"Mia what are you doing?" Alex held her by the arm, pulling her away to a corner.

      "Alex wait, let me go. I thought I saw—" Mia faced Alex who had a worried look on his face. "I'm sorry." She comported herself, tucking in her hair behind her ears.

    "Did you see someone?" Alex asked her.

      She shook her head, clearing her throat. "N-n-no. Can we just finish up and leave, please?"

      "O-okay. Change, have your measurements taken and we'll pick another date." Alex said to her.

            "Uh... No. Natalie can take care of it, I don't want to come back here anymore. I'll just have my fitting at the penthouse." Mia said, as anxiety crept up on her. "I'll just get my measurements taken for my dress while Natalie will keep me updated."

      "Su-sure." He nodded although finding her behavior a bit weird. "Can we go now?" 
    
    "Hold on." She stopped an employee. "Are there cameras in the fitting room?" She asked the lady.

      "No madame." The lady answered.

     "Oh, okay." Mia nodded, watching the lady walk away.

     "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked her.

     "I'm fine, just a bit tired." Mia said with a small smile.
✴✴✴✴✴✴

    "Baby where are you?" Mia asked as soon as she called Ryan.

     "I'm in a meeting and—"

    "Please come home now." Mia said with a lot of worry. What if Ares decided to hurt Ryan? She couldn't let that happen!! "Please, I-I-I need you."

    "You need me?" He chuckled... "Are you horny?"

    Mia could tell that he was smirking wherever he was. "N-no." She found it humorous that he'd think that. "It's not that. This might sound selfish, but I need you to come home as soon as possible, if possible now." Mia said to him.

    "I'm in the middle of a meeting baby. But wait... Did something happen?"

     "I can't tell you over the phone. Get home quickly, be safe." Mia said.

   "Is it the baby?" He panicked. "Are you in pain?"

      "I'm fine, very fine." Mia said, calming him down.

   "I'm on my way." He said before hanging up.

      Mia took a a deep breath, she wasn't going to calm down until Ryan got home safely. It took almost twenty minutes for Ryan to reach the penthouse.

     "I came as soon as I could." He said as soon as he entered the house.

        Mia ran to him, flinging her arms around him. "You're fine, thank God. You're okay." Mia hugged him so very tight that he could hardly breathe.

     "Yeah, I'm fine." He hugged her back. As soon as she pulled away, his eyes roamed around her body. "Are you hurt? Are you okay? You got me so worried!"

     "It's not me, it's not me. I almost went insane with fear thinking Ares got to you." Mia hugged him again.

    "Ares?"

    Mia pulled away from him. "Yes. Ares was at the bridal shop, he threatened to hurt you." She noticed Ryan's eyes were angry, she knew it was the name Ares ticked him off.

     "I will fucking kill that sonofabitch." Ryan cussed out.

     "Baby no. He... He had a gun, Ares has gone insane."

    Ryan saw red... "He held a gun at you didn't he?"

     "That doesn't matter Ryan, I'm scared of what he'd do to you! Please, promise me you'd take care of yourself and—"

      "He fucking pointed a gun to your face?! I'll fucking kill that bastard with my bare hands!! How dare he threaten you!!" Ryan roared, ready to fight back. Ares was really going to get it the next time they meet.

     "Baby, baby, baby, it's okay. I'm fine aren't I? Ares could have hurt me but he didn't. My only concern is your safety. Ryan I think we should go away for awhile. That vacation you were talking about, this is the perfect time for us to go." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I don't know what I'll do if something happened to you."

      He kissed her lips tenderly. "You're right. We should take a little break, away from the wedding planning, from the whole issue with Ares." Ryan inhaled and exhaled. "It'll be just you and me, alone, away from everything, where no one will find us." He said to her.

      "Thank you." Mia smiled at him before hugging him.
...................................................................
    

      "My love, it's our wedding in a few weeks. Don't you want us to go back?" Mia asked, getting into the pool in the luxurious yacht.

    They had both gone to the sea for almost two weeks, without any contact with anyone.

     "The wedding can always wait baby. Your safety is more important." Ryan said, swimming towards her.

      "I miss Alex, Andrew, David. I wonder what Julia's been up to? And how my dress is coming up." She sighed. "It's been the best two weeks alone with you, but, we have to go back." Mia said to him.

      "Your mom texted me." Ryan said, wrapping his arms around her.

     "She did?" Mia was surprised.

  He nodded. "Mhmm, she did. She told me Ares was back in Italy."

      Mia frowned... "He's gone back to Italy?"

       "Yes baby. Ares can't hurt you anymore. You know the authorities are onto him, he fled back to his country." He told her.

    Mia heaved a sigh. "Thank God." She turned, facing him. "How did mom know?"

     "She said she was keeping a watchful eye on the DeLucas." Ryan said to her.

     "Baby," she cupped his cheeks. "I know my mom has done a lot, I'm not going to force you to forgive her. I'm only hoping you give her a chance to prove she's on our side."

      "She's your mom universe, there's no way my conscience would let me rest if I don't forgive. She'll be part of the family when we get married, and family is everything." Ryan said to her.

     "How did I get so lucky? Mia smiled. "You're kind, you're forgiving, you're a pure soul, you're hardworking, you're so handsome." Mia teased him. 

     "Like your Adonis." He smirked.

    "Exactly!" Mia giggled. "I want our child to be just like you."

      "I want her better than me." Ryan rubbed noses with her.

       "Her? Oh no, it's gonna be a boy. Your lookalike." Mia shook her head.

     "I want a princess! Your lookalike but a little prettier than you." Ryan kissed her.

  Mia laughed... "Prettier than me?!"

    "I'm kidding," he chuckled... "No one can be prettier than my universe. My Soph."

   Mia smiled... "Soph." Mia stared into his icy blue eyes. "When would everything go back to the way it was? When I was still your shy Sophie?"

    "Time changed my love. That was you back in high school, this is you now. It's like we switched attitudes. I was the feisty one back then, and now you're the feisty one." Ryan grinned. "It doesn't matter now because I loved you then, I still love you." Ryan kissed her.

      "You're right. I loved you then, I still love you. You're the only person I want to be with for the rest of my life. You, you, you you. I'm yours, even in the next life." Mia said, kissing him back.

      Ryan got up from the bed, glancing over at Mia who was soundly asleep. He leaned over, giving her a kiss on her forehead before leaving the cabin.

     "Hello German?" He said, placing his phone over his ear.

     "I've been trying to reach you for a few days now."

      "Well um," his finger scratched his brow. "I had to take sometime off. Any news concerning my daughter?"

     "Our hunch was right. There was another survivor. Beatrice's niece. Her name was Josie Adams, does that name ring any bell?"

     He frowned... He had never heard of that name before. "No, why?"

    "Josie was visiting her aunt on the day of the incident. She was never found and just like the baby, no body, no bones. I found out that Beatrice had given the child to her then eighteen years old niece. Neither of them were found."

      "So where is this Josie?"

    "I'm still trying to find her, I still don't know if she's alive. The only thing I know is that she grew up in Wellingtons."

     "Did you say Wellingtons?"

    "Chicago, yes. Found out she was a student of Greenfield high school, she graduated seven years ago and after that, there has been no trace of her."

   Seven years? Ryan graduated seven years ago too?! Was Josie Adams part of the set to graduate from Greenfield that year? 

     "Okay, find out more about this Josie." Ryan said to him.

     "Sure thing boss. I'm taking a flight to Wellingtons now."

   Ryan nodded... "Okay, take your time." Ryan said before hanging up.

   Ryan rubbed his forehead feeling frustrated. "Josie Adams. I don't remember anyone with that name." Ryan said to himself. He wasn't in contact with anyone in his high school, maybe Alex would know.

     "Alex, I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb you this late, but I need your help." He said over the phone.

    Alex sounded drowsy. "No, no it's fine. Is everything okay? How's Sophie?" He asked.

       "Soph is okay. I need a little favour from you."

      "What do you want?"

Ryan sighed... "I want you to go over our year book, find out if there's a Josie Adams. When you do, call me ASAP." He instructed.

      "Josie Adams?" The name was very familiar. "Okay, I'll do that."

     "Thank you." He said calmly. "Don't tell Soph about this."

    "Not a problem. But when are you guys coming back?"

     "We'll leave tomorrow. I want her to get a check up from the doctor, her headaches are back." Ryan told him.

       "Okay. Tell her I said hi."

    "Will do." Ryan nodded.
✴✴✴✴✴✴

      In two days, Mia and Ryan got back from their trip. It was like nothing changed, except that Mia's baby bump had started showing. She was 12 weeks gone. No sign of Ares, no impending danger, nothing.

      "I got the year book you requested for." Alex said to him.

     "Let's see it."

     Alex placed the book on the table in front of them. "Alright, there is a Josie Adams. I also found out why she looks so familiar. She was this chick you dated back then." He opened the year book, flipping the pages and soon stopped, pointing at the blond green eyed girl. Josie Adams.

     "I dated her?" He stared at the book. No sense of familiarity still.

     "Yeah, you dated her for awhile. Remember James? James Collard?" Alex pointed at to the picture of a boy.
  
    Ryan nodded, of course he could never forget the name. He and James go way back. "Yeah."

      "Josie and James dated. Still don't remember?" Alex asked him but Ryan still had no clue. "Man, you're so forgetful."

    "I don't keep irrelevant things in my head." Ryan rolled his eyes.

    "You know this rivalry shit between you and James back then, remember you took his girlfriend away from him." Alex said to him. "After your breakup, she shut herself out. Some say she was hurt pretty bad."

    "Oh, her? She was Josie Adams? I... I didn't know that." Ryan groaned. He had intentionally hurt someone who might potentially have his daughter. "Do you know anyone who might have an idea where she would be? College? friends?"

      "Not at all, but I could ask around for you." Alex nodded. "Why the sudden interest in her?" He was keen to know. 

     "Why?" He closed the book. "There's every possibility she knows where I can find my daughter." Ryan said before explaining everything to him.

    "Wow," he sighed. "I'll find out what I can about Josie Adams before the fire in Italy." Alex told him.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
    

      Today, Ryan was meeting with James Collard. Alex had said that James knew something about Josie, so Ryan was going to meet up with him. 

      "Thanks for bringing me along." Mia sat at the backseat of the car with Ryan while Rufus the driver drove them.

        "You should be resting, letting me handle everything." His eyes rested on her protruding belly, watching her rub on it. "Are you nervous?"

    Mia turned to him. "Not really." She kept on rubbing her belly. "I haven't contacted anyone from Greenfield in years, not even Carla."

      Ryan looked at her. "He knows if that's what you're thinking. He knows you're alive, there's no need to fidget." He placed his hand on her belly. "You're growing bigger everyday." He smiled at her.

      "Yeah, I'm getting fat! I don't want to be a fat bride." Mia shook her head.

    Ryan rolled his eyes at her. Mia was always worried about getting fat and heavy, no matter what he told her, she still didn't listen. "It's a good thing, it shows you're eating healthy."

     "Okay don't patronize me. I feel bloated! My feet keeps swelling, and I eat like a cow." Mia frowned.

      "You know, pregnancy looks good on you. Everyday I see you, you glow. Look at you, so beautiful." He leaned in, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

     "I can't wait for the baby to be born so we can have sex already. I'm sexually frustrated." She looked down at her stomach. Her doctor had advised her that she shouldn't have sex until her baby was born, to prevent complications.

    Ryan snickered... "Is this really you complaining?"

       Mia smiled... "Not that I'm complaining, I just want to finally hold him." She said, placing her hand on her belly. "He loves eating, making mommy fat." Mia said, smiling down at her stomach.

      "It's a girl not a he." He bent over, placing a kiss on her belly. "Daddy can't wait for you to be born so he can spoil his princess with the best of anything in the world."
...................................................................

    Ryan and Mia walked into the restaurant to meet James. James worked as estate agent for a company, he had grown more masculine and had beards and moustache unlike Ryan who was a clean-shaven kind of person.

     James was already seated, reading through the menu-book as he waited for Ryan.

     Ryan cleared his throat trying to get James' attention.

    James looked up, standing quickly. "Oh! Forgive my manners." He shook Ryan's hand immediately.

      Ryan nodded... "Thank you for meeting up with me." He said, then noticed James eyes on his pregnant fiancée.

      "Hello James." Mia greeted with a small smile.

     James kept on gawking at Mia...

      "Ah-hem." Ryan made a provoking sound.

    "So-sorry." James got his composure back, taking Mia's hand for a shake.

        "It's nice meeting you." Mia kept smiling politely.

Ryan pulled out a chair for Mia, allowing her sit before he did.

     "It's been such a long time Sophie. When Alex told me everything, I was quite shocked. I couldn't believe any of it myself." James looked at her in awe. She was still as beautiful as she was back in high school, just that she was a woman now.

       "Thank you so much for meeting us. It really means a lot to me." She thanked him.

     "No, thank you. It's an honor meeting you after what, eight, seven years?" He wasn't sure how long it had been.

      "Seven." Mia nodded.

        "Wow, that's a lot of years. Look at you, so... Changed. It's like a miracle, never thought this day would come." James said to her, still not believing his eyes.

     "I know you have a lot to talk about, but please let's get to the real reason why we're here." Ryan wasn't trying to sound rude or anything.

     "Sorry. So um... Alex told me you're looking for Josie Adams, our ex classmate?" James wanted to be sure.

      "Yes. He also told us you contacted her after graduation." Ryan said to him.

     He nodded slowly... "I did, but not for long. Josie left for Italy some months after graduation, she said she was going to visit her aunt or something. I don't remember." He shook his head.

      "You didn't see her after that?" Ryan asked. 

    "Well... I might have seen her some months ago?" He shrugged.

    "Really? Months ago." Mia frowned.

     "I hardly recognized her. She looked different, and she... She had a kid." He said to them.

      "A kid?" Ryan frowned.

    "Yeah, a little girl about five or six. The girl kept calling her mommy." He nodded.

   Ryan and Mia glanced at themselves. 

      "Where did you two meet?" Mia asked curiously.

      "Here in New York. Josie didn't seem too happy to see me, she didn't even give me a chance to say hi. She just ignored me and I left her." James explained to them.

     "The little girl you saw, what did she look like?" Mia asked.

               "Honestly I don't remember it. It's vague, I'm sorry." James looked at Mia who kept fidgeting on her necklace, like she was confused and worried. "Wait what's this about Josie? Did she do something wrong? Is she in some kind of trouble?" He asked them.

      "We're just looking for someone and she's the only one that can help us." Ryan said to James.

     The meeting was over, James stood up to take his leave.

     "Thank you James." Mia thanked him while sitting.

     "No problem. Anyway, I wish you guys best of luck." He said with a genuine smile. "I'm really happy for you two, you got your happy ending after all. Even death couldn't do you part." He chuckled, looking back at Ryan. "Seriously man, its really good to see you again." James said to Ryan. He fisted his hand, aiming at Ryan.

     Ryan at first glanced at James' fist before fistbumping him.

      "You too." Ryan nodded. James finally took his leave. Ryan turned to Mia who gave him a small smile.

    "I'm so proud of you." Mia mouthed.