Chapter 60: Text message

Cassandra hasn't heard from Eddie in nearly three days. She attempts to call Anthony's mother, but she does not answer. She worries about her son's safety every day because she knows Anthony will use Eddie against her.

"Edward, I'm afraid I can't contact Anthony's mother," she expressed concern.

"What if our son is already in Anthony's hands? I can't imagine him in the hands of a bad guy; I don't want him to be harmed, Edward," Cassandra sobbed to her husband, and Edward held her hand to comfort her.

"Relax, sweetie. I have already instructed Mark to search the Baguio for our son. Don't you remember where they vacationed in Baguio? " Edward asked, shaking her head. Cassandra is unaware of Anthony's mother's vacation destination in Baguio because they do not even talk that much.

~

Cassandra opened her phone and messaged Anthony's mother again, hoping to receive a response from her as well; she was desperate to take back her son. She then yawns as she felt sleepy.

The door quietly opened, and Edward crept in. His gaze lingered around the room until it was drawn to her frail body. She was sitting beside the window, wrapped in sheets around her petite foam.

Her body language suggested that she was too preoccupied in her mind to notice his presence.

Gradually, he moved forward, noticing the rhythm of her shallow breaths and her closed eyelids as her head rested on the window's look-through glass. She is sleeping.

Edward smiled warmly as he removed his suit jacket, feeling pity for her. He was still dressed in his suit because he had only arrived a few hours before and had come straight to see her.

He moved closer to her, throwing his coat on the bed. The overall vibe around him gave off an ominous feeling as he examined her face. His eyes looked similar to those of a wolf about to pounce on its poor innocent and innocuous prey, but he became more enraged thinking about how his rival, Anthony, was claiming her wife as his. "I'm not going to let that jerk steal you from me again," he whispered as he kissed her forehead gently.

The brightness from the table lamp gave her a shining, fairly dull skin tone, and her breathing was well-proportioned.

His hands ached to touch her, and his eyes lingered on her face.

Her long lashes cast a light shadow on her lower eyelid.

He misses her soft, delicate, and luscious lips as he wanted to devour them with his own as his fingertips lightly caressed her cheekbones; if he looked closely, he could see a few freckles on her cheeks.

Because it was tied in a messy braid, some of her long hair was stuck to her neck, which was condensed with visible sweat beads.

He knelt before her, tucking her hair behind her ear, and leaned forward, deeply inhaling her pleasant scent.

"Sweetie, wake up," he whispered in her ear before gently pecking at the corner of her mouth before meeting her lips.

He fraudulently stretched out his tongue, caressing her lower lip as his mouth trailed down to her slim neck when her parted lips did not respond in kind. But before he could go any further, there was a light push on his chest, and he came to a halt, looking up at her.

Cassandra stared at him, her lips quivering in surprise and startle as she pressed her back against the wall, wanting that inanimate thing to swallow her whole, completely away from him.

He sat in front of her, a few inches away, slightly covering their back. "Did you finish your dinner?"

Cassandra avoided looking at him by drawing her knees closer to her chest and remaining silent.

He waved as he noticed her closed lips. "Sweetie? Tell me what's wrong?" he worriedly asked.

"I didn't have any appetite," she admits.

"Things won't work this way. You're not allowed to skip meals because you're not fully recovered, Cassandra. Please, don't be like this," Edward pleaded as he attempted to hold her hands.

"Then what am I going to do!? My son is in danger; I can't even sleep properly worrying about how he is; I've tried everything, but I can't contact Anthony's mother!" she cried.

"He's my son too for God's sake, don't you think I'm not worried? I've been searching the entire Baguio just to find him, but please be strong as well," Edward said.

"I'll tell Maria to prefer your food, she'll be here later, and please be strong for this. You're not alone, Cassandra. I'm still here for you," Edward said before leaving Cassandra alone in their room.

Cassandra can't stop crying because she misses her son, Eddie, so much. Then she realized her husband was right: she needed to be strong for her son and her family.

She stood up after crying for more than five minutes because she felt someone was watching her. She then walked closer to their window as she noticed a man standing on their neighbor's rooftop but couldn't identify him because he was wearing a black hoodie and mask, but she knew the man was staring at her, and then the man removed his mask. Cassandra's eyes widened in horror as she fell. She wants to leave the room, but her body won't let her.

The ring of their phone abruptly jolted her out of her trance. She then picked up the phone while her hands were furiously shaking, took a deep breath, and answered the call.

"I miss you, honey," said a familiar man on the other end of the line. Cassandra's heartbeat then increased with each passing second. When she looked out the window again, Anthony was gone, and she sat down on the floor, wiping her tears. "How could my life change so drastically within that accident five years ago? He's a crazy stalker," she thought to herself. She then turned on her phone, and a message from an unknown number flashed across the screen. Her anxiety level increased after reading that message. "Why is this happening to me?!?" tears streamed down her cheeks once more.

"Our son misses you so much, honey. We will be reunited soon. I'm going to take you back and I don't want any third-person interference in our private life, including that bastard Edward, or else you won't be able to see Eddie forever, so be with me if you want to see him."

The message warns her not to involve the police or anyone else because he will harm her son. Bile rose from her stomach, and she dashed to the bathroom, emptying everything I had eaten earlier before falling asleep. She couldn't stop crying because she had never felt so helpless. She was at a loss for what to do.

Finally, after however long she had been inside the bathroom, she pushed herself out of it. She took the phone and rose, stuffing it into her purse because she doesn't want anyone finding out and complicating the situation even more. She doesn't want to put her husband and daughter, Akia, in danger. She then examined the wall clock. It was around 6:30 p.m. She needed to get out of this room; it was suffocating her, especially since her mind was racing with thoughts of her son.

She unlocked the door and exited; the corridors were deserted. She walked to the end of the corridor, slid the window open, and went out onto the balcony.

She took a deep breath of fresh air and closed her eyes; she could feel the cool breeze on her skin and hear the birds chirping; it was a relaxing sensation. I felt good for the first time in these hours.

"You should rest, what are you doing here?" a deep voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned around to see Edward looking at her worriedly as she suddenly hugged him so tight.

"What's wrong, sweetie? Tell me," Edward said as he hugged her again.

"No, love. I just miss you so much. Where's Akia?" she asked as she drew away from him.

"She's playing with Maria. Our daughter misses you so much she always cried every night calling you," he said as Cassandra felt pity for her daughter.

"I'm so sorry for not being with you and our daughter because of that accident," she expressed regret for what had occurred.

"You don't need to apologize, sweetie. It's not your fault. It's my fault because I let you go that time so easily that I became such a coward," Edward stated sincerely.

"I already forgive you, love; you don't need to bring it up; I love you and our children," she said as she gently kissed his cheeks, then her expression abruptly changed.

"What's the matter?"

"I just remember our son, Eddie. I can't help it, I'm so worried about my baby boy," she said, debating whether or not to tell him about the text message.

She then exhales deeply. "O-our son is in danger, you need to read this," his voice asked as she picked up her phone and showed him Anthony's text message.