FATED BOND

Daisy’s POV

A week after arriving from the Philippines, I went back to school. The house was unusually quiet. I was no longer comfortable and I was finding it hard to continue calling Nina my mom.

I barely go out of my room, except when I was going to school or when I wanted to go and pick Ellah up from school whenever Nadia wasn’t around.

I saw Damien once when he was going out in his father’s car and Richard was driving inside the house with me. Our eyes met for a brief second before he looked away.

It is obvious I mean nothing…. absolutely nothing to him, I said to myself. He seemed fine to me like nothing happened, like everything was fine and normal but I wasn’t feeling that way.

Knowing we live under the same roof was pure torture, seeing him was hell, and knowing what we had was nothing to him made me feel miserable. For the first two days, I cried myself to sleep.

I hated myself for thinking and holding onto what we shared that night and I hated him for making me feel the way I feel, for making me look like a riff-raff. I regretted thinking of him, taking care of our daughter in his absence with the hope that it will bring us together when he eventually gets to know that the nights of passionate lovemaking brought something beautiful, Ellah.

The discomfort I was feeling kept increasing as each day passed by. Nina and I avoided talking about it, probably because she knew about the whole story already. I told her everything without knowing her son was responsible for my predicament. I was not comfortable. My room felt like a prison and Ellah was the only thing that made me happy. Then, I made a decision.

Grandmother and Aunt Vanessa were coming the following week. I had the intention of convincing grandmother from going to New York like she intended, to go and meet Lizzy. She said we would go together but I know I won’t go even if she stood her ground.

If I succeed in convincing her from going, I am going to leave Las Vegas and go live with them in the Philippines. They are family. And they are my go-to at this moment. They are the ones I need to be with before I eventually lose my mind in Nina’s home, I said inwardly.

*****

Nina’s POV

“Damien is responsible, Amar”, I told him with my head on his lap, as his hand found its way to my bump.

I was worried, sad, and disappointed. I had explained everything to Amar including my fears that what they had meant nothing to Damien but everything to Daisy.

Daisy means a lot to me and it will hurt me to see her hurt. For the four years we’ve been together, she has done nothing but make me happy. I wish she was my biological daughter. Being with Amar is because of her, I owe that to her. But I can’t force my son to love her. The least I can do is make him take responsibility….. to accept Ellah as his, I thought.

“Why the hell are you smiling?” I asked Amar. I found myself getting angry at the smug smile on his face. I wonder what was going on in his mind.

There was no way I would be happy if Daisy was miserable because of my son. I couldn’t even bring myself to go see or talk to her. I know I was supposed to go talk to her but I couldn’t summon up the courage. I couldn’t even think of what to tell her.

Am I supposed to console her or encourage her? Plead for her forgiveness or what? I felt responsible for Damien’s actions.

“Because I can see a link”, Amar’s smile widened and I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Fate”, he muttered.

I still did not understand what he meant by that so I raised my head from his lap, missing the touch of his hand on my bump, and folded my arms, waiting for more explanation. I had barely gone out ever since I found out about my pregnancy, except on the day I went to pick Daisy up from the airport.

I wasn’t really happy with the pregnancy at first because I felt I was too old for pregnancies. So I stopped going to the office.

When Amar came home the next day after I went to the hospital, he was overjoyed. The big smile on his face made me feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder. I smiled back and he carried me up like a baby.

“Daisy and Damien had a one-night stand and Daisy got pregnant”, he demonstrated with his hand while I stared attentively. “Daisy gave birth to Ellah who happens to look like Debby and who calls you granny”, he finished and shrugged.

“What are you saying, Amar?”

“The point is that what happened to us is the same thing happening to Damien and Daisy.”

“So?”

“Therefore, they will come around. They are yet to admit their feelings. The bond exists already and it will bring them together, just like it brought you and me together”, he kissed my lips briefly.

I gazed at him, trying to solve the puzzles of his words. I didn’t understand what he meant by “bond.”

“Bond? What do you mean by that? You mean Damien loves her but he doesn’t want to admit it?” He nodded.

Then he pulled me closer to himself and whispered. “The bond is Ellah.”

****

Daisy’s POV

Nina was in my room trying to stop me from going with grandmother and Aunt Vanessa. They came with Fred too and I was able to convince grandmother from going to New York, with Aunt Vanessa’s help.

I told her I wasn’t interested in running the company and I had no passion for it. I told her my passion was writing. I guess that did the trick as she gazed at me stubbornly before bursting into tears.

I knew she was weeping for regrets and also because she thought her son’s sweat had gone down the drain by being in the hands of Lizzy.

But I disagreed with her in my mind, I believed it didn’t go down the drain. I didn’t know why I trusted Lizzy so much but I felt it was safer being with her. And if it ever goes down the drain, then it means my parent’s sweat has gone down the drain, not only my father’s.

I pulled my luggages downstairs, ignoring Nina’s pleading as she trailed behind me. I got downstairs but Grandmother and Aunt Vanessa weren’t there. I turned to go to the guest room where they had spent two nights when Danny’s voice stopped me.

“What the hell is going on here, Nina? You asked the guard not to let me in?” He asked and I turned slowly to meet his soft stare.

Nina’s mouth was open in surprise and he looked at her intensely until his gaze fell on her stomach. I saw his gaze turn into anger.

“Baby”, Amar came in and stopped in his tracks when he saw Danny. Then he moved closer to Nina and put his arms around her waist.

“So this is it, Nina?” He shouted, pointing at her stomach.

“Danny”, Nina called.

“Don’t you dare call my name”, he said, fuming in anger.

“Don’t you dare shout at my wife that way”, Amar threatened with a cold, dark look.

“Wife?” He questioned, staring at Nina in disbelief.

“Daisy, I don’t think we can go today. Your grandma is ill”, aunt Vanessa said as she opened the door.

That was when I realized I was standing in front of the door, watching the drama between Danny, Nina, and Amar.

I whirled around to look at her when I saw her gaping. I followed her gaze to figure out the reason for her reaction. Danny was also looking at her as she stood with mouth agape.

“Danny?”

“Vanessa?” They both called each other’s names.

That was when it dawned on me that Danny is the Daniel I know to be my aunt’s husband.