he swept me off to Bora Bora and proposed.

"Do you now?" I teased, turning my head to look up at him. He smiled and bent his head low to capture my lips between his. I closed my eyes, loving the feeling. I would never get used to this.

"Oh my god, Dad! Ew, I think I'm gonna puke." Natalie announced and we broke away, laughing.

"Just wait your turn. You'll be doing the same thing." Michael said to his seventeen year old daughter. She just scoffed and shook her blonde curls, texting one of her friends.

"Were they making out again?" Axel's deep voice asked as he came down the stairs. He had on a button down shirt with his sleeves were rolled up to his elbow. His dark jeans fit him nicely and his dark hair was gelled back. He was a handsome young man for sure.

"You look just like your father." I said softly. And that he did. There was no doubt he was Daxton King's son and the way he carried himself showed just as much power as his father did.

"I look nothing like Michael, Ma." He said winking one silver eye. I rolled my eyes and let him kiss my cheek. He didn't like to acknowledge Daxton as his father. To him, the only father he had and cared for was Michael. "What's for breakfast?" He asked. He towered over me with his 6'4" frame and I wondered when he would stop growing.

"Alright, both of you lazy boys get out my kitchen. Go." I swatted them out, both protesting. After breakfast, Axel took his car and drove himself and his sisters to school. I waved to Michael as he took off to go to work and I sighed, knowing today was the day. The day I was going to meet up with Daxton.

He only went to prison for ten years because of his expensive lawyers. He got out when Axel was fourteen and Axel wanted nothing to do with him. He remembers clearly what his father did to him and me, and even Michael. Daxton wrote me a bunch of times, wanting to meet up, but I didn't have the confidence to do it until today.

I drove to the park we used to go to all the time and waited for him.

"Arielle." I heard his voice before I saw him and I heard his footsteps walk around until he was facing me. His facial hair had grown out and he looked liked he aged more years than he actually was. He sat down next to me and I gripped the side of the bench. "Why so nervous, Ari?" His asked, humor in his voice.

"What do you want, Daxton? You wanted to meet, so here I am." I snapped, wanting to get straight to the point. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

"I want to meet Axel." I laughed at his request.

"You know damn well he doesn't want to get to know you, Dax." I said. His green eyes flashed with anger before disappearing.

"He's my son. I deserve to see him. I haven't seen him in fourteen years." He said, gritting his teeth.

"And whose fault is that? You destroyed whatever bond you had with him and you will never, ever be able to take what you did back. You don't deserve to be a father." I spit out, getting up. I was done with this conversation.

"Don't walk away from me." Daxton's hand shot out and gripped my arm. I looked down at it as if he burned me.

"If you don't let go of me right now, I'll kick your balls so hard, you'll wish your boyfriend from prison was here to save you." I threatened and he let go quickly. I shrugged my shoulders, adjusted my jacket and walked off, leaving Daxton in the park.

Nothing and no one was going to ruin the perfect family I had, even if he was the father of my child.

The next day was Saturday and it started to rain like crazy. I drove to Michael's house, hoping to get there and back in time to watch the new episode of the Flash. Yes, I was obsessed too.

"Come on!" I honked my horn at the person in front of me who was driving like a snail. When I got the chance, I switched lanes and got in front of the person, making it to Michael's house in a record of time. Many cars filled his massive driveway and and I reached back to get my umbrella, coming up empty.

"Mommy, let's go! It's starting!" Axel rushed me, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"I can't find my umbrella." I explained.

"I can run! I promise I won't fall." He said, opening his door.

"Okay, wait up!" I put my jacket over my head and walked into the freezing rain and walked quickly after Axel.

"Bye, Mommy!" He yelled, running inside.

"Have fun!" I yelled back, waving. I was soaked to the bone and I just wanted to get back into my warm car.

"Ari?" I froze, not wanting to turn around. I could hear his footsteps walk round until he came into my line of vision.

"Michael." I breathed out, my heart doing jumping jacks. He looked so scrumptious in his tight blazer and jacket. He looked surprised to see me.

"You're getting soaked. Why don't you come in and--"

"Michael I--"

"Just for a little bit?" He asked and I couldn't resist. I went under his umbrella and we hurried into the house. He gave me a change of clothes, which I readily accepted because I was freezing. While he was changing, I walked into his office and waited for him. Seeing him after all this time did some crazy things to my heart and I didn't know how to feel.

I looked around and smiled when I saw a picture of the four of us from the fair we went to. We were on a roller coaster and my hair was flying back, a frightened look on my face. Michael was looking at me, laughing as I clung to him. I trailed my fingers down the frame, missing what we used to have.

A sound came from Michael's computer and being the nosy person I was, I went to it, looked up to make sure he wasn't coming, and opened it up. His email was up and I scrolled through it, wondering what he had been up to for the past months. I frowned when I saw an email that said 'Do It Or Else'. It was dated a few months before I officially met Michael.

"Oh my god..." I covered my mouth as I read the words. The door opened and Michael came in, frowning when he saw me behind his desk.

"What are you doing?" He asked cautiously, but I wasn't listening to him. I was still trying to process what I had just read. He came over and looked at what I was reading and his face fell.

"Ari..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered, turning around to face him. He ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes for a second.

"I couldn't." He said simply.

"Michael, they threatened Natalie! You could've told me and we could've gone to the police or something! You made me believe that you did this willingly." I said, eyes wide.

"I couldn't risk it, Ari. I wanted to protect her.....and you. You don't think for a second that I didn't think about telling you?!" He started raising his voice and he walked away from me, shaking his head. "When I met you, I thought I could do it. Get close to you and hand you over. Then Natalie would finally be safe. But I fell for you." He stared out the window and then slapped his fist against it, holding it there and putting his forehead against the glass.

He started laughing and I started to get worried. "I fucking fell for you, so hard that I didn't know what was up or down. I wanted to do everything I could to protect you, get out of that....that deal. That's why I met up with Jeremy. I gave him money to leave the country in exchange for me getting out of the deal." I walked up behind him and he turned around, a pained look taking over his face. "I'm so sorry, Ari."

"Shh, Michael it's not your fault, okay? What's done is done. Natalie is safe now and I'm safe." I said and he scoffed.

"Yeah, you're safe but you're not mine. I love you, Ari and I know that you want nothing to do with me, but I just want you to know that--" I stopped him by kissing him. He was startled at first, but then he kissed me back with just as much passion as I gave. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I pulled back and smiled at him when he gave me a confused look. "What was that for?' He asked.

"I love you too, Michael." His eyes lit up and his arms tightened around me. "NowI feel bad because you didn't have a choice and if I'm going to be completely honest, I missed you a lot. I--I've always been in bad relationships and when I have one that's as good as the one we had, I get scared. Everyone leaves me and I--" My voice cracked and I swallowed before speaking again. "--I don't want to be alone forever."

"I won't ever leave you, Ari, you hear me? Look at me." I lifted my watery eyes to him and he cupped my cheeks. "I don't care what happens from here on out. We'll always be honest with each other and get through everything together, alright?" I nodded and sniffed, not wanting to shed any tears. He kissed me softly and then hugged me tight.

"Don't we have a party to get to?" I asked after we stood there for a while. Michael laughed and grabbed my hand.

"We sure do." We left the office and went down to celebrate Natalie's birthday.

After spending two hours at the police station giving our statements, I had the officer drive us to my house so that I could get my car and I drove straight to the hospital to see how Michael was doing. The voice in my head told me to stop worrying about him, especially since he had something to do with my kidnapping, but I couldn't. I felt drawn to him in ways that I'd never felt before.

"And you are?" the lady behind the counter asked me and I thought about lying and saying that I was his sister, but then I chickened out of it. I didn't have time to argue with another person.

"I'm his girlfriend." She nodded and told me the number of his room. I grabbed Axel's hand and hurried to Michael's room before the lady changed her mind. When I got there, my chest started to tighten at how weak Michael looked.

I walked over to his bed and sat down in the chair next to it. His faced was purple with bruises and he had a tube in his mouth. Seeing him like this sent my emotions in overdrive and before I knew it, I was crying. I let it all out and Axel put his hand on my shoulder, not saying anything. I cried for ever meeting Daxton, for loving him, pining after him, and trusting him. I cried over the betrayal I felt because of what Daxton and Michael did.

I cried even harder when I realized I couldn't trust Michael. Our whole relationship had been based around my kidnapping and I couldn't bear to get betrayed again. My heart just couldn't take it anymore. I thought about how Michael told me that he loved me.

Love. Was that how I felt about him too, though we'd only been together for almost two months? But we were together every single day, laughing, talking, kissing, hugging, just relaxing together. That's enough time to love someone, wasn't it?

"Last time I sat in the hospital was because Daxton had gotten into a horrible accident. Seems ironic that he's the reason why I'm back in here." I said out loud, gripping Michael's hand. I paused, listening to his heart monitor before continuing. "He's a wealthy man, and was still so greedy, that he would kill for money." I laughed, shaking my head. "Look where that's got him."

"Mommy. Is Michael.....gonna die?" Axel whispered, eyes watering. My heart broke and I brought him close.

"I don't know, Ax. I truly don't know."

"I don't want him to die!" Axel cried, tears streaming down his face. I gulped back my tears and Axel gripped me tightly.

"I don't either." My voice broke and I breathed a shuddering breath. Axel leaned back up and wiped his eyes.

"I'm glad Daddy's going to jail." He said finally.

"Me too." I kissed his forehead and turned back to face Michael, still holding his hand. "And then there's you. You said you loved me, but---" I paused, blinking multiple times. "--you hurt me, Michael. Not physically, although it feels like that." I looked up to the ceiling and thought about what else to say. "Although you did what you did, I can't seem to change my feelings for you. I--I love you, Michael. I really do. But I can't do this. I'm sorry. I just can't." I leaned over and left a lingering kiss on his lips and some of my tears hit his cheek. I wiped them slowly, memorizing his face before turning away.

* * *

Michael tried to contact me for two months, but I ignored his calls, texts, voicemails, and even changed the locks on my doors. I wanted nothing to do with him. My life seemed to fall back into it's normal pace and even Axel stopped asking for Michael. By the third month, he stopped. But I still thought about him on a daily basis.

"Mommy, do you think Natalie misses playing with me?" Axel asked out of the blue one day, while coloring in the kitchen. I almost dropped the frying pan. He hadn't asked about her since we left the hospital months ago, so I was surprised by his question.

"Yeah, I'm sure she does. Why did you ask?" I went back to cooking dinner and he shrugged.

"I miss her. And she gave me note today to give to you." He continued coloring, but I looked at him, surprised.

"A note? Where is it?" I asked. He pursed his lips before smiling and running out the room. He came back with piece of paper flying in his hand.

"Found it! Here you go." He handed me the note and went back to the island to color in his coloring book. "I wanna go to her house. She's having a birthday party tomorrow." I ignored him for two seconds while I read the note. It was from Michael.

Dear Arielle,

I know you want nothing to do with me and this isn't a note to try and get you back. Natalie is having a birthday party and would love it if Axel could come. If he can, that would be great and would make Natalie very happy. She misses him.

Thanks,

Michael

I crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash. It's just a party. I told myself. You could drop Axel off and leave right after. "Alright, I'll take you."

"Yes!" Axel did a happy dance and I chuckled, shaking my head.

I was about to run back to help him, but someone grabbed me from behind. I gasped and saw that it was Jeremy.

"Let me go!" I yelled, kicking his shin. He cursed, but didn't let me go.

"Shut up and follow me. I'll get you out of here. These guys are crazy." He said, leading me to the other side of the pier. As I followed him, I frowned. Why was he helping me? Was he just going to bring me back to the others?

"Why are you helping me?" I voiced my thoughts. He rolled his eyes and looked around the corner before beckoning me to follow.

"I was never in on this bullshit. I just needed money to leave the country. And you just so happened to be kidnapped the same time I went to Daxton." He explained. Just then, a door slammed open and Lance walked out, smiling and pointing his gun.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, stalking towards us. Jeremy held up his hands and backed up, shielding me from Lance's weapon. I backed up too, not wanting to get shot. "Give me the girl."

"Dude, come on. You really think Dax is gonna give you a cut when he gets the code? He's just gonna kill all of you and keep it all for himself." Jeremy said and Lance laughed.

"You're wrong. Now move." He moved the gun to the side, gesturing for Jeremy to do the same.

"I'm not even a part of this. Just let me go and you can have the girl." My mouth fell open at his words. So much for helping me escape. Lance thought about it and shrugged.

"Sure. Why not?" He fired his gun, shooting Jeremy in the head. Blood spattered on me and I screamed as Jeremy's lifeless body fell into the water.

"Oh my god, why did you do that?!" I shrieked. Lance smirked, twirling his gun.

"Jeremy had nothing to do with any of this. He was only gonna get in the way." I backed up slowly, trying not to end up like Jeremy. I quickly turned and ran around the corner.

"Hey!" Lance shouted, running after me. I looked back to see how close he was and when I turned back to the front, I crashed into a hard chest. I looked up to see Daxton, with a large knot on his head. He grabbed my arms tightly.

"Perfect. Now, if you won't tell me the code, I have something that will convince you. Lance, the yacht." Lance brought down the stairs of one of the yachts and Dax led me onto one named The King. I stumbled when he pushed me and I started to panic, wondering what he was going to do to me.

"Dax, I swear I don't know that code! Why don't you ask my dad?" I tried to convince him, but he ignored me. He walked over to a door and yanked it up.

"Get up here." Daxton said and I hear feet walking up from the bottom of the yacht. My heart almost dropped when I saw my son.

"Axel!" I rushed over to him, but Daxton stood in front of him. "What are you doing, Daxton?" I asked. Axel peeked from behind his father, obviously scared. He seemed to be fine, though his hair was matted and unruly.

"I'll ask you one more time. What is the code?" I contemplated whether or not I should tell him. If I did, my father's empire that he started from scratch to build would be gone. If I didn't, who knew what would happen? I decided to go with the latter.

"I don't know!" I said for the last time. Daxton laughed and shook his head, grabbing Axel's arm.

"Guess we'll just have to do things the hard way." I was confused as to what he meant. He walked over to the edge of the boat and lifted Axel upside down, hanging him over the side of the boat.

"Mommy!" Axel screamed, wiggling to get back on the boat.

"Daxton! Stop it! What's wrong with you?!" I screamed rushing to the side the boat.

"Stop moving around or I'll drop you." Daxton yelled at Axel and Axel stopped, eyes wide with fear. "And you, come any closer and I'll drop him. Right below the water is a cage. In that cage are some sharks that haven't been fed in, oh, let's say two weeks. So I'd advise you to spill now or else he's lunch." I gasped, heart beating out of my chest.

"He's your son!" I screeched, not moving, scared that he would actually do something to harm Axel.

Daxton shrugged and moved his arm from side to side. "I'd suggest you hurry it up because my arm is getting a little tired."

"Mommy, don't do it!" Axel cried out. He was being so brave and tears kept streaming down my face.

"Daxton, I don't know it. Please, don't do this!" I pleaded. Daxton let Axel go, but caught him at the last minute and I screamed, clutching my chest.

"Oops, almsot slipped there. One more lie and he's a goner." He threatened. I swallowed and blinked multiple times, deciding to tell him for the sake of Axel's safety.

"It's--"

"Daxton King! Put the boy down!" A man yelled and I turned around to see that the pier was flooded with cops. One had Lance in handcuffs and was leading him to a squad car. I closed my eyes, not believing they were really here. How did they get here?

Daxton looked up to the sky and laughed heartily. "Oh man, I was so close. SO close!" He shouted to the sky and moved Axel back onto the boat. Gun were trained on him and he set Axel down before holding his hands up. "You got me."

Axel ran over to me and I brought him close, pressing my face to his shirt. I sobbed with relief and Axel patted my back. "Mommy, it's okay. I'm not hurt, see?" He stretched out his arms, showing me that he was okay. I smiled and kissed him repeatedly.

"I know, baby, I know." I said, cupping his face.

"I'll be back, Ari. Mark my words." Daxton threatened as the cops led him away. "I'll be back!" He laugh would forever be imprinted in my brain and I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about anything else but the fact that Axel was safe.

"Mommy, you have blood on your face." Axel used his shirt to wipe away the blood, staining his white shirt. One of the officers came over and knelt beside us.

"Hey, young man. You were the one who called us, correct?" Axel nodded, clinging to me.

"My name is Officer Downey. You must be Axel and this must be your mother, Arielle." They shook hands and I nodded at him.

"You called the cops, baby? How?" I asked Axel, bewildered.

"Daddy had a phone down there and I knew you were in trouble, so I called the number you said call when there is trouble. 9-1-1." He said proudly and I laughed, hugging him tightly. The office also smiled and looked at me.

"You have one smart boy. He called us saying that his father took you and he heard gunshots and that he was on a boat. When he described the pier, we knew exactly where you guys were. I'm just glad we got here in time." The officer explained and I nodded, feeling the same way. "Come on. We have to take you guys in to give your statements."

I stood up and grabbed Axel's hand, afraid to let go. We followed the officer down the stairs and when we walked past one of the doors, I looked in to see paramedics surrounding someone.

"Michael!" I let go of Axel's hand and ran inside, pushing past everyone. When I got to him, I fell to my knees beside him, mouth open. They were pumping his chest and I could see the wound where the bullet went through. His face was ashen and it didn't look like he was breathing. "Oh my god, is he dead?" I asked and they looked at me.

"Ma'am, we need you to move." One of the paramedics said.

"I wanna know! Is he dead?!" I yelled, wanting to touch him.

"No, but he's lost a lot of blood. I don't know if we can save him." I gasped.

"No! You have to save him! He can't die! You can't let him die!" I screamed, lunging forward. Someone grabbed me and I struggled against the person, wanting to stay by Michael's side.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we have to go. Let them take care of him." I let Officer Downey lead me away and I strained my neck to look at Michael one last time before I got into the squad car.

My mouth fell open when I saw Daxton's face. He walked around me, seeming very comfortable in this situation. The first emotion I felt was hurt.

"Daxton? How could you do this to me?" I asked, still in shock. He breathed a laugh and stepped close to me.

"Because, princess, I needed to." He said bluntly, cocking his head.

"Why?" I pressed, wanting to know why he would do something like this. "Wait, were you part of the plan to kidnap me the first time?" Daxton nodded and walked over to stand in front of his henchmen.

"You were actually supposed to die, but I decided at the last minute to 'save' you so that it would be more enjoyable this time. I mean, no one wants to kill a pregnant lady, am I right?" He asked everyone in the room and they all agreed, smiling like crazy people. Which they were. My heart squeezed and I could feel tears building up on my tear ducts.

"What's wrong with you? You're crazy! I hate you!" I screamed, yanking my arms to try and weaken my binds. I thrashed and screamed like a madwoman, wanting to rip Daxton's head off for putting me through this. Daxton frowned, walked towards me, and smacked my cheek hard. My head whipped to the side painfully and my cheek started to throb with pain.

"Shut the hell up." He clasped his hands together in front of him and paced. "Now, it's time for the good stuff." He turned to face me again. "Wanna know who you're really dating, princess? Bring him out!" Daxton shouted.

I looked up and gasped when I saw who they were bringing out. It was Michael and his hands were tied in front of him. His cheek was bruised, but that seemed to be the only thing wrong with him. "Michael!" He looked at me, a worried look on his face. I couldn't believe they kidnapped him too. He was supposed to be my way out and now we were both captured.

"Ahh, Mr. Michael. Glad you could join us. Please have a seat." Daxton shoved Michael into a chair that sat in front of a wooden table and grabbed Michael's tied hands, placing them flat on the table. Daxton sat on the table and I started to freak out when he pulled out a knife to stuck it in the table in front of Michael's hands.

"Did you really think kidnapping the both of us was going to solve something?" I yelled angrily. Daxton guffawed and his henchmen started laughing loudly.

"Kidnapped? I didn't kidnap Michael. He works for me." I frowned.

"What?" I was confused. "Yeah, he works for you. At the office. What does that have to do with this?"

"Oh my god, you're really a dumb blonde, aren't you? To think I was going to marry you." Now that one stung. "No, Michael was in on the plan to kidnap you. Kill you. Dispose of you. All of the above." His words were like a slap to the face and I lost all my breath.

"No, you're lying! Michael, he's lying right?" I asked, praying it wasn't true. A pained look took over Michael's face and he looked down, obviously ashamed. The tears I had so desperately wanted to keep down started to fall like bullets down my face.

I felt as if someone ripped my heart out of my chest and put it back in, just to rip it out again. Jeremy walked over and cut my binds, making me fall to the floor. I didn't bother running or trying to escape because it was hopeless.

"Ari, I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to find out like this. I didn't know what their plan was for you! Please believe me." Michael pleaded. I looked up at him, disgusted.

"You want me to believe that you weren't in on this whole thing?! They want to kill me and you were helping them!" I yelled, getting up. He closed his eyes and opened them again.

"Tell her why you were there just in time to save our son." Daxton told Michael, grinning. "Ooo, this is getting good!" I swallowed and waited for Michael to speak.

"I, uh, I was there to meet you." He finally said. Daxton frowned and took the knife out of the table.

"Tell her the whole thing."

"That is the whole thing." Michael said, looking at Daxton. The knife came down on the table, close to Michael's fingers and a yelp passed through my lips. My heart accelerated at Daxton's violent side. I never knew he could be this way.

"Tell her the whole thing, or you lose a finger for every lie you tell and every detail you skip."

"Okay, okay. I was supposed to save your son and get close to you till the point that you would be able to.....to trust me. And I was gonna take you here." My throat closed up and I pressed my hand to my mouth, shaking my head. This was all a game to him. "But I couldn't, Ari. I started to fall for you and I met with Jeremy multiple times because I wanted out. I didn't want to see you get hurt and I didn't know what they wanted with you."

"No, don't try and put your feelings in this. They're all lies. All of you are liars!" I yelled, backing up.

"Ari, please! I....I love you." He confessed, eyes watering.

"No!" I cried out. "You can't do this to me! Don't--" I couldn't finish because I broke down crying, not knowing what or who to believe. I felt as if my life was one huge bubble of mistakes and I would never get to be happy.

"Aw, boo hoo. So sad. You guys make me wanna puke. Now, for the real reason why you're here. I want the code." Daxton said, facing me.

"I--I don't know it." I lied, wiping my face. The code was a combination that had all of my father's assets and wealth in. Daxton grabbed my shirt and yanked me towards him.

"If you don't want to see your precious Michael die by my hand, you will tell me right now!" He shouted in my face. My eyes flickered behind him and I saw Michael give me one more pitying look before he shot out of his seat and dashed towards us. He swung his arms and brought them down on Daxton's head.

"Ari, run!" Michael shouted to me as Daxton fell to the ground, moaning in pain. I took off, running around the room where Daxton's guards weren't stationed.

"Get her!" Some yelled as they ran after me. I ran out the door and the sunlight pierced my eyeballs. I ignored the uncomfortable pain and looked around, realizing that we were on a pier. I heard Michael's pained cry and I turned around in time to see Daxton overpower Michael and shoot a bullet into his chest.

"Michael!" I screamed as Michael fell to the floor, blood flowing out of him. "No!" 

"Everybody down!" An unrecognizable voice yelled and everyone started screaming.

"Oh my god, what's going on?" I asked Michael, panicking. When I didn't hear a response I turned towards him, though I couldn't see him. "Michael?" Silence. Fear beat against my heart and flowed through my veins, and my first thought was to get to Axel. "Axel!" I called out, hoping I could find him.

"Don't move a muscle. If you want your kid to live, listen to my instructions." Another voice said from behind me, pressing something hard against my back. I froze and automatically assumed it was a gun and my adrenaline kicked in.

"What do you want?" I asked, not moving.

"Go out the front door and meet me downstairs. Don't try to get away because I will hunt you down." The man threatened and I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Got it?" He pressed the barrel of the gun harder against my back.

"Yes, yes I understand." I said quickly and the presence of the gun disappeared.

"Go." I wasted no time finding my way to my front door and taking off. All I could hope was that Michael would be able to get to Axel in time and fight off those men. I decided to take my chances and try to escape. I ran downstairs to the lobby and look around, not seeing anyone suspicious. I ran out the building and ran down the street to get to my car.

I was panting hard and my chest burned, but I was determined to reach it and call for help. I couldn't let those psychos hurt those kids under my watch. Before I could take another step, a black van screeched to a halt and two men wearing masks jumped out, dashing towards me.

"No." I breathed and turned around, running the other way. I was tackled from behind and we all fell to the ground in a big heap/

"I told ya not to run!" The man front upstairs' voice grated in my ear as he yanked me up roughly.

"Let me go!" I yelled. "Help! Hel--" The man covered my mouth with his hand and tossed me into the van as if I weighed nothing. Two more men were in the van, wearing the same masks.

"Tie her up." The man ordered before sliding the door shut. I wasn't going down without a fight. I ducked under one of the men's arms and head butted his chest, making him lose his balance. Then I swung and punched the next guy in the face, getting a pained cry out of him before the other one grabbed me and shoved me down.

I was breathing hard and my face was smushed against the carpet of the van. "What do you want with me?!" I screamed, thrashing against his hold. Chuckles sounded throughout the van and I shivered, started to get scared. This was really happening again. I was getting kidnapped.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough." One snickered. I huffed and kicked my leg back, nailing him in the face.

"You stupid bitch!" He shouted, holding his now bloody nose. I smiled with satisfaction but froze when the guys, who I was guessing was the leader spoke.

"Knock her out." A fist collided with my skull and I saw black.

* * *

I moaned as hot pain pulsed against my skull. I opened my eyes, but all I could see was black. I blinked multiple times, but still saw black. Did I lose my eyesight? I moved my head and realized a bag was over it, which was why I was only seeing black. I heard people bustling around and I tried to move my arms, but they were ties up tight and stretched up, making me hang a few inches off the floor, my toes still slightly touching.

"I think she's up!" A familiar voice sounded and the bag was ripped off my head. My eyes burned as light filled them in an instant and when my vision adjusted, I couldn't believe my eyes. Lance stood in front of me, his manic smile plastered on his face. "And the princess awakes." He said with glee, clapping his hands together.

I looked around the large room and saw that I was in the same place I was last time I was kidnapped, Except, it was cleaner, had more white power, which now I'm guessing was cocaine, and a lot more firearms. Lance backed up away from me and I took a good look at the people. Most of them were unfamiliar.

"Sam and Jeremy. Why am I not surprised." I said bitterly, licking my dry lips. My throat was parched, but I didn't dare say anything about it or else they would use it against me. Sam smiled and waved as if we were seeing each other at a fair. Jeremy just kept his arms crossed, disinterested. "So, you were the guys behind my kidnapping? Why?" I asked, trying to get something out of them.

They looked at each other and laughed, as if in on an inside joke. "She really doesn't know, does she? Gosh, after all these years.?" Lance said, chuckling and shaking his head.

"What are you talking about? Where's Axel and Michael?" I asked, yanking at my binds. I swept my eyes for anything that would be able to help me, but found nothing. My arms started to ache and I wondered what they really wanted me for.

"Oh, speaking of Michael, I hear you guys are getting pretty serious, hmm?" Lance walked to me and gripped my chin in his hand. "Michael has a lot of secrets, my dear. Wanna know some of them?" He whispered, blowing his awful breath in my face.

"I want to know why you ordered them to kidnap me." I spit, wanting to bite his fingers off. He laughed and let my chin go. He walked over to where Sam and Jeremy were and stood there like a soldier.

"Oh, I wasn't the one who ordered them to kidnap you. He was." Lance pointed behind me, but I couldn't turn my head.

"Who is he?!" I yelled, tired of Lance's games.

"It was me." Daxton stepped out from behind me, smiling.

After dropping Axel off to my parents' house the next day, I decided to follow Michael around to see what he actually does during the day, when he says he's 'working'. No one worked on the weekends unless they were obsessed or not self employed. And he was definitely not obsessed with work. I hopped in my black jeep, a vehicle I almost never used and one Michael wouldn't recognize, and drove to the corner of his street.

Now, it was time to watch. Since he was just leaving his house, there was nothing interesting there. He swung his little girl around and gave her a huge kiss before leaving her with the nanny. He got into his car and drove down the road. I followed closely, but not too closely, behind him. After about an hour of riding around and watching him do seamless things, I started to think I was wrong about Michael. Maybe he was actually telling me the truth.

Just when I began to think that, I followed him to the side of the bank, where almost no one was at. I parked behind him, since he wouldn't recognize my vehicle, put on my sunglasses, and watched him. He was on his phone, arguing with somebody.

"Come on, don't make me regret doing this." I muttered to myself. Michael leaned against the brick wall as if he was waiting for someone.

I perked up and watched a man in black walk over to Michael. They shook hands and Michael looked around before handing him something. I squinted trying to see what it was, but failed. The man looked behind him, past my jeep and I gasped. It was Jeremy. But he was supposed to be in prison. I got more and more confused as I tried to wrap my head around all of this. How did they know each other?

"Look, just take this. You sure I'll be good after this?" I overheard Michael asking Jeremy. Jeremy nodded, slipping the unknown thing into his pocket.

"Yeah, you'll be alright. I'll get the guys off your back." Michael seemed relieved and I wondered what kind of business he was doing with Jeremy. Was this the 'work' he was doing everyday when he left from being with me. I frowned and decided that I'd seen enough. I drove back hope, so many questions filling my brain.

Could I still trust Michael, while knowing that he was doing business with the guy that had something to do with my kidnapping five years ago? I pushed all of that aside and decided to focus on Axel's party for the moment and deal with Michael later.

"Wow! I wish I had a party like this when I was younger." Rayna said in awe, looking at all of the decorations, clowns, and more that littered the party.

I smiled and nodded, though I had parties like these when I was younger. It seemed as if the entire school was at Axel's party. He ran around in his Flash suit that I had custom made and Natalie ran with him in her Wonder Woman costume. They were literally too cute.

"But imagine how much cleaning will have to be done after this." I commented, watching my son.

"Yuck, never mind. I'm glad I didn't because I didn't have the luxury of hiring a maid to do all my cleaning like you do." Rayna pointed out.

I tilted my head back and laughed. "That's so true. Well, you do now."

"Soooo, where's Michael?" I immediately frowned when I heard his name. The nanny had dropped off Natalie and he didn't even have the decency to come to the party with her. "Trouble in paradise? Spill!" I sighed and shook my head.

"It's dumb and I can't even explain it myself since I don't know all the details. All I know is that he's been dealing with Jeremy for what seems to be a while now." Rayna's eyes widened and she slapped my arm.

"Shut up! No way! How do you know?" I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth nervously.

"Uh, I kinda followed him around today. Without him knowing." I confessed and she gasped loudly. I shushed her and she dragged me to a corner.

"You did what?! Omg, Ari you crazy slut! You found out from following him?" She whispered fiercely and I nodded.

"He was always disappearing on me at odd times and it's been going on for weeks now. He came to my house at 4:30am!" I hissed and Rayna scoffed.

"You should've been pleased! I wish a guy would come in the middle of the night slash early morning for me." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He was supposed to come at 9:30pm." I said flatly and her mouth made an 'o' shape.

"Unacceptable." she stated firmly. Suddenly, all of the kids started cheering and screaming. I looked up, alarmed. What was going on? All of them seemed to swarm to one spot in the center of the room, so I walked over to see what the big fuss was about.

"I can't believe it! Mommy, look!" Axel cried out, pointing down. I looked and saw that there was a kid sized, drivable jeep with the Flash painted all over it. I looked back up and saw Michael next to him, holding a toy key. When did he get here?

"Every boy needs their own ride. Here you go, little man." Michael handed Axel the keys to his jeep and Axel hugged his leg.

"Thank you, Michael! You're the best dad ever!" Axel said and the words hit my heart. He thought of Michael as a father? Michael smiled but then looked at me quickly. My hand flew to my mouth and I shook my head backing away. I ran out the room and into the hallway, dry sobs trying to make their way up my chest. I didn't know whether to be happy about how Axel felt, or sad that it might not last long because of what I saw today.

"Ari?" Michael looked around before spotting me and then jogged over. "Ari, look I'm sorry--"

"For what? Earlier or for doing business with Jeremy?" I said, getting straight to the point. There was no point in hiding it any longer. Michael's mouth dropped open. "Yeah, thought I wouldn't find out, huh? What were you doing with him? You know my history with him."

Michael ran a hand down his face, caught up. He obviously didn't intend for me to find out...ever. "I know how this looks, but I can explain." I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting. Just then, all of the lights went off.

"Ax, come and help me with these boxes!" I yelled from upstairs in Axel's room. We were finally moving out of Daxton's house and into the penthouse in the hotel that my family owned. When Axel was of age, everything was going to go to him. I put my hand on my hip, waiting for his pattering footsteps and when I didn't hear anything, I started to get worried. "Axel?" I called out.

I walked down the hall, looking into the rooms before walking downstairs.

"And then I was like pow!" I heard his voice faintly. "But, you can't be here. Mommy will get mad." I heard a deep voice answer Axel, but I couldn't hear it clearly enough to know who it was. "Yeah huh, Daddy! She will be really, really mad and--"

"Daxton, what are you doing here?" I asked, walking towards the two of them slowly. Axel looked nervous, as if he did something wrong. Daxton was dressed down, wearing a black shirt, black jeans, and black shoes. My heart sputtered a little bit, but I shoved away the feeling.

"I came to see my son. And get my house back." I scoffed.

"We haven't seen you in weeks and you expect me to believe that?" I said angrily. Daxton shrugged and smirked.

"I don't care what you believe, Arielle." He drawled my name out and walked towards me. I backed up a bit and he stopped, cocking his head.

"Interesting..." He trailed off, his gaze sweeping over my body.

"Well, you're in luck because we're moving out, today. You'll have your house by the end of the day. But for now, you need to leave." I ignored the lustful way he looked at me and motioned to Axel to come by me. Daxton's hand shot out and gripped Axel's arm.

"Ow, daddy that hurts!" Axel cried out and my chest tightened.

"Daxton, let him go." I said cautiously, walking towards them to get Axel from his clutches. Daxton eyed me like an animal as I came closer, with my hands stretched out.

"Why should I? I think I wanna spend some time with my son and you're not letting me."

"Stop lying!" I cried out. "Just leave us alone, Daxton, please." He grabbed my arm and yanked me towards him, crushing me to his chest.

"You think I'm lying?" He growled in my ear menacingly. "I made him with you, if my memory serves me well and I get to spend as much time as I want with him."

"Not if you leave for four years!" I shouted, struggling against him. But his grip was like a vice and I whimpered when he squeezed tighter, getting angry. He let go of Axel's hand and gipped my other arm with his other hand.

"Hmmm, I think we should make another baby, right now. What do you think?" He asked, sniffing my hair.

"I'd rather die." I spit out. Daxton grinned manically and cupped the back of my neck.

"You don't know how accurate you will be...soon." With that, he crushed his lips hard against mine and I shook my head, trying to free myself. The kiss was punishable and there was nothing nice about it.

"Daddy! Let Mommy go!" Axel cried out, and I heard him kick Daxton's leg with his little feet. Daxton shoved him and and Axel fell to the ground. I pounded my fists on Daxton's chest and bit his lip.

"Fuck!" He yelped in pain and I breathed heavily, lips swollen and bruised. I ran to Axel's side, kneeling down and drawing him close.

"He hurt my arm." Axel said, whimpering. Tears slid down his face and I wiped them away. Daxton pressed his thumb to his lip and came away with blood. Fire ignited in his eyes and he turned his burning gaze to me.

"You're gonna regret that." He said darkly, and charged at me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Daxton skidded to a stop and turned around to see who said that. I sighed with relief when I saw that it was Michael.

Daxton laughed and walked over to Michael. "And what are you gonna do about it, Mikey? You seem awfully attached to her now. I wonder why." Daxton looked over his shoulder at me. "Have you two been fucking?" He asked and I immediately blushed, not wanting to answer his question. "Ahh, you sly dog. You're in big trouble now." He taunted.

Michael frowned and clenched his fists by his sides. "You need to leave. Now." Daxton coked his head to the side and ran his hand through his shoulder length hair.

"Fine. See ya soon, Ari." Daxton winked at me and I cringed.

"Not likely." I muttered.

"That's debatable." He smiled and walked out the door. "I want my house back!" He sang loudly from outside and I felt tears drip down my face. Why did I have to have a kid with such an asshole?

"Are you okay?" Michael asked, rushing to my side, scanning me up and down.

"I'm fine." I winced when I stood up and Michael noticed. "You came just in time."

"No you're not. He hurt you. Yeah, I was, uh, in the area and I saw Daxton's car in the driveway." I brushed Michael's touch away, not wanting to feel anyone touch me at the moment. How did he know what Daxton's car looked like? And was it luck that he came at the right moment?

"I said I'm fine." I snapped before turning to Axel, who had stopped crying. "You okay, baby?" I whispered, brushing his hair out of his face. He nodded and hugged me tight.

"Daddy's a meanie. I don't wanna see him again!" He said, his voice muffled because he pressed his face against my shirt. I rubbed his back and looked up at Michael, whose face was neutral. I sighed and grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry. I just--" I blinked back tears, trying not to break down. Michael cupped my cheek.

"I understand, Ari. I really do. Now, let's get these boxes out of here, yeah?" I nodded and intertwined my fingers with the ones that were on my cheek.

"Thank you, Michael." He smiled and kissed my other cheek.

"Anytime." He bent low to face Axel. "Wanna see who can pack the boxes the fastest?" He asked.

"Yeah! I'm gonna beat you!" Axel challenged, running up the stairs to his room to grab his boxes.

"Go get em tiger." I laughed and Michael winked at me before following Axel.

* * *

"Finally." I said, plopping down onto my sofa in my new penthouse. It was large and spacious and Daxton free.

"My room is bigger!" Axel said happily, jumping onto the sofa next to me. I smiled and started tickling him. "Mommy! Stop it!" He squealed, giggling like a maniac.

"Alright, alright. Hey, I have a question for you." Axel looked up at me with his bright silver eyes, attentive.

"Okay." He said, getting comfortable against my side.

"Do you think that....that we'll be better off without Daddy?" I asked, looking down at him. He seemed to think about it for a second and then nodded.

"Yeah we will because he's mean to me and to you and you're perfect so I don't know why he does that." He stated and I laughed. "Plus, we have Michael."

"I'm not perfect, baby." Axel nodded his head vigorously.

"Uh huh, even Michael said so." Axel argued.

"He did?" I asked, feeling warm inside from his statement. Michael thought I was perfect?

"Wanna know what I want for my birthday tomorrow?" He asked, eyes glinting with excitement. Axel's birthday was tomorrow and he was turning five. Time flew by so quickly.

"What?" I said, knowing exactly what he wanted.

"A Flash suit! I could wear it for costume day at school and maybe even Halloween!" I chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Sure, whatever you want. Time for bed, quirt." Axel hopped off the couch and grabbed my hand, leading me to his room.

"I love you, Mommy." Axel whispered as I tucked him in. I smoothed his hair back and kissed his forehead.

"I love you too, Ax. Sweet dreams." I turned off his light and went to the living room to wait for Michael to come over. He should be coming any minute now.

* * *

A bang came from the front door and I shot up groggily. I must have fallen asleep waiting for Michael. I looked at the clock and it read 4:30 a.m. I got up slowly and grabbed the bat. A shadowy figure came near me and I swung.

"Ow! Ari, it's me!" Michael groaned, rubbing his head. I breathed a sigh of relief and threw the bat to the side.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered, not wanting to wake Axel up. Michael turned on the light in the hallway and I saw that the bottom half of him was covered in dirt. "And what the hell were you doing?"

"I--uh, I came to see you. And I was working." Michael stammered and I frowned. Working this late? Highly unlikely.

"You were supposed to meet me hours ago! Where were you?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I know, I'm sorry. I had business to take care of." He said, repeating the same words he had been telling me for the past weeks now whenever he left abruptly. It was finally getting old. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You need to leave." I said plainly and his jaw dropped.

"What? Why? You wanted me here, so I'm here."

"I wanted you here seven hours ago, Michael." I argued.

"I'm here now. What more do you want?" He asked, obviously getting frustrated. I shook my head and laughed humorlessly.

"Just leave please." I opened the door and gestured for him to leave. I wasn't in the mood and I was tired. Michael gave me a withering look and sighed.

"Whatever you want, Ari." He said softly before leaving. I closed the door behind him and leaned against it. Something was up with him and I was determined to figure it out.

"You hungry?" Michael asked, searching through my fridge. "Wait, why am I even asking that. Of course you're hungry." I blushed at his words and pulled my robe tighter.

"A sandwich will be fine. And I can make it myself, you know." I said, leaning over to take the bread from him. He moved his hand and held up the bread so high, I couldn't reach it.

"I know you can, but I'm not letting you. Sit down and watch me do my magic."

"Michael--"

"Uh, uh uh. When's the last time you had a man cater to you?" He raised his eyebrows knowingly and I sighed, sitting in the chair behind the island.

"Fine. Work your magic." I wiggled my fingers, earning a prize winning smile from Michael.

"Now, I have to warn you. This will be the best sandwich you have ever tasted in your life." He bragged. I rolled my eyes playfully.

"It's just a sandwich, Mikey." I stated, leaning my elbows on the island. He gasped and put a hand to his chest.

"How dare you say it's just a sandwich?" He asked in a high voice, sauntering over to me. He bare chest and taut abs tightened as he walked.

"Because it is." I said, lifting my head to look at him. He looked down at me, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll prove to you that it's not." He whispered, leaning down until our lips were a breath away. I stared at his lips before looking into his eyes.

"Prove it to me." I pressed my lips against his softly, leaving them there for a beat before pulling back. The smile he gave me made me melt inside and I wondered why I hadn't gotten with him years ago, when he first started working where I currently worked.

"Daddy!" Natalie's voice sounded down the hall and got closer. "Arielle!" We both looked towards the entryway, wondering what the problem was.

"We're in the kitchen, Nat!" Michael called out. She appeared in the kitchen and put her hands on her knees, panting over dramatically hard.

"Daddy." She slinked up to him, putting on her innocent face.

"Uh, oh. She wants something, Mike." I said, laughing. Axel always pulled that trick with me and unfortunately, it always worked.

"What's on your mind, baby girl?" Michael crouched low to be on the same level as Natalie. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward.

"I wanna go to the wedding with Axel." She whispered loudly. Michael's eyes widened and he looked up at me, obviously thinking the wrong thing.

"Wedding? Uh, sweetie, Ari and I--"

"No, Michael she means to say she wants to go to Rayna's wedding. Tomorrow." Michael visibly relaxed, swiping his forehead.

"Oh, I was scared for a second. I mean not that I don't want to marry you---well not anytime soon, but--" Michael rambled on before smacking his hand against his face. "I'll shut up now." I smiled at how uncomfortable he was getting just by talking about marriage.

"It's okay." I said softly, not wanting him to feel any more awkward than he already did. "You can be my plus one and Natalie can be Axel's....if you want to come of course." I said quickly.

"Of course I'll be your date. Hear that Natalie? You're finally going to a wedding." Michael told his daughter and she squealed, jumping up and down.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She ran out, hollering Axel's name and Michael and I chuckled.

She was going to be a handful when she got older.

* * *

"It doesn't look right!" Rayna said, looking in the mirror. I sighed for the hundredth time that day. It was almost time for Rayna to walk to the alter and marry her long time boyfriend and she was finding every reason to stall.

"Ray, you look beautiful. Come on, it's almost time."

"Oh my god, what if a pimple pops onto my forehead when I'm up there and Marco gets disgusted and changes his mind and leaves me and I never hear from him again?" She asked panicking. "Oh my god, oh my god...." She paced around the large room, where the bridesmaids and me, the maid of honor, were getting ready.

"Rayna." I stopped her with my hands and looked her square in the eye. "If a guy leaves you because of a blemish on your face, then that guy's an asshole. Marco loves you too much to just leave you on this special day. Trust me, everything will be perfect. Now get out there and be the sexiest bride ever."

Rayna smiled and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. "You are truly the best friend in the entire universe. Now I wanna cry." She sniffed. "But I can't or I'll ruin my makeup." She took a deep breath and smoothed her dress out. "Okay, let's do this thing."

We formed a line and walked out. I was last because I had to end up right next to the altar. I felt butterflies in my stomach and I wasn't even the one getting married. This reminded me of what it felt like to be engaged to Daxton: preparations, the excitement....but now... I shook my head and put on a smile. This was Rayna's day and I had to be happy.

When we got to the front, we took our positions and looked over to where Rayna was walking in. Everyone stood up and whispers of awe went around the room at the beautiful bride. She walked in as if she owned the room and for that day, she actually did. I don't know how I got through the entire ceremony without crying, but I did and I was proud of myself.

"So when they said seeing the bride before the wedding is bad luck, they didn't mean the maid of honor too." Michael whispered from behind me and I jumped before turning around.

"You scared me!" I said laughing, pressing my hand to my chest, trying to still my racing heart. Michael looked good in his tux and blue tie that matched my blue dress. Axel and Natalie were also matching, but with red. They sat with the other kids in the section just for kids. "And Rayna thought seeing anybody before the wedding was bad luck so..." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Mhmm, sure. Now, where can we get some good food?" Michael grabbed my hand and led me to the food table. "Here, try this." Before I could see what he was giving me, he stuffed it in my mouth and some fell to the floor.

"Michael!" I said around a mouthful of what I believed was a turkey cold cut sandwich. He burst out laughing, clutching his belly as he did. I swallowed it and ran my finger against the icing of the cake (I know, not sanitary). "You asked for it." While he was still laughing, I dragged my icing clad finger against his face and even got some in his hair.

"Oh no you didn't." He lunged at me, but I moved out of the way at the last second and he crashed into an empty cart. The hall got silent and Michael held up two thumbs from where he lay on the floor. "I'm good guys. Go back to....whatever you were doing." Some people chuckled and I went to help Michael up.

"Alright, come on you goof--AHH!" Michael grabbed my hand and yanked me down to the ground with him, making sure to get the icing from his face onto mine.

"Karma." He said, sliding his arms around my waist. I laughed and I swatted at him when he tried to rub his face on my dress.

"Stop it, Mikey." I smiled at him and and looked up when I saw two pairs of tiny feet by our heads.

"Mommy, stop acting like a kid." Axel said, pointing his finger at me.

"Uhh--" I held in a laugh and looked Michael, who was smiling.

"Yeah daddy, you can't act like us. You're old. Get up, get up." Natalie grabbed her father's arm and tried to yank him up, but was too weak. "Axel help me!" She cried and Axel grabbed Michael's other arm.

"Oh, man you guys are strong." Michael said, as he allowed the kids to think they were really picking him up. When he was standing fully, he picked me up bridal style and twirled me around. I squealed and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You're gonna make me dizzy." I breathed, closing my eyes and putting my head underneath his chin. He put me down, arms still around me. I opened my eyes again to see Michael staring down at me adoringly. An unrecognizable emotion clawed at my heart.

"What?" I asked softly. Michael didn't answer me. He only wiped the icing from my face and leaned down, placing a feathery kiss on my forehead and swayed to the slow music that began to play in the background.