July 2011

Twenty five year old Daphne woke up to the sound of her alarm clock going off. Groaning quietly, she reached over and shut it off. She buried her face back into the pillow and attempted to go back to sleep.

“Babe you have to get up,” her fiancé coaxed.

“I’m tired though!” she whined.

“Well its not my fault you stayed up all night,” he smirked.

Daphne gasped and spun around to face him.

“You are such a liar! I wanted to go to bed early but you came on to me!” she accused.

“I don’t remember you objecting,” Derek laughed.

“Shut up,” she mumbled, defeated.

“Tell you what; you go take a long shower to wake yourself up and I’ll wake Misty up and get her ready,” he suggested.

“Love you!” she smiled as she pecked his lips.

She quickly got up and walked across the hall of their penthouse. She walked into the bathroom and started the water for her shower. She brushed her teeth before stepping into the tub. After taking a long shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked back into their bedroom. She combed through her hair and blow-dried it before putting her multiple hair products into it. Once she was satisfied, she let fall down in waves down her back. She applied her make-up and pulled an outfit from her closet. She pulled it on and slipped her heels on before walking out of the bedroom. She walked into the kitchen and smiled adoringly at the sight of Derek and their daughter eating breakfast together.

“Morning mommy!” Misty smiled.

“Morning baby!” Daphne smiled as she kissed her cheek.

“Did you have a nice shower?” Derek smirked.

“It was a bit lonely,” she smirked as she pecked his lips.

She walked over to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Mommy I’m going with Aunt Rachel today!” Misty announced.

“You are?” Misty asked as she looked over at Derek.

“Rach called me when you were in the shower. She’s going to pick her up from daycare and take her out. Is that okay?” he asked.

“Of course, be good for her,” Daphne warned Misty.

“I will,” Misty nodded.

“I better drop you two off,” Derek muttered as he looked at his phone.

“I don’t want to go to daycare,” Misty whined.

“Why baby?” Daphne asked as she finished her coffee.

“Its boring,” Misty huffed.

“I’m sorry baby, you have to go though,” Daphne muttered.

“Daddy can I stay home with you?” Misty asked.

“Sorry princess, I have to work today,” Derek shrugged.

“Can I come?”

“No Misty.”

“But you never take me to work! Mommy always takes me to work with her!” Misty pouted.

“You’ve never taken her to work before,” Daphne pointed out.

“And I never will,” he muttered.

“Why not?” Misty asked.

“Because I said so Misty,” he muttered, annoyingly.

“But I want to go!” she argued.

“I said no!” he snapped.

Misty pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

“It’ll just be today Derek, she really wants to go,” Daphne coaxed.

“I said no Daphne, I’m not talking about this anymore,” he muttered as he got up and walked out.

“Daddy’s mean,” Misty whined.

“He didn’t mean to be baby,” Daphne muttered.

Her and Misty walked into the living room to grab their things. Misty grabbed her little Hello Kitty backpack while Daphne grabbed her purse and sunglasses. Derek waited for them by the door and they all wordlessly filed out. They took the elevator down to the first floor of their apartment building. Daphne smiled politely at the doorman as they walked outside. They got in Derek’s car and wordlessly drove over to Misty’s daycare.

“I’ll walk her in,” Daphne muttered as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Give me a kiss baby,” Derek smiled as he turned in his seat.

Misty hugged him and kissed his cheek.

“Be good, love you!” he smiled as he kissed her forehead.

“Love you too!” she smiled.

Daphne grabbed her hand as they walked into the colorful building.

“Morning Misty!” the daycare director smiled.

“Morning Ms. Ann!” Misty smiled.

“Alright you be good for Ms. Ann and Aunt Rachel today okay?” Daphne asked as she knelt in front of Misty.

“Okay mommy,” Misty smiled.

“Come here baby,” Daphne smiled as she held out her arms.

She tightly hugged Misty and kissed her cheek.

“Love you mommy!” Misty smiled.

“Love you more, have fun today. I’ll see you tonight,” Daphne smiled as she stood up and kissed her forehead.

She watched Misty run over to her friends before walking out.

“God she’s getting so grown,” Daphne gushed as she got back in the car.

“I know, it seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital,” Derek commented as he pulled out of the parking spot.

“Why won’t you take her to work with you?” she asked.

“Not this again Daph,” he groaned.

“She really wants to go! Just for one day,” she pleaded.

“I said no Daphne!” he said through gritted teeth.

“Why not? I haven’t even seen where you work! We’ve been together for almost seven years and I haven’t even met any of your work friends!” she shrieked.

“Watch it Daph,” he warned.

“Are you ashamed of me or something? Am I that horrible? Are you embarrassed of what you do?” she asked.

“Damn it Daphne, shut the fuck up! I am done talking about this!” he shouted as banged his fist against the steering wheel.

Daphne flinched back and blinked back her tears. The remainder of the car ride was awkwardly silent. Daphne bit her lip to keep from snapping at him. Derek sighed as he pulled up in front of the salon Daphne worked at.

“Daph I’m-”

“Have a good day at work,” she spat bitterly, cutting him off.

She grabbed her purse and got out of the car, slamming the door shut. She stomped towards the salon and put on a fake smile as she walked inside.

“Morning ladies!” she greeted.

***

“There you go Mrs. Morgan!” Daphne smiled as she finished styling her usual client’s hair.

“Thank you so much Daphne! You impress me every time,” the elderly woman smiled.

“I’m just doing my job,” Daphne smiled.

“I’ll see you in two weeks then?” Mrs. Morgan asked as Daphne rung her up.

“As always, see you then!” Daphne smiled.

“She was your last one for today Daph,” Stacy, Daphne’s boss, told her.

“She always is when she comes in. Do you need me for anything else?” Daphne asked.

“No, go on and get out of here. See you tomorrow?” Stacy asked.

“As always, see ya!” Daphne smiled as she grabbed her purse and walked out.

After hailing down a cab, she made it home at about six o’clock. She greeted the doorman and made her way inside. She took the elevator to the top floor and walked into the penthouse. She let out a tired sigh and dropped her keys and purse on the coffee table. She kicked off her heels and threw her hair in a ponytail as she made her way into the kitchen. Feeling lazy, she threw a frozen pizza into the stove for dinner. As it cooked, she walked over to her purse and fished her cigarettes and lighter out of it. She walked out onto the balcony and lit one up.

“Babe are you home?” she heard Derek call a few minutes later.

She sighed and put out her cigarette before walking back into the living room.

“Why are you sweaty?” she asked.

“I had to take care of something,” he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen to check on the pizza.

“I got you these,” she heard him mutter.

She turned and saw him holding a bouquet of white roses; her favorites. She couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her face.

“Forgive me?” he smiled as he walked up to her.

She nodded and snaked her arms around his neck.

“I’m sorry for being so nosey,” she muttered.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you; I overreacted,” he muttered.

“I promise I won’t ask about anymore, but you’re not doing anything wrong right?” she asked.

He hesitated.

“Of course not babe; I have you and Misty to worry about,” he lied.

She nodded and lightly kissed him.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he smiled.

“Is Misty still with Rachel?” he asked as she went back to the pizza.

“Yeah, she should be getting back soon,” she replied.

“Has your brother called today?”

“No, not yet, he probably will later though. I know Misty can’t wait to talk to him.”

“I find it hilarious that she only met him when she was a baby and she already loves him to death,” Derek laughed.

“Matt’s a loveable guy,” she shrugged as she turned around.

Her eyes narrowed at a red spot on Derek’s white t-shirt.

“Babe are you bleeding?” she asked as she strode over to him and touched the sleeve of his shirt.

She heard him curse.

“I just cut myself at work; no big deal,” he shrugged.

“Let me take a look,” she muttered as she tried lifting up his sleeve.

“No! Its fine, I’m just going to grab a shower,” he muttered as he walked off.

Daphne huffed and walked into the living room. She turned on the TV and flipped on the news. The anchorwoman was talking about a murder that occurred earlier in the day. A man in his twenties, an obvious drug-addict, was found in an alley shot to death.

“Bastards,” she spat as she shook her head.

Deciding to get changed, she walked into the bedroom and walked over to the closet. She reached onto the top shelf and grabbed a set of pajamas.

“Damn,” she cursed as she accidentally knocked some clothes onto the floor.

She bent down to pick them up and saw an unfamiliar duffel bag pushed to the side of the closet. She furrowed her eyebrows and pulled it out with difficulty. Finally getting it out, she knelt on the floor next to it. She unzipped it and gasped as she found that the bag was filled with wads of cash. Shocked, she searched through it and also found a bunch of manila folders underneath the money. She grabbed the one on top and opened it. Inside were papers with a picture of a young man, there was a red X across his picture.

Daphne’s eyes widened as she jumped up and walked back into the living room. The murder story was still on the news. Daphne watched the TV as the man’s picture and name appeared on the screen. She looked back at the folder and gasped as she saw the same man in the picture. She sank back onto the couch and silently stared at it. A few minutes later, she heard Derek walk into the living room.

“Is dinner done yet?” he asked.

He looked at Daphne and noticed she was looking at one of his manila folders.

“Where did you get that?” he muttered.

“Why do you have this dead guy’s picture and information?” she asked as she looked at him.

“Did you go through my stuff?” he asked quietly.

“I found the duffel bag in the closet and I wondered what was in it. Why do you have all that money hidden and why do you have this dead guy’s information?” she asked.

“Look Daph,” he sighed.

“Don’t you dare lie to me Derek! You need to tell me the truth right now!” she snapped.

He sighed and sat on the coffee table in front of her.

“Fine I’ll tell you the truth. What do you want to know first?” he asked.

“Where did the money come from?” she asked, fearing the worst.

“You remember how I told you I was a businessman when we first met?” he asked after a few seconds.

She nodded.

“I’m not your average businessman,” he told her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“I’m the biggest drug lord in the city Daphne,” he sighed.

Her eyes widened as she sank back into the couch. She blinked back her tears and ran her hands over her face.

“How long?” she asked a few awkward minutes later.

“I’ve been dealing drugs since I was sixteen. I used to do drugs but I got into a deep debt with my dealer. He made me a deal; die or work for him. Obviously, I chose the latter of the two. I got off the drugs and within a few years I paid off my debt and I had a lot of money to myself. I decided to stay working for him and I turned out to be the best he had. He died when I was twenty though and he left everything to me. Over time, I got more powerful and now every scumbag drug addict knows who I am and knows not to fuck with me,” Derek explained.

“You still did all of it with Misty and I in the picture?” Daphne asked incredulously.

“Its not like I could just give it up Daph! It’s the only thing I’m good at. I make millions of dollars and I have people working for me. I even fucked over the cops a few times when they were trying to find a reason to arrest me. This is my life Daphne and I’m not giving it up. I also have protection for you and Misty at all times. We’re safe baby,” he told her.

“Safe? How do you expect us to be safe when we’re living with a fucking drug lord?” she spat.

Derek glared coldly at her. Daphne gasped, remembering her other question.

“How did you know that dead guy?” she asked.

“He owed me money,” he spat bitterly.

“You killed him didn’t you?” she whispered.

He stayed silent, not looking at her.

“Answer me Derek!” she demanded.

“Yes,” he muttered.

She let out a quiet sob and stared at him incredulously.

“How could you?” she whimpered.

“I wasn’t planning to kill him. I was took two of the guys with me to shake him up a bit. I just wanted him to pay me. He attacked one of my guys though and his blood splattered. It was his blood you saw on my shirt,” he muttered.

“Is he the only guy you killed?” she asked.

“No, its not like I want to kill these people though. The first guy I killed was when Misty was a baby. A rival drug lord threatened you and her and I lost it and I killed him. I did it for you two Daph, don’t you see that? Look at the life we have, we have everything we could ever want,” he smiled as he motioned around the penthouse.

“I don’t want any of this stuff if this is how we pay for it!” she spat.

“You are so fucking ungrateful!” he sneered.

“You’re sick!” she snapped.

“Whatever! I tried explaining this to you nicely but you’re not taking it well so we’re done talking about this!” he barked as he got up and walked into the kitchen.

He grabbed a beer bottle out of the fridge and snapped it open. He chugged it down as Daphne angrily stomped into the kitchen.

“No we’re not done talking about this! We need to talk about what we’re going to do now that I know that my daughter’s father is a fucking murderer!” she yelled.

“I don’t want to kill people Daphne; it just happens! I can’t help it, there’s nothing I can do about it!” he shouted.

“You’re fucking insane!” she yelled.

“Watch it Daph!” he spat.

“If you can’t fucking help it then how do I know that one day you won’t get the urge to murder me and Misty!” she shouted.

Enraged, Derek chucked his beer bottle at her. Daphne ducked just in time, causing the bottle to smash against the wall. She stood up straight with tears streaming down her face.

“I can’t believe you Derek! I’m packing mine and Misty’s bags and we’re leaving. We’re not coming back until you leave this life behind,” she muttered as she turned to the bedrooms.

“You are not going anywhere!” he spat as he roughly grabbed her arm.

“Don’t touch me!” she yelled as she spun around and punched him in the jaw.

He flinched and held his aching jaw.

“You fucking bitch!” he roared as he roughly grabbed her forearms, bruising her.

“You think I want to hurt you! I’m trying to give you a good life but you’re such an ungrateful bitch!” he yelled as he shook her.

“Derek stop!” she yelled.

“Fuck you!” he spat as he pushed her to the floor.

He walked out, slamming the door behind him. Daphne covered her face with her hands as she hysterically sobbed. Finally deciding what she had to do, she pulled herself up and walked into Misty’s room. She grabbed her bags and packed all of her things into them. She froze as she packed Misty’s last bag when she heard the front door open.

“Daph?” Derek’s sister called.

Daphne breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her eyes. She walked out into the living room and greeted them with a smile.

“Mommy!” Misty smiled as she ran up to her.

“Hey cutie!” Daphne smiled as she caught her in her arms and lifted her up.

“I love you so much baby,” she muttered as she kissed her forehead.

“I love you too mommy,” Misty smiled as Daphne set her down.

“Is that broken glass?” Rachel asked as she motioned towards the busted beer bottle.

“Yeah, you know how clumsy I am,” Daphne lied.

“Are you okay Daph? You’re shaking,” Rachel commented.

“Of course I am, thanks for taking her today,” Daphne smiled as she hugged her.

“It was no problem. I’ll have to do it again sometime soon. I’ll talk to you later,” Rachel smiled as she let herself out.

Daphne sighed and turned back to Misty as she colored at the coffee table. She sat next to her on the couch and blinked back her tears.

“Misty can you come here please?” she asked.

Misty got up and stood in front of her.

“Mommy are you okay?” Misty asked.

“I’m fine baby. I have an idea though. Want to hear it?” she asked.

Misty smiled and nodded.

“How about you and I go on a long vacation?” Daphne suggested.

“Yay! When are we leaving?” Misty smiled.

“Tonight, so lets go finish packing your bags,” Daphne laughed as she got up.

They finished packing Misty’s bags and Daphne walked into her room.

“Is daddy coming with us?” Misty asked while Daphne packed.

“Uh, no baby he has to work,” Daphne muttered.

“Okay. Where are we going?”

“I’ll figure it out later. Go make sure you have all your toys,” Daphne told her as she finished packing her last bag.

When Misty walked out, she quickly strode over to the duffel bag and opened it. She took a few thousand dollars out for a hotel room and for plane tickets.

“He’ll never notice its gone,” she spat as she placed it in her purse.

She placed her engagement ring on the nightstand and grabbed her bags. After making multiple trips back on forth, her and Misty loaded all of their bags onto the elevator. Once in the lobby, Daphne grabbed a luggage caddy and grabbed Misty’s hand.

“Traveling miss?” the doorman asked as they approached him.

“Yup, we can’t wait. Could you hail down a cab for us please?” Daphne smiled.

The doorman nodded and hailed down a cab. About an hour later, they were sitting in an expensive hotel room in the heart of New York. As Misty made herself comfortable on the bed, Daphne grabbed her cell-phone and walked into the bathroom. She sighed and dialed the number she knew by heart.

M- Hey Daph!

D- Hey big brother; how are things?

M- They’ve been great since we talked yesterday. What’s up?

D- Nothing much. So listen I’ve been thinking…

M- That’s never a good thing.

D- Shut up you loser!

M- Love you! Now what have you been thinking about?

D- Well I’ve been thinking that Misty and I need a vacation so I thought we could come home and stay with you.

M- That’s a great idea! Its been two years since I’ve seen you and four years since I’ve seen Misty so I can’t wait. When are you two coming out?

D- Tomorrow actually.

M- Great! Just text me the time your plane should land and I’ll arrange a ride for you.

D- Great! Thanks a lot Matt, I really appreciate it. You don’t know how much I need this.

M- Is everything okay Daph?

D- I’ll tell you tomorrow. I’m getting pretty tired.

M- Alright well I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you Daph!

D- Love you too Matt.

Daphne hung up her phone and walked back into the bedroom.

“Misty you know how you always talk to Uncle Matt on the phone?” she asked.

Misty smiled and vigorously nodded.

“Well tomorrow you’ll actually be meeting him!”

***

Hours later, Derek got off the elevator in front of the penthouse and hesitantly walked inside.

“They must be sleeping,” he muttered as he noticed the silence.

He walked past Misty’s room and to the room he shared with Daphne.

“Babe can we talk?” he asked as he walked in.

His eyes widened when he noticed the room completely empty outside of the furniture. He quickly ran into Misty’s room and noticed it the same way. He walked back into his room and noticed something gleaming on the bedside table. He strode over to it and noticed it was Daphne’s engagement ring. He noticed the duffel bag on the floor and quickly strode over to it. He quickly counted the money and noticed a few thousand dollars were missing.

“I will so get that little bitch!” he seethed.