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The sound of a table smashing haunts the entire room as soon as Rhys throws Irina against the glass center table sitting in the room

Irina screams her lung out in anger and pain, "You cannot be the man I fell in love and got married to. All these years, I have been so stupid, and you have fooled me so easily pretending to be my long-lost husband. Tell me, who the hell are you?!"

"Really? So sure eh? Looks like somebody's memories came back!" Rhys smirked from the corner of his lips and steps closer to Irina, who was clearly seen bleeding from the corner of her lips now.

"TELL ME THE TRUTH DAMN IT!" Irina demanded.

Rhys chuckled, "You're right. I'm not the man you fell in love with. I was never the man you can fall in love with."

Even though Rhys said it while laughing, his expressions when he said those words conveyed the opposite.

Irina backed away from him, "So then, who ARE you? Where is my h-husband?"

Rhys looked at her and laughed in a twisted way. Hearing her calling someone else as her husband sure hurt him but it looked like he was used to of this.

"Shawn? Oh yeah. I killed him."

Irina gasped for some air as her eyes went huge. She couldn't believe it was so easy for this man to kill and tell.

"Sh-Shawn Jenkins?" She couldn't believe how familiar this name sounded to her. Shawn Jenkins. Her torn distorted memories had this name embarked on them.

"See? No matter how hard I tried, it was only his name that rests in your heart. Just like before. No matter how the fxck harder I tried, it was always him, it's always Shawn!"

Rhys stepped closer to Irina as she kept backing away. Finally her back met up with the wall and Rhys took a seat right before her on the floor

"You were obsessed with me, and when you could not get me to love you back, you KILLED my husband?! Irina asked him unbelievably. Rhys scoffed and reached out his thumb to wipe off the blood from the corner of her lips and then said, "It's a little more complicated than that but in short, yes!"

Tears rolled down Irina's cheeks as she started to find it difficult to breath suddenly. The only thing that bothered her right now was she could barely even remember what the love of her life looked like, thanks to her memory loss a year ago.

"And now, even though I somehow managed to erase your memories a year ago, you remembered everything now." He said in annoyance.

"I- I don't. Remember. Everything." Irina said taking pauses in between, trying to close her eyes and force herself to remember something.

Anything.

Even the face of her daughter's father.

"What about Iris? What did you do to her? Is she our daughter or some sort of stupid ploy you put together to play against me?" Irina asked. She was afraid that even her daughter was a lie that Rhys told her.

"Iris?" Rhys looked up towards the corner of the room near the door opening where he could see the one-year-old came crawling and then slowly stood up. "Sure, she's your daughter. Yours and Shawn's."

He took Shawn's name with so much hatred that it hurts the ears. Irina saw her little baby in the room and covered her mouth, started to cry.

"I thought the accident would kill her too but it didn't. You were pregnant when the accident occurred and were on the way to the hospital delivering his baby. My car crashed into yours and Shawn died. You gave birth to your beautiful little replica who looked exactly like you, just her hair are like her dad's. When I learned you lost your memories, I initially thought I'd give her away and start over with you. But then, I looked at her and..." Rhys caressed the face of Iris going closer to her, "How could I giveaway something so beautiful that looks like you?" He said.

More tears flew down Irina's cheeks as she bit her lower lips scared for her daughter while this monster was touching her.

"So, I thought maybe we all could live together as a family, you know? But your stupid brain kept fxcking with you and in one year you never gave yourself to me!" Rhys continued. "I lied, made you believe that I was your husband, father of your child. I tried everything to prove that I was your Shawn but fxck, your nightmares kept coming in the way."

Rhys scoffed again, this one was an extremely sad one and looked at Irina, "And one year later, here we are. Why didn't you love me Irina? I did everything for you, even waited for so long... Why can't you ever see me? Why can't you ever see my love for you?"

"You're a sick bàstard! I can't believe anyone can be as malicious as you are. I hope you rot in hell!" Irina started to curse at Rhys with all her heart. The curses were all coming straight from Irina's heart.

Meanwhile, Rhys who was still standing near little kid who was about a year and half old, scoffed and looked at Iris who was confused and scared hiding halfway behind the curtain.

"Before I go to hell, don't you think baby you'll go to hell and pay for everything you did to me and my innocent love for you?"

Irina couldn't believe this man. He was starting to sound absolutely nonsensical to her. "What are you even talking about?!" Irina asked him.

"Is it MY FAULT THAT YOU MET HIM FIRST?!" Rhys practically screamed at Irina standing close to Iris and that made Iris petrified, and she started crying.

"Iris..." Irina tried to get up and approach her crying baby, but before she could do that, Rhys picked Iris up in his arms and kicked Irina back on ground with much of force on her stomach.

Droplets of blood came out of her mouth, the kick was so hard. Watching all this little Iris started to cry even more loudly.

"Iris..." Irina gasped for her little baby, "Rhys- Hand her to me, she is crying." Irina was famished from pain, opening her arms in air, towards her little girl.

"It's all about Shawn, Irina. You don't ever care about me, DO YOU?!" Rhys yelled and kicked on Irina's stomach once again with the exact same force. More blood spit out her mouth, but Irina only cared about her crying baby right now. She was continuously mumbling with her arms up in air.

"Iris... Baby... Mommy is here. Shh... Come to me."

Watching this made Rhys extremely furious. The bloodlust was rushing back in his head. He wanted this heartless woman before her to die in his hands. Today. Right. Now.

He practically threw Iris seven inches away from where Irina was lying on ground all in pain and went towards his table to grab a knife.

Meanwhile, Irina and Iris were both trying to share a moment called motherhood. But before Irina could overcome the pain and hold her little baby in her arms, Rhys stormed towards her and penetrated the knife right into her stomach.

Before Irina could handle that pain, another sharp attacked was welcomed by her stomach. With wide eyes open she looked at Rhys. She never thought this man would actually kill her. She had for real started to fall for this man since the very last week.

"You know what's the good news is Irina, baby?" Rhys asked her, "Now, I can finally get over you."

Saying this, Rhys left the house and the crime scene, where there was a one-year-old crying looking at her dying mother and her mother was trying hard to creep closer to her child in her last moments alive.

"Shh... Shh... Baby don't cry. Let me sing you a song." The dying mother told her child, who didn't know any human words yet, but she still understood everything her mother just said, as she was speaking the language of love.

"Rock a bye baby... Rock a bye baby... On the tree top. When the wind blows... the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks... the cradle will fall."

Irina's voice had the magic that made Iris stop crying and even though Irina was bleeding severely, this little baby girl came near her mother's warmth and lied down on her body. Irina slowly started to loose her breath and soon Iris heard the last lines of that rhyme her mother ever sung to her, "And down will come baby... cradle and all."

SEVEN YEARS LATER

LITTLE IRIS'S POV

"Iris?"

I was playing with my paper boat that aunt Jennifer made me in my garden when I heard my daddy's voice and immediately became afraid. Daddy makes me scared. Even though he doesn't talk to me much and doesn't say anything to me but still I am very afraid of him. I don't know why?

"Iris, where are you?" Daddy called out to me again.

"Yes daddy." I replied once daddy came to the garden looking for me. I was hiding behind aunt Jennifer's gown because I'm afraid of facing daddy alone, by myself.

"I have to take you somewhere with me so, get ready." Daddy said and looked at Aunt Jenny in his angry gaze.

"Don't worry Mr Rodriguez, I'll get her ready on time." Aunt Jenny replied.

"I'm taking her to a boss's party so doll her up accordingly." Daddy said and looked at his pond in the garden where he had reared his imported fishes. I was playing with my boats there only.

"What did I tell you about that pond Iris?" He asked.

"Never to go there."

"And why did I tell you that?"

"Because there are fishes and I might hurt them." I replied him with my head bowed.

"Good girl." Daddy said and then suddenly bent his head down at my level and grabbed onto my hand in which I was holding my paper boat. It was all crumpled in my fist now. "The next time I see you playing with your stupid boats there, I will cut off your hands."

I gulped looking at daddy's angry face shivering from fear, and he immediately changed his expressions into giving me a creepy smile, "Get dressed. Okay, honey?"

And he walked away.

As soon as he walked away I hugged Aunt Jenny tightly and started crying loudly.

"Hey, Iris. No. No. Baby nothing happened. I'm here with you baby, don't cry." Aunt Jenny tried to calm me, taking me inside my room, so she could get me dressed for this party daddy was taking me to.

......

"Aunt Jenny, where is daddy taking me to? He has never taken me outside this house." I asked Aunt Jenifer while she was combing my hair.

"He is taking you to a very fancy party." Aunt Jenny replied in her cuckoo voice making wear my favorite ball gown that daddy brought me.

"What is a party? Are there other people there?"

Aunt Jenny looked at me, pausing for a moment and then laughed, "Yes sugar. There are a lot of people there. There might even be other kids of your age whom you can play along with."

"Really? Would they talk to me? Do they play with paper boats like me too? Would they come to my house and play with me?"

Aunt Jenny laughed at my excitement and brushing my hairs perfectly, she said, "You will get to know that once you go there and talk to those kids, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Oh, look, my little Iris looks so cute tonight. Can I click a picture of my little sugar?" Aunt Jenny asked me taking out her cellphone and I laughed nodding my head in a yes.

........

I was ready to go out of this house with my daddy for the first time in my life. I am excited but I am scared too because I have never seen the world outside of these walls. I have never seen or met anyone else except Daddy and Aunt Jenny. This would be a very new and different experience for me tonight.

JENNIFER'S POV

(LITTLE IRIS'S NANNY)

Rodriguez Mansion: It was a beautiful medium sized mansion situated at the outskirts of the city of Los Angeles, Hollywood. This entire locality comes under the Mafia King of our times, Sir William Daniel Martinez, who is still ruling the entire continent and has his reign of terror all across the globe.

All the houses situated in this locality are owned by people working under Sir William Martinez. My boss and Iris's dad, Mr Rhys Rodriguez, is also one of many such people working for Sir Martinez.

I was appointed here, at the Rodriguez mansion seven years ago after Iris's mother died. Iris was only a one and a half year old back then. Since then, Iris has always found comfort in me. She called me aunt Jenny and I have too looked after her like my own child. Everything about this cute little girl was adorable except for the fact that she was extremely scared of her father, Mr Rodriguez.

I have seen most of the fathers showering lots of love on their daughters, even the one's having dangerous connection to the underworld. But Mr Rodriguez preferred to keep Iris in fear. I don't understand where this fear even comes from because Mr Rodriguez doesn't talk to Iris much. At times, even days or weeks would pass, and he wouldn't come to check on his daughter.

What's even more weird is that he is not educating his little child. He never takes her out, he doesn't allow her to have friends. Iris is a kind of girl nobody knew even existed because she has never stepped out of this house or met people other than me, her father and the five other servants in this house. Even when Mr Rodriguez's friends would come over, Iris wasn't allowed to step outside and meet them. Sometimes it even feels like Iris isn't even Mr Rodriguez's daughter. But then, that can't be true or else why would he keep her in his house?

Anyway, tonight, it was the first time Iris was stepping outside this house with her daddy. I was worried because she has never met strangers before. Also, she would be alone with the man she is so scared of for the entire night. But since Mr Rodriguez is taking her out to this party I'm sure there would be other kids at the party too and so, maybe my Iris would finally get new friends. I hope she makes new friends. I feel so bad for the poor kid. No education, no friends. She doesn't even know what childhood feels like.

May God bless my child.

"Miss Jennifer, Master Rodriguez is asking for Iris Baby to accompany him." The house butler, Romario came in and bowed his head down to Iris.

"Uncle Romario, do I look nice?" Iris chirped in her cuckoo voice giving him a spin in her favorite frock before Romario and he couldn't help but smile, "Of course miss Iris. You look beautiful tonight."

He then bowed to Iris and extended his hand out to her, "Now, if you please come with me. Sir Rodriguez is waiting for you inside his car."

Iris's face turned pale at the mere thought of being alone with her dad. She grabbed my gown in her tiny fist and looked up at me scared, "Aunt Jenny? Won't you come with me too?"

Romario and I shared a look. All the servants in the house knew Iris baby was very scared of Mr Rodriguez, to the point that every time he would utter a mere sentence to her, and she would start crying in tears

"Don't worry miss Iris, I'll be there at your service until you reach the party. Now please come with me." Romario assured Iris.

She looked up at me and I gave her a nod. She needs to go out and embrace the world. Not because she has to, but because this maybe the last opportunity that she would ever get to go outside and know strange people other than the one's working in her house.

LITTLE IRIS'S POV

A cold chill ran down my spine as soon as Uncle Romario opened the back door of the car and I saw daddy seated inside with both his legs crossed smoking a cigar. I looked at him scared with my eyes big, but refused to move. Daddy turned his head towards me and spared me his angered glance from head to toe.

"Perfect." He breathed out, complimenting me and I tried to smile. But my smile was that of a scared one as well, "Now what are you staring at me for? Get inside!" Daddy shouted at me and my breath hitched. I wanted to go back into the arms of Aunt Jenny and cry.

"Miss Iris, please sit down." Uncle Romario tried to comfort me by holding me up in his arms and then placing me inside the car, making me sit right beside daddy. He then closed the door and circled back to sit himself in the driving seat.

"Miss Iris, there is a box of chocolates for you at the back of the car." Uncle Romario told me and I jumped in excitement, "Wow, chocolates!?"

Uncle Romario smiled at my reaction starting the engine and I stood up on the seat and started to look at the back for the chocolates. But then, my eyes met with daddy's, and he was glaring at me. My face immediately turned pale in horror and I took back my seat.

"I don't want to eat chocolates." I pouted with a fallen face after which, I heard my daddy's domineering voice once again, "Don't make me regret my decision of taking you out Iris!"

Tears pooled into my eyes immediately after hearing him say that. Why am I so weak near daddy? I don't know. But anything he says to me, hurts me.

"Iris, how do you react when I say something to you?" Daddy asked.

"Y-Yes daddy" I immediately replied.

"Master Rodriguez, she is just a little girl. And she is so cute. Why do you keep scolding her?" Uncle Romario said glancing at my tearful face from his rearview mirror. Daddy glared at Uncle Romario and he immediately apologized, "I'm sorry sir."

The fifteen minutes ride to the party venue seemed like a century old to me. Once the car stopped at the venue, I couldn't help but look outside at the beautiful palace we were at.

"Whoa! Is it Christmas in this house?" I asked, to which daddy rolled his eyes and Uncle Romario informed me, "Miss Iris, parties are like this only. They decorate the house beautifully, so the guests would enjoy the decorations."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know that." I said looking at daddy with my head bowed at him.

"Behave like a good girl that you are at the party. Am I clear?" Said daddy.

"Yes daddy." I replied promptly and he smiled at me for the very first time. My heart skipped a beat looking at my daddy smiling at me for the first time in the last seven years I have known him.

"Come, hold my hand so you don't get lost." Daddy said and I gladly jumped down the car holding onto his thick masculine fingers.

"Yes daddy."

As I was walking away with daddy heading inside this beautiful house, Uncle Romario drove away the car perhaps taking it to the parking lot.

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