| Prologue |

= Shekinah's POV =

The look on his face…was it disgust, disappointment or disbelief?

The way he looked at me made me want to break down crying in front of him. He turned, and even though I called and called, he never looked back once and kept on walking away.

Does he hate me now? If I had told him about my kids, would he still feel the same way he told me he felt for me?

I couldn't take any chances. I've been treated like I don't exist before, but watching him ignore me as he walked away just brought me back to that painful moment in my life, with him, I don't want to remember.

My leg gets stuck in a shrub and I aggressively kick it away before continuing my sprint. Where am I running to? I don't know. I just want to get far away from that kingdom, far away from him.

My babies…upon thinking of them, my eyes water up and I start to sob uncontrollably. I had to let them go. My life is just too tumultuous for them to remain with me. I might get them hurt, or worse, I might lose them. The thought of that, I can't bear.

I believe Shamahn will take care of them…he's been my Goduncle since I arrived in that kingdom and I can trust my kids' lives with him…still, I'm saddened.

Why did he look at me like that? I still can't get the expression on his face out of my head. It was as if he wanted to shout at me but also as if he wanted to shake his head at me and judge me silently.

Goddess knows I wanted to tell him, but I just couldn't take that risk.

My head hurts.

My heart hurts.

It's all happening again.

I've been running and hiding for the past 3 years of my life, and anytime I thought I found peace, it all crumbles down because of one person - myself. At this point, it's as if I'm cursed to be sad and alone all my life…well with my babies, but now they're not with me…

I halt suddenly. There are two pathways in front of me. On the left, there are thicker bushes while on the right, the scrubs are overgrown. What is this type of divergence doing inside the forest?

I could care less. Not thinking too much about it, I run headlong into the right path. My pace quickens as I sense someone running after me.

He's back?!

Panic grips my heart.

He's the cause of everything…if he didn't force me to live with him where I experienced the worst kind of living conditions any human can cope with, I won't be running helter skelter like this.

Almando, you're the reason I'm running like this. You're the reason I have to run from the only man who's made me happy in a long time. You're the reason I had to leave my kids and run away in the woods like this from a life I was getting comfortable with. You're the reason my life is so messed up right now.

You're obsessed with me and I've become obsessed with you too because I also can't get you out of my head.

Why have you done this to me? Why, Goddess, did you make that wierd man my second chance mate?

Why?

All of sudden, I seem to trip over a long dried line of grass and lose my balance. My hands swing over my head as I fall headfirst into the ground.

Time stills. There's silence.

I cough on the ground and slowly open my eyes as I get up. There's still silence…weird and loud silence. When I look up slowly, my head pangs so I rub it with my hands.

Then, my eyes set on something I can't fathom.

"Where am I?"