***A/N: There was a little accident with the timer. Read the next chapter before reading this one. I'm so sorry I can't fix this. Aish! Xx***
Well, who knew New York had a lot of Jennifer Harpers? There was one who was raised at Good Hope Orphanage, West Village.
Zachwas overwhelmed by the list of names as his eyes browsed through the information. But had he given it a second glance, he would have noticed that the person's information was limited and protected just like Amy Harper's. There were many people whose information was like that but this name would have stood out. So without a second thought, he barked another order.
"Narrow it down to people who are married, especially the females", he said. He paused in thought. He was probably crazy for thinking this but he still needed to check. "I want a list of all the names of people with the surname Frost."
"You mean your family, sir?" George could not help but ask.
Zach did not respond. Amy disguised herself as a married woman, so he thought she would use his surname. It was too obvious and would be careless on her part, but he at least wanted to check. He still could not believe she called him her husband. The list of names was brought up on the screen. It was all too much for him. But he needed to be thorough in his search. It was going to be a long day for them.
Back in West village
Amy had just walked into Stella's home. She could hear some chatter coming from the kitchen. Besides Ian, Stella, and Richard's voice, she picked up on another voice. It was a little girl's voice. Her curiosity was piqued as she picked up her walking pace.
In the kitchen, a little girl was seated next to Richard. She wore a baby pink jumpsuit with a white top, her hair had been tied into two pig tails and her blue eyes grew wide as she spoke with animated gestures. There was some sort of resemblance between her and Ian who was seated on Amy's usual spot. Richard watched the little girl with an affectionate gaze and obvious curiosity. Amy found this quite amusing.
Amy walked over to give her cheek-to-cheek kisses. "Good morning Stella. Good morning Richard."
"Good morning kid. Stacy greet our neighbor, Emily", Richard told the little girl.
"Hello. My name is Stacy and I'm six years old", she held out five fingers and an index finger from the other hand.
Amy chuckled at this. "Hi, Stacy. I'm Emily. It's nice to meet you."
"Stacy is Ian's little sister. Alex went out of town so they'll spend the day here and we'll drop them off later in the evening", Stella explained and Amy nodded in understanding.
"Why don't you sit down dear, I'm almost done here."
Soon the meal was set and the five had their breakfast over some good chatter. Stacy took over most of the conversation with her stories from school that happened during the week. Amy watched the little girl's interaction with her grandfather is awe. She suddenly felt sad. Her cupcake would not have grandparents to be dotted on. She was alone in this world.
Ian, who was sitting next to her, caught the way Amy sub consciously touched her belly as she looked at his sister and grandfather. He thought back to the man with the deep voice. She said it was her husband. He could see the affection in her eyes when she said it. Were they always like this or did they work things out after he disappointed her with Mona? It should no longer bother him but it did.
"Grandma, Grandpa, may I be excused?" He stood up after clearing his plate.
"Going somewhere?" Richard asked.
"I'm going for a walk."
He was out of sight before they could get another word. Stella and Richard exchanged a look before they proceeded to eat. Amy did not pry and focused on eating.
Ian plugged in his earphones and left Stella's house on foot. His mind was plagued by Amy's thoughts. She was a puzzle to him. She never said much to him, always kept to herself, but she managed to attract him without even trying. When he ended things with Mona, he decided to end whatever he felt for her. But just thinking back to what he overheard earlier, it pained him.
In his dazed state, he walked long enough to find himself somewhere in the woods. There was a high and huge rock he liked to call an elephant rock because it's shape resembled the head of an elephant. When he climbed over it, he found someone seated cross-legged on top. The person turned and took him in before looking back ahead into the distance.
"What are you doing here?" He asked while settling down, careful to create a distance between them before looking ahead.
"Last time I checked, I could go anywhere I want", she responded. Mona looked a little better than before but her expression was numb. Ian did not see the usual coloring of her cheeks whenever he was close to her. He sighed and looked ahead into the distance.
"What are you doing here?" She asked back.
"To think."
Silence. Only the sound of insects creaking could be heard. The place they were at was surrounded by trees and very short grass. Where they sat, they could easily see the sunset if it was later in the evening and it always created a beautiful picture of the horizon.
"You like her", she stated.
"What are you talking about?" He answered without looking at her.
"Otherwise you wouldn't end things with me. We've been through so much. She's married Ian, she doesn't want to have anything to do with you", her eyes sparkled with fresh tears.
"Stop talking!" He barked. That was a reality he did not want to face. That he had imagined everything between him and Amy. Mona did not want to stop there.
"She can't, she can't give you what I can. You're here because you need it. I can give you that, only I can do that", she told him.
She thought he would shout again but he kept quiet. She had hit the nail on the head. She stood up and first removed her boots, leaving her socks on. Then she took off her leather jacket followed by her blouse releasing her braless nipples that grew hard from the cold wind the blew by, she took off her Jean trousers along with her underwear. She placed the pile beside him and took out a sachet from her trouser pocket and placed it atop the pile of clothes. Ian's jaw ticked when he saw what it was.
Mona lay down on her back with knees up and legs wide open leaving her womanhood exposed to Ian. She stared at the blue sky and wiped away some stray tears before her expression morphed into one of determination. It was now or never as she declared:
"You're either with me or you're out."
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