01

Mount Pleasant, Salt Lake City, USA.

She sat on a small wooden stool, the kind women often use when working around the house. The way she hunched over, her hands clasped tightly in her lap in front of a water jug, made it clear she was deep in worry. Her gaze was blank, lost in a distant world of heavy thoughts.

He stepped out quietly from the small bathroom and spotted her exactly where he had left her...still hunched over the jug, motionless. He shook his head in silence without saying a word. Moving toward the little clay pot they used to store water, he scooped some out with his hands and washed his face. Even after he finished, she hadn't moved an inch from where she sat in sorrow.

Calmly, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and picked up a small towel to dry his face, then made his way toward her.

"Bella," he called gently.

There was no response.

He raised his voice slightly and tried again, "Bella!"

Only then did she stir, letting out a long, heavy sigh before speaking in a weak voice, "Mason, you're already finished?"

The way she asked made him almost smile, but he suppressed it and said, "Wash your face. When I get back, we'll talk, alright? But I’m telling you now, and I mean it....I will not allow you to go to the city looking for your son. He made his choice when he turned his back on us. To him, we have no value, no worth. Trust me, there will come a day when he will seek us out himself. You don't need to go running after him."

Before he could finish, her voice, trembling with emotion, interrupted him. "Mason, I know it's not my son's fault. It's that wicked woman he's with...she turned him against us. I know he wants to come home, but he can't, because she controls him. You know how women in the city can be, poisonous like snakes. Mason, please, I'm begging you, let me go find him. It's been nearly a year since we last saw him!"

Mason fell silent, as if deep in thought, then gave a brief, tired smile. He shook his head slowly and said, "Women will do anything for their children... and they will blame others to protect them. But have you ever even met the woman he's with? Do you know how they met or who arranged the marriage? No, you don't. One day he just showed up and told us he was married...without even asking for our blessing. You know this yourself. We raised him, supported him, sacrificed everything for him, and once he stood on his own two feet, he walked away without a second glance."

He paused, then continued with a heavy heart, "Please don't blame her...or anyone else. This was his choice. My only mistake was spoiling him too much. I sold off my inheritance....our farm and the cattle, everything...just to give him a better life. Do you remember how precious those cattle were in our community? Yet I sold them all for his future. I thought education would ground him, but instead, it pulled him away from us. I sent him all the way to New York to study, and now... well, now we are just a forgotten part of his past. But that's life. Everyone grows up and chooses their own path. I will not waste my heart worrying over someone who chose to leave us, and I advise you to do the same. Let’s trust in fate and focus on ourselves. Wherever he goes, this home will always be his roots."

He grabbed his jacket and headed out briskly, not waiting for her response.

Left alone, Bella remained seated, lost in thought. Slowly, a small, bittersweet smile crept onto her face as she made up her mind. She wasn't going to sit idly by and wait. She would go after her son, no matter what Mason said. She had only one child...one reason to keep living....and she wouldn't give up on him so easily.

New York City

Softly, with a tearful voice, she knocked on the door, pleading, "Harper, please open the door. Please listen to me, sis. Don’t shut me out again... Please."

From inside the room, the sound of things crashing could be heard. Harper, sobbing, screamed back, "Just go away, Ava! I hate you! I never want to see you again! Get out of my house and never come back! You've finally succeeded in turning Granny and Uncle Sam against me. Leave! I don't want to see you!"

Ava wiped the tears streaming down her face and cried back, "Sis, I'm sorry! I... I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please, let me explain! I’ll do anything you ask, just forgive me, please!"

Inside, Harper paused at Ava’s desperate words. A sly smile crept onto her face as she looked at her reflection in the dressing mirror.

"Are you sure you'll do anything I say?" she asked.

From behind the door, Ava nodded eagerly, her voice trembling, "I will! Please just open the door!"

With sudden energy, Harper jumped off her bed and stomped over to the door. She yanked it open, glaring at Ava. One look at Ava’s tear-streaked, exhausted face made her waver slightly.

"Oh, Sis, please stop crying," Harper whispered as her expression softened. "I'm sorry... I promise, I won’t make you cry again."

They fell into each other's arms, clinging tightly, stepping back into the room hand in hand.

Sitting side by side on the bed, it was impossible not to notice how identical they were....so alike that one could easily mistake them for twins. Yet despite their physical resemblance, their personalities were worlds apart. Harper was polished and glamorous, while Ava was simple and modest, unconcerned with fashion or status.

"Listen to me, Ava," Harper said firmly, looking straight into her sister's eyes.

"It's not that I don't want Uncle Sam to get married. But you know how things are...once he marries, we’ll lose him to his wife and her family. He’s all we have left after losing Mom and Dad. I’m just trying to protect what little family we have."

She paused, her voice growing sharper.

"And what about you, Ava? Who do you have? When life gets hard, when you need someone to lean on...where will you turn? I've tried to guide you, but you never listen. If it were up to me, Uncle Sam could go and live his life, but I worry about you. Look at your condition, Ava. You're missing a leg. You think it’ll be easy for you to find someone who loves you sincerely? Maybe someone would marry you... but only for your inheritance, not for love."

Harper leaned closer, her voice almost a whisper.

"You’re beautiful, Ava. But beauty alone isn’t enough in this world, not when you carry a visible scar like that. The world isn't as kind as you imagine it to be."

A heavy silence fell between them as the weight of Harper’s words settled in.

Since Harper started speaking, Ava’s heart softened......it always did whenever her sister came to her with advice or serious talk.

Slowly, Ava nodded thoughtfully, weighing Harper's words before finally saying,

"I understand you, Harper. Everything you said is true. But still, that’s not enough reason for us to stand in the way of our uncle’s happiness. My disability doesn’t bother me at all, and I truly believe that marriage is written for everyone in their own time....what is sweet to one may be bitter to another. I know that someday, someone will come into my life who will love and cherish me despite everything, even knowing about my condition. Please, don’t let my struggles weigh on your heart."

She paused, then added softly,

"Besides, Uncle Sam has already been through so much. He has faced hardship after hardship in his life. Don’t forget—every woman he courted before met with tragedy. Remember Aunty Zuly? On their wedding night, burglars broke into the house and killed her. After that, Uncle Sam spent nearly three years trapped in grief and despair. And you know better than anyone how much Granny longs to see her youngest son happily married."

Ava took a deep breath and said firmly,

"So, in my opinion, we should let Uncle Sam go ahead with his plans if that's what fate has in store for him."

From the moment Ava began to speak, Harper had been glaring at her with thinly veiled disdain, fuming quietly. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet, pointed at the door, and barked,

"Get out. I said get out! If we can't even have a proper discussion, then leave!"

But Ava didn't move. Instead, she shifted comfortably in her seat and folded her arms across her chest.

A few moments later, Harper seemed to reconsider. She sat back down, exhaling heavily as though releasing all her anger at once.

"You're right, Sis," she admitted grudgingly. "Uncle Sam deserves happiness. Fine. I'll go to Lavinia’s house and apologize. I know he’s still upset with me..."

Her voice broke, and her eyes filled with tears. She clutched Ava’s hand tightly and pleaded,

"Please, Sis... please help me make things right. Talk to him. Beg him to forgive me. Please..."

Her desperation touched Ava’s heart deeply, and she nodded gently, pulling her sister into a comforting embrace.

Meanwhile...

As the driver finished parking, Ava spotted Arabella standing in the front courtyard, arms crossed, eyeing the car intently. It was clear she had been waiting for their return....and judging by her expression, she wasn’t happy.

Ava shrank back slightly in her seat. She knew she'd broken one of the house’s unspoken rules: wherever she went, Arabella was supposed to accompany her. Always. No exceptions. Especially given her condition. Arabella, a stern woman of about sixty-six years old, took that duty very seriously.

In her slow, uneven gait, Arabella made her way toward the car.

But her gaze wasn’t focused on Ava at all .... it was locked onto Sterling, the driver. She watched him intently as he nervously climbed out, aware that he'd be the one to bear the brunt of her wrath. After all, it was practically law that Ava was never to leave the house alone ... for her own protection.

"Good evening, Arabella..." Ava said cautiously.

Arabella didn’t respond. She walked past Ava without a glance and marched straight over to Sterling, her face stormy.

Before she could even speak, Sterling hurried to defend himself, "It wasn't my fault, Arabella! You saw how Harper stormed out of the house, furious and out of control. I couldn't stop her. And Ava... Ava pleaded with me until I agreed to drive her after all."

But Arabella cut him off coldly,

"You mean you drove her out there just to get her insulted, humiliated ... made to hear hurtful words, right? Don’t you know Harper has no respect for anyone? She’ll spit venom without a second thought. And now, while I'm still breathing, you think I’ll stand by and let someone insult my precious girl?"

She stepped closer, her voice sharp and unforgiving.

"If it comes to it, we’ll take this matter to court. I mean it. I’ll fight anyone who dares mistreat her."

Sterling could only stare at her, stunned. No matter what had really happened, Arabella saw nothing wrong on Ava’s part ... only Sterling’s failure.

"It's not my fault, Arabella..." Sterling said quickly.

"Get out of my face and shut your mouth!" Arabella snapped. "If anything had happened to her today, you would've realized just how badly you messed up!"

She stormed off, still muttering furiously under her breath.

Ava watched her go, wide-eyed, amazed at how effortlessly Arabella could unleash her anger ....especially when it concerned her.

Without a word, Arabella grabbed Ava's hand and led her inside.

Quietly, Ava trailed after her.

In the living room, they found Granny sitting with her head in her hands, looking deeply troubled.

Whenever Sam and Harper had a disagreement, the whole house would sink into gloom. No one could truly understand Sam until he had made peace with his beloved niece, whom he cherished so deeply.

***

Merie clutched the hem of her dress, wiping away the stubborn tears clinging to her eyes, and continued speaking.

"Jaxon, are you sure you two can manage on your own? Are you certain going back to that cursed city is really the best choice?"

Her voice trembled. "I'm scared, Jaxon... I’m terrified they’ll find you again. In their minds, you died a long time ago."

Jaxon .... a young man, no older than thirty-two....sat in a wheelchair. Although his legs appeared fine at first glance, he had lost all ability to move them. It had been nearly four years since the accident.

With careful, practiced motions, he rolled his wheelchair forward until he reached the middle-aged woman weeping before him.

When he spoke, his voice was faint, as if each word took immense effort.

"Marie, thank you... Thank you for everything. For taking care of me and Aurora. For nursing me, for hiding me when my life was being hunted. I know I can never repay you."

He paused, drawing in a shaky breath.

"But Marie, I have no choice but to face those three. I made a promise... I will tear down The Three Faces no matter what it takes. Please understand ... I have to do this."

Marie's voice shook with fear as she replied,

"But Jaxon... aren't you scared you’ll drag Aurora into danger too? Why don’t you go alone and leave her with me? What if something happens and you ....and you can't even stand to defend yourself?"

Jaxon lowered his head, staring at his legs for a long moment before lifting his gaze back to her, a soft, determined smile on his lips.

"Don't worry, Marie. I can protect her. I can provide for her. I swear, I will never let anything happen to her. Please, trust me."

Marie stood there, silent, staring at him for a long moment before finally whispering,

"Alright. May God protect you both. But Jaxon... if I hear even a whisper of something bad happening to you two, I’ll leave Boston and come find you myself in New York."

Jaxon smiled again, warmer this time.

"Thank you, Marie. And please, one last favor ...convince Aurora to come with me. Don't tell her anything about my plans yet, alright?"

To be continue....

Aisha Ahmed Machika