《Arranged True Love》


 Chapter One

    One month. That was how long I was given to decide whether I want to get married or not. To a complete stranger. It was such a short amount of time to get to know the man who sat across from me as I ate my first meal in a house I didn''t know. I was too nervous to really enjoy the food and my eyes hardly stopped looking at the man who was to be my husband if I were to agree to the marriage.


    As I studied him, I tried to figure out what kind of job he had to afford such an extravagant house. Even though I didn''t have enough time to explore the place, I knew that the house was huge. Far bigger than a single man would need. But the possibilities for a job that my imagination would come up with were some type of doctor or a drug lord.


    But the more I looked at him, the more I was thinking he was some type of high profile lawyer. He wore a pristine white buttoned up dress shirt. Even though the sleeves were rolled up so he could comfortably eat, nothing looked out of place. The black tie around his neck was even perfectly done. The more I noticed how perfectly done everything was about him, the more nervous I got.


    My stomach turned, making me put down my fork. I was too tense to finish eating. But it just made things worse for me. Now I didn''t have the motions of eating to keep me distracted from the strange situation I was in. I ended up fiddling with my hands as I placed them on my lap. Looking around the room, suddenly feeling intimidated by the man in the room.


    He suddenly put down his own silverware making me realize that he was looking at me. Just the way he looked at me was intense. It made me scared of him. Of course he was nothing but a stranger to me anyways. This was all set up by my mother to begin with.


    "I guess we should go over the agreement that I had with your mother. Answer any questions you may have," he said as if it was a matter of fact. Making me squirm in my chair a bit, "I know you are probably wondering what your mother has gotten you into. Sending you to a stranger''s home and telling you that you have a month to decide what you want to do."


    "What did she tell you?" I heard myself ask quietly.


    He gave me a small smile as he leaned back in his chair, "She didn''t tell me too much. Just said that you ran into some trouble and this was a way to save your career."


    Just hearing him say that I ran into a little trouble made me want to laugh. Only because that was understating what had happened. It turned out my ex was running a ring of illegal activity. Luckily at the time we were just seen as friends and not as lovers. The mess he had caused wouldn''t have been so hard for me to be saved from if the dating rumors were revealed to be true.


    "Your mother made a statement a few days before your arrival saying you were going to spend some down time with your fiance," he explained some more. He didn''t have to tell me who the supposed fiance was, "She may have also mentioned a possible wedding coming up, but that is up to you after the month is over."


    "Why did you agree to this? What is in it for you? Money?" I said coldly. My guard is up because my nerves were getting the best of me. Also I just couldn''t understand how anyone would agree to something like this if there wasn''t something in it for them.


    He let out a small chuckle, "It''s pretty obvious that I don''t need money. But I''m looking for someone who I have admired for many years. I have a feeling you can help me find them."


    I didn''t mean to roll my eyes, but it was like an automatic response. It was also just my luck that I would be used for something. People using me and my connections was something I wasn''t a stranger to. But it was definitely something I didn''t want any part of anymore. Yet, it still came to find me anyway.


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    Standing up, I glared at him, "I''m not helping you with anything. Just show me to my room."


    "You mean our room," he corrected.


    "Excuse me?" I said.


    He smiled as if he knew something that I didn''t, "In order to keep up with the appearance of us being engaged, we have to share the same room. Just in case paparazzi manages to find this place."


    My jaw dropped. I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. I protested making my voice get louder with every sentence, "You''ve got to be kidding me. I don''t know who you are. I don''t even know your name."


    "Zaden Keaton."


    "What?"


    "That''s my name. Zaden Keaton." he mentioned, "And you are the famous Riley O''Day. Especially after the scandal I''m saving you from."


    Just being reminded of the scandal I was a part of made me want to hunt down Jax Moon and strangle him with my two hands. Everyone had told me that he was a good for nothing that only used women for his own needs. But I didn''t listen and look where it got me. Now to save my image I had to pretend to be engaged to a complete stranger.


    That stranger, who''s name I now knew was named Zaden, leaned back more in his chair with a serious look on his face, "Jax wasn''t the man you thought he was, was he?"


    I let out a sigh, "No, he proved to be exactly what I thought he was. I was just an idiot to think that he was different from what they all said."


    "Hopefully it''s a lesson learned now," he said with a small smile on his face. He then stood up and motioned for me to follow him. After hesitating a bit, I followed. He spoke to me over his shoulder, "As I lead you to the bedroom, I might as well give you a tour of the house as well. This is your home now after all. You should get familiar with it."


    We left the dining room and he led me through the foyer that I had walked through when I first arrived. Ahead of us was a closed door and next to it was the stairway leading to the second floor. As he started up the stairs he explained the door, "That is where my office is when I''m not at work. Even though I''m nothing but a surgeon, there are some cases where I need to do research."


    As I followed him up the stairs, I glanced at the closed door. He probably closed the door because it is such a mess. I pictured pictures all over the place and books falling off of shelves. But then I looked at the well put together stranger in front of me and then my image of a chaotic room turned into a pristine room with nothing out of place.


    Once at the top of the stairs he pointed to a small room to our left, explaining that it''s just a spare room that is used as an office for whoever needs it. Across from the stairs was a large full bathroom for whoever uses the guest room, which was right next door. We then walked down the small hallway to a set of double doors.


    As we stood in front of them, he turned to look at me with a serious look on his face, "This is our room. I¡¯m sure things will be a little uncomfortable for the first few days, but just pretend you are shooting a movie for the world to see.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I heard myself ask dumbly. Mentally I slapped myself because we were keeping up appearances. Meaning that we would be sleeping in the same bed as well. Opening my mouth to speak, the sound of his cell phone ringing kept me from saying what I wanted to.


    Watching him answer the phone, I listened to what he was saying. From what I could pick up from his end, it had to be his job calling him to come in. He even mumbled, ¡°So much for having a day off.¡±


    ¡°Duty calls?¡± I asked, trying to mask the hopefulness in my voice. He nodded in response and then left the room. Leaving me to stand there to process all of the things in my life that changed due to my ex¡¯s mistakes.


    I was now publicly in a relationship, which was the one thing Jax never could give me because he had an ¡®image to uphold¡¯. It was a bunch of crap if you tell me. Also I now no longer lived on my own. Which would be nice to come home from long periods of time to someone who missed me, but would this guy really miss me if I was gone for a long time? Or, was this only for money?


    Then there was the next question on my mind. What would happen if he found that girl he had admired for a long time? What would happen to me? What if I went through with this marriage and he suddenly didn¡¯t want me anymore? All of these questions were just proving one thing, I was better off on my own.

 Chapter Two

    After a few minutes, I decided that the big quiet house was starting to get to me. I needed to do something before I slowly went insane. The first thing I did was call my best friend who had to go into hiding from the eyes of the media just like I did. But she was in a worse situation than me. Her boyfriend of five years was part of Jax Moon¡¯s scandal.


    ¡°You get arrested for murder?¡± I asked as soon as she answered my phone call. Her face filled up the screen of my phone.


    ¡°They won¡¯t even let me anywhere near him enough to murder him,¡± she complained, ¡°You think you know someone after five years and he turns out as a complete sleeze bag.¡±


    ¡°How bad was it?¡± curiosity made me ask that question.


    ¡°They broke down my door. I¡¯m not home enough to know that he was stashing some of the stuff in my guest room. I¡¯m facing charges,¡± she said, almost in tears, ¡°My life is ruined because I loved and trusted the wrong person.¡±


    If I knew where she was hiding, I would have left this house to go to her. My best friend didn¡¯t deserve something like this. I¡¯m sure there were some magazines already saying how someone like her who came from rags would live a life like this. But Em was the most honest person I knew. Sadly she was also too trusting of people.


    ¡°At least with Jax you knew what you were getting yourself into. I had no idea that my boyfriend was just like him,¡± she said through tears, ¡°I almost accepted his proposal. I was going to marry a criminal, Riley.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Em. He was just really good at pretending and showing you what he wanted you to see,¡± I reassured her.


    It took everything I had to not remind her that her boyfriend was Jax¡¯s best friend. Even though he had the image of a saint compared to Jax, there was obviously more than what we were seeing. But she didn¡¯t need to hear that right now. Em needed someone to comfort her and reassure her that it wasn¡¯t her fault to fall for a trap that was Julian Wade.


    So instead of scolding her. I just let her cry it out and complain because I was a good friend. Em just needed someone to listen to her until she felt better. Then she would turn the focus to me. I¡¯m sure she had so many questions about what was all going on. I just wasn¡¯t sure I trusted her enough to tell her the full truth.


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    It only took about five minutes before Em dried her tears and then gave me a serious look. Her puffy red eyes only made her look more fierce, ¡°So what is this engagement I keep hearing about?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I had no idea about it until today,¡± I told her, ¡°It¡¯s something my mother arranged in order to save my skin and career.¡±


    Em rolled her eyes and made a dramatic exaggeration, ¡°What would your mother do if her precious daughter lost her image as the movie industry¡¯s angel?¡±


    I giggled a little, ¡°Stop it. She means well since she worked so hard to help me get to where I am.¡±


    ¡°How did she take you dating Jax Moon?¡± Em suddenly asked. I hesitated to answer, making her look at me in shock, ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that you are dating Jax Moon?!¡±


    I held up a finger to my lips to quiet her down, ¡°She only knows that I was hanging around him. And I wouldn¡¯t even call it dating when he didn¡¯t take me anywhere.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You were the love sick puppy that he only paid attention to when it was convenient,¡± she mentioned, ¡°Now tell me was the sex worth it?¡±


    Not even bothering to answer her question, I just glared at her. She knew that it wasn''t something I talked about. I wasn¡¯t like her. Also the number of times Jax and I actually had sex could be counted on one hand. He always came up with excuses to cancel any plans we made. Or, he would just show up late at night at my house completely drunk and just pass out on my bed. By morning he was long gone.


    Suddenly the sound of a door closing somewhere in the house made me jump. I got up from where I was sitting and left the bedroom to see who walked through the door. Em stayed quiet but was ready to make any calls if she needed to. But the sight of Zaden walking into his office at the foot of the stairs made me relax a little.


    ¡°It looks like Zaden is home,¡± I told Em.


    ¡°Zaden? Is that the guy your mother set you up with? Is he hot?¡± Em started shooting questions.


    I glared at her, ¡°I¡¯ll call you later.¡±


    She protested as I ended our call as I headed for the office that Zaden had entered. I found him looking through a book that had some words on it that confused me. He glanced at me before going back to reading.


    ¡°I¡¯m not staying long. I just needed to look something up,¡± he told me as he turned the page, ¡°It¡¯s a complicated case and I need to get myself familiar with it for the best outcome.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you said you were a surgeon,¡± I mentioned, ¡°What kind of surgeon are you?¡±


    ¡°Neurosurgery,¡± he answered as if he was stating a fact in the book he was reading.


    I was a little taken aback by what he said. But the more I looked at him, the more I could see it. He carried himself like a highly respected surgeon and to be one in a difficult specialty was impressive.


    ¡°Why did you decide to go into that field?¡± I heard myself ask.


    He looked up from his book and stared me right into the eyes, ¡°Because I needed to be just as impressive as the woman I admired.¡±

 Chapter Three

    Again he mentioned that woman. I had no idea who she was, but jealousy filled within me. Not because I had feelings for the stranger in front of me, but I was jealous because this woman he spoke of had someone who admired her so much that he was willing to do anything for her. To know that kind of love and loyalty was something I never experienced myself. There were times that I thought I had, but it all ended up not being the case.


    I didn¡¯t know what else to talk about with him, so I turned to leave him to his research. But I froze as he called out to me, ¡°Riley?¡± I turned to look at him, ¡°I¡¯m still confident that you can help me with her falling in love with me. You know her better than anyone else.¡±


    Annoyance filled within me. The urge to tell him off rose within me, but I kept the words to myself. He had thirty days to learn that I had no intention of helping him with this woman he kept talking about. It wasn¡¯t my business to do so.


    Instead I left the room and went to the bedroom to roughly unpack my things. I needed to do something to keep my temper at bay. I may have also gone up the stairs a little too loudly as well to display my anger at him. There was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me that this was going to be a long thirty days.


    Of course, I was so focused on displaying my annoyance that when I got into the bedroom, I remembered that my bags were still in the entrance of the house. With a sigh of frustration I turned to go get my bags when I ran right into Zaden.


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    He placed down the biggest suitcase I had right next to me, ¡°I figured you would have trouble carrying this up the stairs. I¡¯ll bring up the others if you want.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything to him. I just glared at him. He didn¡¯t even care as he turned and left the room. Making me grab my suitcase and roughly drag it towards the bed. Not even bothering lifting it onto the bed, I laid it on the ground and opened it. But before I started to unpack, I inspected the areas he had cleared out for me.


    The first place I looked was in the closet. Inside he had put all of his clothes along one wall, leaving the other side completely empty for my things. My side even had the most drawers for the things I couldn¡¯t hang up. A little pleased I went back to my suitcase and started to sort through my clothes to see how I wanted to hang them up. It definitely will keep me busy for the rest of the night.


    At some point while I was unpacking, Zaden had brought the rest of my bags to the bedroom before he headed back to the hospital. But I couldn¡¯t do anymore after I got down to two bags left. I was exhausted and sweaty. So I grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top to change into after I showered.


    The bathroom was very roomy and right off the bedroom. But I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it other than that the shower was big enough for two people to fit comfortably. I even took note of the small bench in the shower that I could sit on when I needed to shave. Other than that, I took notice of nothing else.


    I quickly got dressed into what I planned on sleeping in and put my dirty clothes in the hamper. Afterwards I went into the bedroom and crawled into the king size bed. It was so much bigger than I was used to. But it was comfy. I wrapped myself in the comforter and quickly fell asleep.

 Chapter Four

    I wasn¡¯t sure how long I slept before I woke up in a dark room and a sleeping Zaden next to me. Just seeing him there made me uncomfortable enough to crawl out of bed and walk the dark corridors of the house towards the kitchen. Peeking at the clock told me that it was only three in the morning. Telling me that I only slept three hours before I woke up.


    The lack of sleep must be because I was in a different environment. I wasn¡¯t used to being in the house because I had just arrived. It will get easier with time is what I kept telling myself. But then I got a little worried. What if I got comfortable enough that I don¡¯t want to leave when the time comes?


    Trying to be as quiet as possible, I searched the cupboards for a glass. I figured a glass of water will help me go back to sleep. But as I got to the third cupboard, the kitchen light suddenly turned on. Blinding me from the sudden brightness.


    ¡°There are bottles of water in the fridge,¡± Zaden mentioned as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He pulled out a water bottle and held it out to me. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that he was shirtless as I grabbed the water bottle from him.


    After opening the water bottle, I took a sip. Sneaking a look at this new Zaden. He wore plaid pants and nothing else. His body was extremely fit as well and his hair was a little messy from sleep. If I had to be honest, he was really attractive. Also I preferred this Zaden over the one that looked really put together and cold. This one looked more comforting to see.


    He must have noticed that I was looking at him because he gave me a small smirk. He then went to the small island in the kitchen and leaned against it, ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t used to sleeping here. If you need changes made to make you more comfortable, just let me know.¡±


    I closed the water bottle, ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you. But I don¡¯t want to get too comfortable here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked, confused.


    ¡°If I decide to not marry you, I can¡¯t stay here,¡± I answered honestly.


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    He nodded his head, ¡°Understandable.¡±


    Then I thought of the woman he admired.The one he was so sure I would help him find and fall in love with. She was so lucky and she didn¡¯t even know it.


    ¡°Can you tell me the name of the woman you admire?¡± I suddenly asked him.


    Zaden froze. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I thought it would help me with helping you find her,¡± I answered nervously.


    He let out a sigh, ¡°Who¡¯s to say that I haven¡¯t found her yet? It¡¯s why I changed to saying that you will help me by having her fall in love with me.¡±


    ¡°When did you find her?¡± I heard myself ask.


    ¡°I found her when she needed my help with something important,¡± he answered but didn¡¯t elaborate. It made me think that he wasn¡¯t going to explain more than he needed to, ¡°I am just waiting for her to finally notice and remember me.¡±


    That tugged at my heart strings a little. He had found the woman he loved but she didn¡¯t remember him. Was she the patient he was doing research for? Did she get in a big accident that she forgot everything about her life? It was like a tragic love story that could end either way. One ending they will live happily ever after, while in the other, one will end with heartache.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember if you told me when you fell in love with her,¡± I told him.


    ¡°The first time I fell in love with her was when I was just a kid needing a friend. She took pity on me until I made my best friend,¡± he explained, ¡°The second time I fell in love with her was after we were separated due to her moving and we were reunited in high school. The third time I fell in love with her was when she excitedly told me about accomplishing her dream. The last time I fell in love with her was the day I shouldn¡¯t have let her go without knowing how much I really cared about her.¡±


    He grabbed my water bottle and took a sip from it before he continued, ¡°I focused on my studies after that and I never lost my feelings towards her. Instead they grew as I watched her from the shadows achieving one accomplishment after another. Now I have a chance to fix the wrong I had made in the past.¡±


    Zaden then handed me my water bottle back before he turned around. I watched as he opened a drawer. He pulled out a small notebook and pen. The room filled with the sound of him writing something in the notebook. After what felt like five minutes, he tore out the paper and handed it to me. He then put everything away and then left the kitchen to return to bed. Leaving me to look at the piece of paper by myself.


    On the paper it had the name of the elementary school I went to as a child. Nothing else. Shocked filled me as I stared at that name. How does he know that name?

 Chapter Five

    For the rest of the night I couldn¡¯t sleep. I just sat in the living room, staring at the piece of paper. Questions swirled in my head as I tried to figure out how he would know that name. Not even my most die hard fans know that name, and trust me, they tried. Did my mother tell him? That would be the only explanation.


    I didn¡¯t sleep a wink. Instead I stayed in the dark kitchen and stared at that small piece of paper. Zaden didn¡¯t even come into the kitchen to eat something before work. Instead I heard him come down the stairs and leave right away. It felt like he was now avoiding me after giving me that piece of paper. Part of me couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed.


    Knowing fully well that I couldn¡¯t just sit in the kitchen all day, I headed for the bedroom where my stuff was. My phone was blinking on the dresser, letting me know that I had a message waiting for me to read. Grabbing my phone, I went to see who it was. The faces of me and Jax together made me suddenly want to throw away my phone, but instead I ignored the message and changed the background.


    The background was one of those default ones you got when you first got the phone. It was plain and I really needed to take a picture of something worth putting as my new background. Once the background was changed, I finally checked the message. It was from my mother wondering how my first night went. I sent her a cold message saying that everything went as well as you would expect being in a stranger¡¯s house. I was still upset with her about the situation but I could also understand why she did it in the first place.


    Deciding that I couldn¡¯t stay mad at her forever, I dialed her number. She answered after the third ring, ¡°I was just about to respond to your message.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be faster this way,¡± I told her honestly, ¡°Especially when we should be talking about the guy you set me up with.¡±


    My mother didn¡¯t even hesitate in her response, ¡°He¡¯s a good man. Far better than that good-for-nothing you called a boyfriend. Zaden will treat you the way you deserve.¡±


    She sounded so sure of herself as she spoke those words. It kind of made me a little upset that she would try to talk up this complete stranger. What did she have to benefit from letting me marry him in the first place? What was her true motive?


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    ¡°Is that why you told him about the elementary school?¡± I heard myself ask.


    ¡°Which elementary school?¡± my mother said, confused.


    ¡°The one I went to,¡± I answered.


    ¡°You went to three different elementary schools. Which one are you talking about?¡± she asked once again.


    ¡°Garden Grove Elementary,¡± I finally said to her, ¡°it was the last school I went to before middle school.¡±


    My mother was quiet for a little bit. She was probably trying to remember the school. It was a short part of my life. Garden Grove Elementary was a small school that not many kids went two because it was so out of the way. It was mainly a school for those that lived on farms and couldn¡¯t get into the city for their education. Also it was a school where parents took their kids when there were too many problems at the other elementary schools.


    I remember walking in those halls and hearing kids screaming and throwing things at the teachers. The teacher in charge of me would be so used to me holding on to them for dear life because I was so scared. My mother had placed me in the school not because I was a bad kid. It was because I was so scared of everything due to a childhood trauma that I couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°I never told anyone about that school,¡± she finally said, ¡°The only time I talk about that school is when I tell people about how anxious you used to be as a child and how that school helped you come out of your shell.¡±


    My mother wasn¡¯t wrong. That school did help me overcome so many fears, but that was because a kind young boy helped me. I remember being huddled in the classroom and he would come over and give me something. Sometimes it would be a toy he valued, that he would explain to me about. Other times it would be a small snack that he would ask his parents to give an extra one of so he can give it to his friend. But after elementary school, we went to middle school. That was when I lost sight of my friend.


    In middle school I was a little more confident in myself and even built up the courage to try acting. That was the start to the career that I had now. I didn¡¯t even attend high school traditionally due to all of the commercials and movies I was working in. Instead I attended online and got my high school diploma that way. I had my first fan signing as a graduation party.


    ¡°Why are you asking about Garden Grove all of a sudden?¡± my mother asked.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention the name to him at all?¡± I asked my own question.


    ¡°No. Maybe you and Zaden went to the same school at some point,¡± she mentioned, ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me much about his childhood. Told me that it was behind him and he didn¡¯t want to relive those memories.¡±


    There was only one way to find out if Zaden and I had shared even a little bit of a past, ¡°Mom? Can you send me the yearbook from the year I went to Garden Grove?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find it,¡± she answered before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

 Chapter Six

    The waiting is what was going to be hard for me. I needed something to do that would help pass the time. Also, being alone in a big house wasn¡¯t ideal either. It was just more reason to get anxious about how Zaden knew about my elementary school as I left the bedroom and headed to the stairs. But I wasn¡¯t alone long as a middle-aged woman came walking into the kitchen carrying four bags full of groceries.


    Her eyes landed on me with a little bit of surprise, but then instantly went into a big smile, ¡°Ms. O¡¯Day. It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±


    Quickly, I went down the stairs, and walked up to the woman, ¡°You¡¯ve heard about me? From the papers, right?¡±


    Realizing her mistake, the woman quickly walked into the kitchen, but I wasn¡¯t going to let her off easily as I followed close behind her. The woman placed her bags on the counter and began taking things out. Pretending that she was too busy to notice me. But I wasn¡¯t having any of that.


    Standing in front of her, I asked, ¡°Where did you hear about me?¡±


    The woman looked nervous as she scanned the room looking for a way out of this conversation. But admitting defeat, she let out a heavy sigh, ¡°Mr. Keaton informed me of your arrival. He even made sure I knew all of her allergies and food restrictions. That¡¯s all.¡±


    She then continued putting things away, but I knew that she was holding back. She was still nervous with me in the same room as her. I was ready to ask her more questions when the front door opened and footsteps were heard coming towards the kitchen.


    As if she was on fire, the woman ran towards the footsteps, ¡°Mr. Keaton, can I have a word with you for a minute?¡±


    Staying where I was, I could hear the hushed murmur of their voices on the other side of the doorway. The woman was probably letting Zaden know that she had made a mistake and wasn¡¯t sure how to fix it. Asking her boss for some guidance. Eventually, the voices stopped and the sound of the front door opening and closing informed that someone had left.


    Zaden walked into the kitchen and went to the counter full of groceries and started putting them away. Confused, I asked, ¡°Where did the woman go?¡±


    ¡°I gave Gloria the day off. I¡¯m not going back to work today and don¡¯t need anyone to prepare meals for me for the next few days,¡± he answered, ¡°Also she was a little nervous meeting you and didn¡¯t want to make any further mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Like saying that she has heard so much about me,¡± I pointed out, making Zaden sigh.


    Zaden then finished up putting things away and then turned all of his attention on me. He looked tired. It was as if he didn¡¯t sleep a wink at all last night either. Maybe writing the name of that school had him regretting his decision. Or, was he just scared that I would find out that he wasn¡¯t what he portrayed himself to be. But my mother did say that he had a past that he didn¡¯t want to think about and maybe mention that school brought up unwanted memories. Just the numerous thoughts running through my head had made me realize that I knew nothing about this man other than that he was a surgeon at a hospital.


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    ¡°You should get dressed,¡± he told me all of a sudden. Making me confused, ¡°The nurses at the hospital want to meet the future Mrs. Keaton. Who knows, maybe they will tell you some gossip about me. They like to do that sometimes.¡±


    Not wanting to miss out on this opportunity, I quickly went back to the bedroom and got ready for the day. But I made sure to dress pretty casually so that I didn¡¯t attract any attention. So light blue faded jeans with a simple black long sleeve shirt was my outfit choice, along with a messy bun to hold my hair up. The only makeup I put on was some eyeshadow and eyeliner, and I was happy with my plain look to the point that I skipped down the stairs to meet Zaden at the front door to leave.


    We had arrived at the hospital and Zaden parked in a parking spot that had his name on a sign. It impressed me that he had his own parking spot as we got out of the car. To keep up with appearances, he grabbed my hand and held it as we walked to the hospital. He even handed me a face mask to wear with his free hand.


    ¡°The mask requirement has never been such a welcome friend in my life until now.¡± I mentioned as I let go of his hand long enough to put the mask on. He did the same as we entered the building.


    The moment we were inside, all the staff started to greet and talk to Zaden with smiling eyes. Zaden was even nice enough to introduce me to some of his co-workers when they asked. With all of the small talk and greeting, it felt like forever before we got to the elevator.


    I watched Zaden push buttons with purpose as we entered the elevator. He even got some stares from patients and nurses as they giggled in the corner of the elevator. But he didn¡¯t pay much attention to them as he turned to me, ¡°Does it feel nice to get out of the house?¡±


    Nodding my head as an answer, the doors opened and he led me off and towards what I assumed was his office. But we stopped short at a desk full of nurses who were either talking or reading charts.


    ¡°I brought you the fresh meat,¡± Zaden joked as he leaned against the desk. All eyes instantly went on me.


    One nurse even turned to the another nurse and held out her hand, ¡°You owe me twenty bucks.¡±


    The nurse rolled her eyes as she handed over the money. The nurse closest to us stood up and came walking around the desk. Looking me up and down as if she was inspecting if I was worthy of the doctor or not. Then leaned in as she motioned to have me remove my mask a little so she could see my face.


    I followed suit and suddenly the desk area was filled with gasps of shock. Looking around, the nurses all had looks on their faces as if they were completely starstruck. It made me quickly put my mask back on and hide behind Zaden. Which only had him pull me back out into view as he let out a chuckle.


    ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want to bring her in the first place,¡± he mentioned to the nurses. A few of them instantly apologized. Suddenly, a call light went off and Zaden grabbed the chart. Before he left, he pointed at all of the nurses, ¡°Be nice.¡±


    But once he was gone, two of them approached me and instantly began to fangirl over my latest movie. I thanked them for their kindness and support, feeling a little overwhelmed. Part of me hoped that Zaden would return soon so he could save me from this uncomfortable situation.

 Chapter Seven

    Eventually, the nurses all had to get back to work, and I sat behind the desk with two of them. They were a talkative bunch. Telling me about their lives and also how big fans they were of mine. They even asked a few questions to add on to their gossip with their coworkers and friends.


    ¡°So how did you and Dr. Keaton meet?¡± one asked me out of the blue. My heart raced in panic. Zaden and I never came up with a story to tell people if asked this specific question.


    I said the first thing that came to my mind, ¡°We have known each other since we were kids.¡±


    The nurses squealed in excitement. ¡°Childhood sweethearts. I love it,¡± one of them said. You could tell she was smiling brightly at how much her eyes were squinted.


    The one that asked me the latest question turned back to me, ¡°So you are the reason why Dr. Keaton kept turning down all of the ladies. He has a lot of admirers.¡±


    She looked older than the other nurses and I instantly felt like she was the mother of the nurses. The nurse had peppered dark brown hair. Wrinkles around her eyes made her eyes squint whenever she smiled. She even directed me away from the gossiping younger nurses into a small room so we could talk privately. Which I was kind of grateful for.


    As we sat down in the chairs, she slid off her face mask and directed me to do the same. I wasn¡¯t too comfortable to do so. She then pulled out her phone and turned it off to show that she wasn¡¯t recording anything. Placing her now turned off phone on the table, she turned towards me.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t explain the backstory to you did he?¡± she asked, making me a little confused. She smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve been working with Zaden since he first started here as a resident. I know everything when it comes to him.


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    ¡°I also know that the story he was planning on was that you and he met during one of your doctor''s appointments. Not as childhood sweethearts,¡± she mentioned.


    Letting out a sigh, I responded honestly, ¡°I haven¡¯t been making it easy for him to talk to. He keeps mentioning that girl he admires.¡±


    The nurse cleared her throat, making me look at her. She then started to cough a little bit, but it felt a little fake, ¡°Sorry. I had a small tickle in my throat.¡± She grabbed my hand, ¡°Believe it or not, your childhood sweethearts story doesn¡¯t fall far from the mark. Zaden hasn¡¯t had it easy and he did have a childhood friend that made it easier for him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I heard myself ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really my story to tell, but Zaden grew up thinking he wasn¡¯t worthy of anyone¡¯s love. It takes a lot for him to trust people because they tend to just leave him in the end, anyways,¡± she explained, ¡°Zaden had been in the system since he was two, when his mother dropped him off in front of a police station with a letter.¡±


    My mind instantly went blank. I could feel my mouth hanging open. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what I was expecting when I hardly knew the guy. But Zaden looked so put together that you wouldn¡¯t think that he had been abandoned by his mother. But maybe that was the reason why he was the way he was as well. The perfectionist that didn¡¯t have a thing out of place.


    Before our talk could go any further, Zaden suddenly appeared in the room we were sitting in. The look of relief on his face showed that he was pretty sure I had run away the moment I had the chance. It¡¯s funny how that thought never ran through my mind until I saw that look on his face. The nurse just smiled at me one more time before patting my lap in reassurance, then got up and left Zaden and I alone in the room.


    He came up to me with a little worried look on his face, ¡°What did Ms. Anne, talk to you about?¡±


    ¡°What do you think we talked about?¡± I answered with my own question.


    ¡°I guess I should have warned you about Ms. Anne. She is like the mother I never had,¡± he admitted as he nervously rubbed the back of his head.


    It was weird to see him like that. There was something he didn¡¯t want me to know and he was worried that the nurse had told me that secret. Also, the fact that I got a glimpse into his past had me even more curious about him. There was more to him than what meets the eye. So much so that I almost forgot that he knew the name of my last elementary school.

 Chapter Eight

    When we got back to Zaden¡¯s house, things weren¡¯t as tense as before. He let me see a little bit into his world and I kind of enjoyed it. It also made me think that I shouldn¡¯t think about this mystery girl he has had his heart on for who knows how long. I should focus on making my image look good after Jax moon ruined it. I¡¯ve worked so hard to make me look like the person everyone thought I was. I only dread what they think of me now.


    But I instantly came to terms with the fact that people were going to see me anyway they wanted to. Even if the truth was right in front of their face, they will believe what they want to believe. That was something I just couldn¡¯t change. Even if I went through with marrying Zaden, they would still see me as Jax Moon¡¯s little sidepiece.


    With a sigh, I headed for the kitchen. It was a familiar area for me in the house and seemed like a good place to just sit and digest all that was going on. Part of me hoped that Zaden would follow me so that way he could tell me a little more about himself. I was pretty doubtful he would say anything, but he could surprise me.


    When I got to the island in the kitchen, I found a stool and sat on it. Zaden did in fact follow me as he headed for the fridge. I watched him pull out a few containers of food and place them on the counter. He then went to a cupboard and pulled out two plates and placed them by the containers of food. His movements looked so natural as he grabbed a large spoon from a nearby jar, then opened the containers one at a time. It was hard to see what the food was as he scooped it out and placed it on the plates, but it was still nice watching him prepare a meal.


    ¡°What did you and Ms. Anne talk about?¡± he suddenly asked as he placed a plate in the microwave and pushed a few buttons to make it roar to life. I wasn¡¯t sure how to answer as I bit my bottom lip. Trying to find the right words to say. But it appeared that was all he needed to see to know what she mentioned. ¡°She mentioned what my mother did to me, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°She said it wasn¡¯t her story to tell,¡± I defended. Hoping he wouldn¡¯t get angry at the only person he seemed to really care about.


    He sighed as he turned to look at me, ¡°It¡¯s fine that she mentioned it. I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t have come up otherwise.¡±


    The microwave beeped to signal that it was finished heating up whatever was on the plate. Zaden turned around to switch the plates and made the microwave roar back to life. He then grabbed the plate he just took out and placed it in front of me. He didn¡¯t say anything as he went to a drawer to grab some silverware for me to eat with.


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    I looked down at the plate to see what it was that he had given me. A pile of herbed rice was the first thing I noticed. Then my eyes settled on the sliced pieces of meat that looked to be like steak, but the microwave probably made it tough when it reheated the food. The last thing on my plate was a pile of broccoli. The combination looked to be like it was a very balanced meal when it was freshly served.


    ¡°Gloria prepares the food and either freezes little dinners for me, or places them in containers in the fridge,¡± Zaden explained as the microwave beeped once again. Taking out his plate, he joined me at the island after grabbing some silverware, ¡°Do you want something to go with your meat? I usually eat it plain, but I still have sauces you can use.¡±


    Confused, I asked, ¡°Why do you have sauces if you don¡¯t use them?¡±


    ¡°Gloria uses them for cooking,¡± he responded before he took a bite of rice.


    I asked another question, ¡°How did Gloria become your personal cook?¡±


    He let out a small chuckle, ¡°Gloria is here by choice. She is the last foster parent I had before I was eighteen. She¡¯s never had any kids of her own, so she likes to take care of me as if I was her own son.¡±


    There was my reminder that Zaden didn¡¯t grow up the same way I did. I was reminded that he was abandoned as a small child. It was also probably something he didn¡¯t want to talk about. If I were him, I¡¯d never want to relive that painful memory of my mother dropping me off at a police station and then leaving.


    Zaden took another bite of his food, ¡°I know that look.¡±


    ¡°What look?¡± I didn¡¯t even know I was making a look.


    ¡°Ms. Anne told you about my birth mother,¡± he stated, ¡°I tried to find her once. Turns out she abandoned me for my own good because she was a drug addict. Some part of her knew that I was going to get taken away eventually, so why not throw me away while she still looked good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still sad, Zaden,¡± I said to him, ¡°Do you know anything about the note she sent you in with?¡±


    He nodded his head, ¡°My birth mother told the police that she wasn¡¯t in the position to take care of me and I had no father to take custody of me. She couldn¡¯t think of any family members that knew about me and all that was left was to find me a good home instead. I was in the foster care system for sixteen years after that.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to talk about this anymore. It was very sad for me to hear. Maybe that was why my mother chose him to be my husband. To remind me that not everyone is so lucky in this world. There are those that had nothing and worked hard to get what they had. Hard to believe that the spotlight had turned me into someone who forgot where they had come from.

 Chapter Nine

    We were silent the rest of the time it took us to eat our food. No one even said a word as the dishes went in the sink. The next step for us was to go our separate ways in the house, but that was something I didn¡¯t want to do right now. Part of me wanted to learn more about Zaden Keaton. I couldn¡¯t just leave it on the fact that he was just an abandoned child. There had to be more about him. For example, why did he become a doctor in the first place?


    Zaden started to head for his office at the bottom of the stairs when I called out to him, ¡°Zaden?¡± He looked at me, ¡°Maybe we should spend the day getting to know each other. You¡¯re always working, so it just feels like you are a stranger whose house I¡¯m staying in.¡±


    He looked at me, unsure what to say. It was clear on his face that he was wondering what I was planning. To tell the truth, I had no idea what I was thinking. I just wanted us to get a little closer other than two strangers pretending to be a couple. Especially if everyone expected a wedding by the end of the month. I had to see if such a thing was possible.


    But the longer he stood there silent, the more I doubted my idea of getting to know each other. Maybe he didn¡¯t want to get married after all, since he was in love with someone else. I tried to laugh it off as I spoke, ¡°Or, we can just continue pretending to everyone. It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    Zaden then let out a sigh as guilt washed over his face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that was something you wanted to do.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. Ever since I got here, I have been cold to him. I could understand the impression that he got from me. The impression that I was forced to do this in order to save my career and nothing more. But I was guarded and couldn¡¯t trust anyone anymore after what happened with Jax Moon. Note to self, don¡¯t date musicians ever again. Especially ones that were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.


    Guilt washed over me as I apologized, ¡°I should be the one who is sorry. You are only giving me the reaction I expect from you.¡± I then smiled at him and held out my hand, ¡°Why don¡¯t we start over? My name is Riley O¡¯Day, your everyday actress.¡±


    He smiled as he took my hand and shook it, ¡°Zaden Keaton, your everyday Thoracic surgeon.¡±


    Being reminded of what kind of surgeon he was still took me by surprise. I knew it was an impressive field, even if I didn¡¯t fully understand it. I made a mental note to myself to check up on what kind of surgery he had done. But it also reminded me that he wanted a profession that was as impressive as the woman he admired. Just remembering that made me feel like this marriage wasn¡¯t going to go anywhere.


    Guilt washed over his face once again as he let out a sigh, ¡°Let¡¯s pretend I never mentioned myself admiring an impressive woman.¡±


    To know that he felt bad for bringing it up in the first place was nice to know. I couldn¡¯t blame him for being so madly in love with someone that he wanted to be at their level. I would have done the same if Jax Moon wasn¡¯t so much as the wrong package at the right address. It was my fault for falling for a puzzle piece that was a good enough fit and not the right fit.


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    Nodding my head, I accepted his request, ¡°I¡¯ll try to pretend that you never brought her up. But why suddenly ask that?¡±


    ¡°Because, like you. I want this to work,¡± he answered. For some reason, I found it hard to believe that he would just drop the woman he loved for a stranger. There was something he wasn¡¯t telling me. But before I could say anything, his cell phone suddenly rang, making him answer it, ¡°Dr. Keaton.¡±


    He listened to what the person on the other side of the line spoke. I watched as he asked a few medical questions as he left the room to go towards his study. It looked like to me there was an emergency at the hospital and he would have to go in once again. Part of me was a little disappointed that we wouldn¡¯t be continuing this conversation.


    With a sigh, I grabbed my cell phone and decided to call my manager. I needed to do something soon before I felt like I was mooching off of Zaden. Most of my schedules were either canceled or paused until the whole Jax Moon Scandal was sorted out. But I had to do something. It was asking too much from me to just sit in a house all by myself and do nothing.


    ¡°Riley, you know what your mother said,¡± my manager said as he answered the phone.


    ¡°I know what she said, but she also knows that I can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing,¡± I complained to him, ¡°Tell me that you can give me something to do. Even looking over some scripts would be fine.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has been informed that you are taking a break to prepare for your wedding at the end of the month,¡± my manager informed me.


    ¡°What do you expect me to do when my fiance is always working?¡± I asked him.


    My manager didn¡¯t even bother to cover up his annoyance, ¡°This is for the best, Riley. Just see this as a vacation.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything more as he hung up the phone. I couldn¡¯t help but scowl at my cell phone before putting it down on the kitchen counter. There was literally nothing for me to do in this house. Also, I didn¡¯t have any hobbies because I made sure that I was always busy with work myself. So I never took the time to pick up anything I liked. Now that I had the time, I regretted finding anything of interest.


    Out of pure boredom, I did the one thing I was told to not do during my little ¡®vacation.¡¯ I looked up what the media was saying about the situation. I found articles about the charges Jax Moon was facing along with some of his friends. Em¡¯s boyfriend was facing different trafficking charges. There was even an article about Em. So far, I didn¡¯t see anything about me until I refreshed the page. Right in my face was a picture of me with Zaden walking into the hospital with the headline ¡°Riley O¡¯Day happily visits the hospital with a mystery man. Pregnant or not pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± I cursed. They were ruthless and didn¡¯t bother to get pictures any way they could. They didn¡¯t even bother to ask me if it was okay. Instead, they just took a random picture and stated whatever they wanted. Just seeing it made me want to call my company and ask them to do something about it. But sadly, it also helped with the story of me getting married in a month.


    Defeated, I went exploring the house. It wasn¡¯t as big as I was led to believe. The dining room was under mine and Zaden¡¯s bedroom, with the living room under the guest room and bathroom. Zaden¡¯s office didn¡¯t have anything over it other than the roof. The kitchen was a similar set up. From the outside, the house looked to be like a rectangle with two wings.


    The only thing I really appreciated was that the living room led out to the patio. The patio had a small area where people could sit comfortably around a fire pit and next to that was an outdoor kitchen with a grill. Behind all of that and further in the backyard was a large pool. I have made plans to do some night swimming in the near future. Also, I never knew why I didn¡¯t notice it before, but the whole property was surrounded by a six-foot stone wall. It was like Zaden had bought this place as if he had one person in mind. Me.

 Chapter Ten

    Running into the house, I grabbed my cell phone and called for a cab. I was going to get answers today. The only place that was going to give me the answers I needed was to get home to my mother. She wasn¡¯t going to look for what I wanted, I knew her well enough to know that. She hardly even managed me during my career.


    I didn¡¯t even bother to see if Zaden was still home as I walked out of the front door. Instead I grabbed my mask and put it on before entering the cab the moment it pulled up. As I closed the door, I told them where to drop me off. Too busy with my phone, booking the earliest flight I could. Kind of grateful that my mother decided to stay in the ranch home she built in Oklahoma.


    That place was built when I had just graduated high school. Walls surrounded the property and you needed to know the code to get in. The code was hard to figure out because it was a date that belonged to someone I didn¡¯t talk about much. It was the birthday of the little boy who saved me back at Garden Grove. You could say he was my first love and probably the only one I¡¯d ever have.


    The sound of my cell phone ringing made me check to see who it was. Zaden¡¯s name appeared on the screen, but I ignored it. I had just assumed that he was getting called in for an emergency surgery, but it could have just been a consultation as well. It was either that or he was watching my every move in that house. I wasn¡¯t sure which one I felt more comfortable with. But something told me that I was missing the obvious and it was my mission to find out what.


    My phone continued to ring as I rode the cab to the airport. I didn¡¯t bother to see who it was calling me. Right now I just wanted to go home. My main focus was to get to a familiar surrounding and look for the answers I wanted. No, needed. Find the answers I needed.


    My mother wasn¡¯t surprised as I pulled up the long driveway towards her home. She just continued to watch me from the small table on the wrap around porch as she drank a glass of wine. My mother and I had a pretty tense relationship because of me making things hard for her. You could say that we never saw eye to eye.


    ¡°Zaden warned me that you were probably on your way here,¡± she said before taking a sip of her wine, ¡°Getting cold feet?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the yearbook?¡± I asked her. Making her roll her eyes.


    Placing down her glass, she answered, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to look for it. It¡¯s probably in the storage building in town. We¡¯ll look for it tomorrow.¡±


    Something told me that my mother was avoiding something, but it also could be the fact that I lost my trust in everyone. Especially after the whole Jax Moon thing taking place. But I also had to put into account that my mother did in fact make plans to save my career. For that I was grateful.


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    Admitting defeat, I headed inside the house. I was tired from the trip, even though it wasn¡¯t that long. A four hour flight was hardly anything to brag about. But knowing my mother, she would try to make me rest anyways. Even if I wasn¡¯t tired. For some reason I feel like she would do anything to make sure that I don¡¯t see that yearbook as well. Something felt off and it was bugging me to not know what.


    Once I was inside, I took in the house. It still looked the same as the day I left when I was old enough to live on my own responsibly. The light gray walls complemented the white crown molding and white furniture. It amazed me that my mother went for such a color for anything, but she was pleased with it. But in all honesty, it burned my eyes to see how bright the house was. The sophisticated country style was completely different from the dark gray walls of Zaden¡¯s modern home.


    My phone rang once again, making me check to see who it was. Em¡¯s name shone on the screen. Confused, I answered the phone, ¡°Aren¡¯t you locked up?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m free. I was found innocent because that piece of work convinced them that I had nothing to do with it,¡± she informed me, ¡°At least he has some sense left. So where are you?¡±


    Feeling relieved that my best friend was free of charges, I hoped that she would have a better pick in med in the near future. Someone who wasn¡¯t connected to someone like Jax Moon. But even though it would be nice to see her, it wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Not when I left the state to go back to the place I grew up.


    ¡°I went home, Em,¡± I told her.


    She let out a sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll call a cab and head on over. I¡¯m just leaving the police station.¡±


    ¡°No, Em,¡± I told her, ¡°I went home. As in back to my mother¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°YOU WHAT?!¡± she nearly screamed into the phone in disbelief, ¡°You gotta be kidding me. Why would you go back there? I thought you hated that place.¡±


    ¡°I needed to talk to my mother about the wedding plans,¡± I lied. At the moment I couldn¡¯t remember what I had already told her. My mind was still trying to process all of the puzzle pieces put in front of me. All I remember telling her was that it was an arranged marriage but that was about it.


    ¡°Well, call me when you get back. I need my best friend,¡± she whined on the phone before hanging up.


    Rolling my eyes, I put my cell phone away. It was at that moment that I noticed that my mother was on the phone as well. I could hear her muffled voice as if she was having an intense conversation with someone. Assuming it was probably just my manager she was arguing with because I just left without saying anything. Part of the deal was that I would inform the company about my whereabouts at all times in case they had to do damage control.


    Shrugging it off, I headed up the stairs towards my old bedroom. I¡¯m sure that it would be the same as everything else in the house. It appeared that my mother wasn¡¯t someone who liked change all that much.

 Chapter Eleven

    Being back in my old room felt a little weird. I usually just stayed in my rented apartment because it was closer to work. Also when it came to a certain season in the area, it was probably just safer to stay on the west coast. But to see my original bedroom just the way I left it when I moved out was an odd situation for me. It¡¯s like my mother craved to have things go back to normal. To the times before I became a well known actress.


    With a heavy sigh, I sat down on the queen size bed. I half expected dust to fly up into the air the moment I landed on the firm mattress. But no big cloud filled up the room and it made me wonder if my mother cleaned the room while I was away in hopes that I would someday come back. I guess in a way I did.


    The relationship with my mother didn¡¯t used to be so cold. We used to be really close to the point that she was seen as my best friend. But one thing made us no longer see eye to eye. I had tried out acting as a way to come out of my little shell when I was a child. My mother didn¡¯t want me to pursue it due to the fact that it might be too hard for me if I became successful.


    At first she did support me. Probably because it was just small commercials or being an extra in movies. Nothing was too strenuous. Also the small stuff didn¡¯t interfere with my school work. Which was nice because I needed a back up plan in case my acting career ended with me just doing the small stuff. But then one day I got the chance to audition for a supporting role in a movie and that was when the relationship between my mother and me took a turn.


    The argument ended with me at least auditioning for the movie without any expectations for getting the part. In all honesty there was no trouble with auditioning. The only problem would be if I actually got the part. Which in the end, I did. My mother had told me to reject the offer and finish school first, but I felt like I would be letting people down if I listened to her. So I talked to my school to get online classes and moved to California to pursue my acting career. I don¡¯t think my mother will ever forgive me for doing so.


    But the longer I sat in my room, I began to think that her coldness was only because she thought that is what I wanted. I made a mental note to finally sit down with my mother and have a serious talk about my career. She may have not approved, but she still helped out and supported me all of this time. Even now with this whole mess with Jax Moon.


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    A small knock on my bedroom door made me look up to see my mother in the doorway. A small book was cradled in her hands. Curiosity filled me as I stared at the book. It didn¡¯t take me long to see the name Garden Grove Elementary reflected in the sunlight due to the foil like lettering they used for the title. My mother was holding the year book to the elementary school that Zaden somehow knew about.


    She slowly approached me and then held out the book towards me. ¡°I suddenly remembered where it was,¡± she explained.


    Hesitantly I grabbed the book, ¡°Thanks Mom.¡±


    We both stayed still, completely unsure what to do. In all honesty, I didn¡¯t expect her to willingly hand over the yearbook. I was pretty sure she would keep it from me for a lot longer than what it took. My eyes fell on it, trying to see if this was just some sick joke my mother was pulling. But it was real. The yearbook I remember getting as I left that school was now in my hands.


    My mother then dismissed herself. Even when she left, I still hesitated to open the book. I wasn¡¯t sure why but something kept me from looking. A voice even asked me what it was I was hoping to find. But I didn¡¯t know the answer to it. Even if Zaden was in the book, I wouldn¡¯t be able to place the man to the child in the book. He¡¯s probably changed too much over the years.


    But eventually I opened the book and looked at the little faces of the children that I went to school with. The school was small and was made for those that needed special care. All the faces went by age from youngest to oldest. A few pictures littered the sides of the pages from classroom activities but there weren¡¯t many. By the time I got to my picture, I was almost done with the book.


    I was one of the three children around my age group. The faces of a little girl and a little boy were on each side of my picture. We were the oldest at the school, but I remembered that there were four of us. One picture was missing. And it was the picture of the little boy who showed me the most kindness in that school.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in this book?¡± I asked no one in particular. Maybe it was to the missing boy. Even his name wasn¡¯t on the list of students, which confused me more. Was he even a student there? Did I just make him up?


    Confusion flooded my mind as I went through the book once again. It was as if I was desperate to find proof that the little boy existed, but there wasn¡¯t any. But I knew that I didn¡¯t make him up. He had to be real. Maybe that was how Zaden knew about the school. Maybe he was from the same foster home as the little boy who was so kind to me. It was the only explanation I could think of at the moment. But I knew I had to ask Zaden about it some time soon.