Skye sat by the window staring blankly at the countryside, trying to hold
back the tears. She couldn't believe that it had come to this, that she
was actually considering signing this document. To save one child, Luis
was demanding that she give up rights to her other baby. When Luis had put
it in front of her the first time, she had thrown it back at him, screaming
that she would never give up any of her children. That had been two weeks
after he had found her in that hotel closet. She had still had something
then that she didn't have now, hope. Skye hadn't believed Luis when he
said that Jax and Jerry were gone. He said that they had died in a car
explosion. He had even showed her pictures. At the time, she believed
that it was another hoax, one of his many manipulations.
Their names were never mentioned in any of the society and financial papers that used to follow their moves with such interest. At first she accused Luis of having the paper's doctored. He responded by sending her out under guard to whatever newspaper stand she wished to pick up as many papers or magazines that she wanted. Short of buying up every newspaper and magazine in the world. Even Luis couldn't control those odds. Not once were their names ever mentioned. The only thing that kept her from being completely crushed was the fact that she hadn't found anything in the mortuary sections.
She believed at first that Luis was just covering up any evidence that Jax and Jerry were causing trouble. But Luis was living there with her. He didn't even try to hide what he was working on. He considered it a bonus when something he was doing scared her. Every hideous act he ordered, every life that ended, served to emphasize the fact the he wouldn't hesitate to kill the child in her womb that he didn't want. He wanted her scared and she knew it. Skye kept waiting. Despite the fact what he did turned her stomach in knots, she kept a close eye on what was going on. Jax and Jerry were never mentioned. The only people who seemed to take Luis's attention away from the pregnancy was his two rivals in Africa and Russia.
And as the weeks turned to months, her belief turned to doubt. Her hope began to fade. The closer that she came to her due date, Luis's offers became more tempting, more reasonable. The first offer had been to sign over complete custody of her and Luis's child in exchange for not killing Jax's. Over time, that offer had changed. At first she wouldn't even look at it. But as time passed, she started to consider what her children's options were if Jax and Jerry couldn't save her, or heaven help her, were actually dead. She read it and then immediately started pointing out the loopholes. All that document guaranteed was that he wouldn't kill the one baby at birth in exchanged for custody. There was nothing their that stopped him from killing one of her children latter on. So he changed to document to state that if anything ever happened to her and Jax's child, she would automatically get custody of her other child. The 'anything' was to reassure her that Luis would have a vested interest in seeing that the child survived. To tempt her further, he gave her open visitation. He even added clauses that allowed her to live there. He was gradually building a web around her. She knew it. He knew that she knew it. But he still held the upper hand. He knew that she would have a hard time leaving any of her children behind. Getting that legal hold over rights to one of them would keep her there.
So yet again, Skye sat looking at that document. It would save her one child's life, but it would doom her other child to life with Luis as a father. She knew that she couldn't abandon either of her children. This document would tie her to Luis forever. That thought made her physically ill. But really what choice is there? Like it or not, the doctor is taking the babies out tomorrow. "If I don't sign it, by the time I wake up Luis will have killed one of my children. I can no longer afford the luxury of hope." Skye said out loud to the empty room. Slowly picking up the pen, she added her name to the teardrops that covered the document.
Their names were never mentioned in any of the society and financial papers that used to follow their moves with such interest. At first she accused Luis of having the paper's doctored. He responded by sending her out under guard to whatever newspaper stand she wished to pick up as many papers or magazines that she wanted. Short of buying up every newspaper and magazine in the world. Even Luis couldn't control those odds. Not once were their names ever mentioned. The only thing that kept her from being completely crushed was the fact that she hadn't found anything in the mortuary sections.
She believed at first that Luis was just covering up any evidence that Jax and Jerry were causing trouble. But Luis was living there with her. He didn't even try to hide what he was working on. He considered it a bonus when something he was doing scared her. Every hideous act he ordered, every life that ended, served to emphasize the fact the he wouldn't hesitate to kill the child in her womb that he didn't want. He wanted her scared and she knew it. Skye kept waiting. Despite the fact what he did turned her stomach in knots, she kept a close eye on what was going on. Jax and Jerry were never mentioned. The only people who seemed to take Luis's attention away from the pregnancy was his two rivals in Africa and Russia.
And as the weeks turned to months, her belief turned to doubt. Her hope began to fade. The closer that she came to her due date, Luis's offers became more tempting, more reasonable. The first offer had been to sign over complete custody of her and Luis's child in exchange for not killing Jax's. Over time, that offer had changed. At first she wouldn't even look at it. But as time passed, she started to consider what her children's options were if Jax and Jerry couldn't save her, or heaven help her, were actually dead. She read it and then immediately started pointing out the loopholes. All that document guaranteed was that he wouldn't kill the one baby at birth in exchanged for custody. There was nothing their that stopped him from killing one of her children latter on. So he changed to document to state that if anything ever happened to her and Jax's child, she would automatically get custody of her other child. The 'anything' was to reassure her that Luis would have a vested interest in seeing that the child survived. To tempt her further, he gave her open visitation. He even added clauses that allowed her to live there. He was gradually building a web around her. She knew it. He knew that she knew it. But he still held the upper hand. He knew that she would have a hard time leaving any of her children behind. Getting that legal hold over rights to one of them would keep her there.
So yet again, Skye sat looking at that document. It would save her one child's life, but it would doom her other child to life with Luis as a father. She knew that she couldn't abandon either of her children. This document would tie her to Luis forever. That thought made her physically ill. But really what choice is there? Like it or not, the doctor is taking the babies out tomorrow. "If I don't sign it, by the time I wake up Luis will have killed one of my children. I can no longer afford the luxury of hope." Skye said out loud to the empty room. Slowly picking up the pen, she added her name to the teardrops that covered the document.