The Mafia's Runaway Wife

Harper- Then and Now

Thirteen years ago, I was Samuel the great little princess, Katia’s twin with the darker skin, the Valedictorian track star that had the world in the palm of her hand. Thirteen years ago, I was Harper Harmony Alexandra Jones Louis, the princess of the south. My parents were happily married, my dad, Samuel Louis, was only known for having the largest logistics company in 20 states and the Caribbean. My mother, Katia Jones Louis, was only known for her charity work, beauty, and poise. My little brother, Julius “Jules”, the heartthrob sports god, was my best friend. Our family was then known as the pillars of our community and model citizens. Thirteen years ago, life was simpler, and yet thirteen years ago, my life would never be the same again. My parents, brother, and freedom were taken away from me.

I woke up from dreaming of a life that once was and could be if that same life didn’t take such a drastic turn. A life that I now know was a lie but desperately wish I could go back to. I wish I could hide behind my parents and old life, wrap myself around it like a blanket to shield me from this cold world I got cast into.

As I make my morning rounds around the house with King and Shadow, our two Kings Corso, I can’t help the overwhelming dread that creeps into me. By the time the twins came down for breakfast, that dread only got worse. It’s been four years since we had to move to safe houses. The kids were only 4 then. I didn’t need to explain or inform on us moving, I didn’t have to deal with the worried looks, the unasked questions lingering over our heads, I didn’t have to look into those two sets of grey eyes and see disappointment and underlying fear. No, it was a lot easier four years ago, because even though I didn’t lie, I certainly didn’t tell them the truth.

Once I received the encrypted message “Now” from Ana, we were all packed in the jeep wrangler heading out of the small town in Georgia. Throughout the five-day journey, switching to multiple cars, sleeping in multiple cabins, and two plane rides, the twins barely asked any questions. If anything, they come up with stories of us being on a secret mission, hiding away from the bad guys. I need to monitor the action movies they are watching. But if only they knew how spot on their story was. We were on a mission to hide away from the bad guys. I can’t tell them that, not when the most persistent bad guy was their father.

We finally got to a small village in Taiwan by mid-morning. The twins and dogs are too tired to tour the “safe house” and village. My heart hurts for them, for us, but I must do this.

I do my rounds around the house and land, making sure all the security and locks are intact. We won’t be here for long, but I can never be too careful. After installing the new firewalls, I logged into the new laptop and started working. I caught up with my Proxy Nolan on what has been going on and what I need to happen with the business.

Nine years ago, with the help of Ana, Willow, and Nolan, I secretly started a real estate, builder, and designing company. In the past seven years, it’s been one of Forbes's top 10 businesses internationally consecutively. We’ve been ranging from 6-8 over the years and with a few more big contracts we’ll be able to hit the top 5 ranks in six months. Just in time for the end of the year ranking.

Outside of my twins, work is my escape and joy. I’ll forever be grateful for Ana stealing my design portfolio, business plan, and financial plans. I will never stop being thankful that Willow rushed to get Nolan on my side and helped my dying dream come to life without a warning or my acknowledgment. They planned on saving me way before my kids gave me the push to want to save myself.

I lost myself working until I heard the security alarm going off. Through the security feed on my laptop, I can see the two black SVU’s circling the house. I don’t have to wait for the passengers to get out to know that they are Ana and Willow. No matter where we go, or who gets where first, we all make our rounds around the location for security. We must.

I wiped the laptop, securing a new firewall before turning it off. Willow and Ana walked in with their luggage and grocery bags. Their two guards nodded before sweeping the house and heading back out. We all breathe at the same time, a breath none of us realized we were holding until then. Ana broke the silence. “One of these days, we’re going to die of paranoia.”

“Do you have to be so cynical?”- Willow

They went back and forth about Anastasia, our Ana’s dark and cynical humor until the twins and dogs come rushing down the stairs to crash into their selective Krestnyye Materi. It’s their way of saying godmother and lord know the twins love screaming it at the top of their lungs. If King and Shadow could, they'd be screaming it too, but they settled on barking instead. They’re so loud with it, that my eardrums want to bleed but all we can do is laugh.

The twins do something to the three of us. Whenever they’re around, we find peace, we feel loved, wanted, and cherished. We feel whole.

They talked nonstop about the new video game they are building, the new toys they received, their upcoming birthday, and how their online schooling has moved them up to the 7th-grade curriculum. Sitting on the stools and eating fruits on the kitchen island, they talked as if they had been mutes their whole lives. But their Krestnyye Materi listened attentively so as to not miss a single word. Looking at them and listening to their conversations, you wouldn’t know that they talked to their godmothers twice a week and that they get a visit every six months.

I let them talk and started dinner. I figured they'd all be hungry after all that talking. Eventually, Willow took the twins and dogs outside and Ana came to help with dinner. She had the music going and we sashayed around the kitchen, dancing and laughing. Ana still can’t master some of the hip rolls, but she tries. This has always been our dynamic in the kitchen. Ana could have been a chef if she wanted but she didn’t have the passion for it, not unless it was to feed our pain away.

Waiting for the food to cook, we looked at the security feed to see Willow playing frisbee with the twins and dogs. She’s trying to tire them out for the night. We saw the guards making rounds around the house before giving us the sign that all was clear.

Ana took my hands and shook her head. I could tell this conversation wasn’t going to be good, but I needed to know, “Ana, what all happened?”

“He was getting close. He has sent men to look all over the Caribbean, The States, Western Europe, and Asia. Every location you were around, he sent men to. He is not only in control of the Alexeyer army but also in control of the vast majority of the Reapers. They wiped out Rollo’s operations. It is said that Rollo has been captured but no other details about him. Everywhere Roman has set foot is in an uproar, but what is worse is that he is going back to every underhand contact your parents had to track you and some of them have even gone missing.”

I wasn’t ready. I will never be ready for these conversations. If it wasn’t for Ana, rubbing circles on my back while wiping my tears, I couldn't tell I was having a meltdown. I wasn’t aware that I was gasping for air with rivers flowing down my eyes. I wasn’t aware that my brain refused to process her words and my reality. I wasn’t aware that she could hear my heart fighting to race out of my chest.

No, I wasn’t aware at all. I was stuck, I froze within myself and only Ana’s back rubs and humming slowly pulls me out. Only her extremely tight hugs bring me back.

It got quiet all too soon. Neither of us knows how to continue this conversation, but we must. We sat in the quiet a little longer, just till the timer went off to let us know that dinner was ready. Ana got up to check on the food, coming back to guide me to my room. She got the bath ready, found my favorite anime pajama set and night slippers. We didn’t speak as she put my tight curls into a ponytail, not a word as she helped me undress and helped me in the tub. Just her humming as she washes my back and waits until I unfreeze myself.

The herbal Eucalyptus bath salt helps ease the tension just a bit. I breathe it in and practice controlling my breathing until I free myself from my internal underground ice prison.

“Garmoniya, I know this is a lot to handle, but we have handled it. We are no longer slaves in those ice prisons, we are no longer in that underworld icebox, we are no longer captive pets and it’s not just us against the world, we have back up, we have connections. We can fight, we don’t have to run. ”- Anastasia

I hear what she is saying, and I know it took her a lot of effort to be able to speak about the past like this, but it doesn’t make it easier. It doesn’t help subside the fear that clings to me like a disease. I know she is right but I’m afraid, afraid for my twins and for us.

We eventually had dinner, watched some spies, and coding Anime that the twins are obsessed with until they fell asleep. Their selective Krestnyye Materi tucked them into bed and made their rounds around the house. Shutters down and security in place, the girls went to take their showers.

Smothered between the two dogs, I find myself lost. Lost thinking about the man hunting and haunting me. Lost in the fact that, as much as I hate him, I find myself still loving him. Lost at the fact that I still have a 45-billion-dollar price tag on my head. I find myself more lost, thinking about the moment I figured out I was pregnant the first time.

Throughout our times together and getting to know each other, Rome always made it known that he did not want any kids. We always used protection until I got on the shot. But I started getting sick a few months later, with migraines, lack of appetite, terrible mood swings, and fatigue.

A female doctor, Nikita, eventually made a home visit. I was later informed that I couldn’t take any form of birth control due to the hormones and was advised to stop taking them. She informed us that it would take three months before the birth control completely leaves my system and I should expect to experience the same symptoms and gave a list of new ones to look out for.

For the following three months, the symptoms only got worse. I tried to manage the best I could but eventually, the mood swings got the best of me. I was no longer able to be the “almost perfect pet” anymore. I talked back, yelled, cried, and fought.

I remember that day when Roman dragged me to some family event. I begged him to leave me home, to no avail. Once we arrived, Ana, Willow, and I were put on full display. Like there were some objects only there for their viewing and amusement. I can still remember the whispers and comments.

They weren’t allowed to touch us, but that didn’t make a difference. Whoever said that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”, obviously didn’t know what they were talking about. Cause no matter how strong we were, no matter how strong we pretended to be, the three of us were dying. Hearing people talk about your family, especially the murder of your parents like it was a special edition of a Sunday comic, f****d us up.

I can’t tell you how long we stood there but I knew that my left arm was bleeding from digging my nails into it to remain composed. When they had enough, we were allowed to sit down, but I needed to use the restroom. I felt weak and nauseous. A maid led me to the restroom. I took the time to collect myself, clean the cuts on my arm and handle my business, but before flushing, I noticed I was spotting. I made do with the toilet paper available and walked out.

Before I could get far, I was slammed against the wall. Looking at the blond, blue-eyed girl they called Natasha, I shook my head and tried walking past her. Thanks to my locs fully being down, I barely felt the impact. A few years back, I would have wiped the floor with her ass, but I know better now. But if I knew then what I know now, she would never have made it out of that house alive.

I walked away and that cost me greatly.

I woke up a week later, to find out that she had pushed me down the flight of stairs, and thanks to that, along with my lack of eating and everything else, I had a miscarriage. Because I passed out and wouldn't wake up, someone had to clean and change me, leading them to find the makeshift toilet paper pad I had on. It was then assumed that I knew I was pregnant and was holding it a secret from Roman.

Roman was never the same with me after that. He became cold and distant. Instead of being mad at Natasha, he clanged to her. He took her out, spoiled her, and even took her home. The same house we shared, the same one he claimed as ours. And the love that had flourished between us vanished without a trace.