Page 119 of Sapphire

Tonight, we are having a small family engagement party before everyone jets back to their ends of the world. Mum has often pulled me aside over the past month and told me how lucky I am to have two wonderful men who love me so much that they would fight till their last breath for me.

Dad is not opposed to the fact that his little girl is giving herself to two men. He says that most people will find it unconventional but after being with us, he sees what a normal relationship it is. He’s proud that I have found two young men who will look after me and protect me.

Of course, Tomas’s parents have not spoken to him since Nikolai exposed their son’s secrets to the world, but that’s okay, he now has my parents and Mateo’s, who are so excited that Tomas will be a part of their family.

Funnily enough, Mateo has gotten more popular since it came out. Two hot men like Mateo and Tomas together—yeah, total fantasy material.

Sophie hasn’t left Brooks’s side in the hospital. He lost a lot of blood that day in the desert, but I cannot thank him enough for saving me, for using the last of his power to stop Nikolai.

Mackenzie still can’t believe her little sister is with two men, and she moans that she can’t even find one decent one.

Gracie, on the other hand, is feeling lost. She has been seeing the same psychologist as I have, both of us working through the demons that linger.

Enrique has been spending time with her, but I’m not sure if there’s anything there. It’s probably too soon. I just hope they can find each other again. Gracie deserves happiness.

I spoke to Tomas and Mateo about my future, about what I wanted to do with my life. Finishing university seems pointless after everything I have been through, so I told them I wanted to set up a charity to help women who have been sold into the sex trade. My language skills can help translate their information for Enrique, so he can build more cases against those involved. The amount of women Enrique saved from the Bratva in the raids is staggering, but there is no one to help them, they have no money, and some have no memory of who they are.

Now that they have been saved, they don’t know what to do with themselves. They have lost everything and have been subjected to the most horrific things—they are all alone in the world.

I want to be the person who helps them. I understand their world like no one else can.

My family thinks it’s a brilliant idea, and Gracie has decided to leave her job in The Hague to concentrate on helping my foundation. Help women to find out who they are and get legal documentation again.

Mackenzie decided that she wanted to stay and help after seeing the poor state these women were in. She knew she could be of service as a doctor. Sophie said she also wants to join in and with connections worldwide we need her. She even asked Brooks if he would be security for us as we are taking on some shady characters now, and we will need all the protection we can get. Of course, he agreed. I think there is a slight ulterior motive there, and I think it has something to do with Sophie. This foundation is going to be a family-run operation. I hope my sisters and I don’t kill each other it’s been a while since we have all been around each other full-time.

My father’s tender in Kiribati is coming to an end in a couple of months, and my parents have pledged to help with my foundation too. My mother is a teacher, and most of the young women are poorly educated. Some have no skills, and she wants to help train them to help them return to society.

I’m so grateful for my family because they understand why this is my cause. I never want another woman to be in the position I was in. Plus, I made a promise. I promised my jewels that I would not stop, that if I ever escaped, I would find them and take every single person involved with their capture down.

And that is exactly what I plan to do.

“Where’s Gracie?” Enrique looks panicked as he rushes into the backyard.

We all shake our heads, we assumed she was with him.

“I haven’t seen her for a while,” he states.

I try not to panic. We are safe, there is no danger to us any longer, Nikolai is dead. She’s probably had too much champagne and gone to lie down. We start searching the large estate that Tomas and Mateo rented after I was kidnapped. We are looking at buying a new place here on the island. Getting rid of the old home and all its memories.

We’ve searched for an hour and nothing, there’s no trace of her.

Sophie walks over to us, her face is pale, and her hands are shaking.

“There was a note in Gracie’s bedroom,” Sophie explains.

I grab it from her and stare at the words written on it.

An eye for an eye, that’s only fair.

Dmitri

“They have Gracie!” I scream.

THE END