The Royal Contract

Chapter 1371: BOOM!

It felt like years.

Those were years of torture of not being with her.

It was time that he had longed to see her, not on paper or a small screen but in person.

His hands yearned to touch her. His arms dreamed of having her under his protection. His fingers inched to run through the strands of her hair to show her how much he cared.

"Haley!" A name that he had uttered a thousand times but only to fade into the thin air.

Now, she stood before her, staring directly at him, within his reach. He knew, this time, she heard him call her name as she looked in his direction.

Of course, he wanted to run to her, hug her, and never let her go. But something stopped him. Was it something he saw in her eyes? Maybe.

"Haley, are you ok? Is the baby alright?" His foot stopped just a few feet away from her, unable to move forward.

He guessed it was more of the guilt eating at him for so long. He had lied to this woman that he loved. He had hidden secrets from the mother of his child. He had put her and their child in danger because of his sins.

Or, it could be fear because this would be the first time that he would be facing her, not at as Gerald Brown that she came to know.

He faced her as the man mothers warned their daughters about. He was someone who did not star in dreams but belonged in nightmares.

"Gerald?" He finally heard her trembling voice, full of fear, doubt, and overwhelming despair, as her eyes filled with tears.

Suddenly, he felt a knife piercing his heart, twisting his guts and killing his soul repeatedly. He guessed he deserved that after what he had put her through.

What else would he expect once she saw him? Did he think that she would accept him with open arms? That his past actions never had any consequences.

That was a dream, while this was reality.

"I am so sorry for..." He knew not enough apology and groveling could make up for what he had done and what she had to endure.

But he failed to finish his sentence when he felt arms tightening around his shoulders and neck. It happened so fast that he did not have time to react and process it.

But once he did, he finally realized what was happening. He eventually heard what Haley said between her stifled sobs and soft laughter. "Gerald, you are alive."

Frankly, at first, he thought that he might be hearing things. But then again, the arms around his neck tightened, and the body pressed hard to his body only affirmed what he thought would be impossible.

"You are here." It was a voice full of life, excitement, and happiness compared to earlier.

The woman he loved was more than glad to see him. And more importantly, she did not seem furious at him. Or, it could just be their unusual circumstance.

She could be compliant with their condition due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins caused by being in a life-and-death situation.

"Yes, Haley. I am here." He said as his arms hugged her back. But he was mindful not to squeeze her too tight, afraid he might hurt the baby.

Nevertheless, what was important to him was the now. He could worry about the rest later. For now, he had something he had to do.

"Give me your shoes. Those things can kill you." Of course, he loved a woman that wore very high heels.

He believed those killer hills added to the attractiveness of any woman who wore them. However, for a pregnant woman running for her life, that was an accident waiting to happen.

After Haley took the shoes off her feet, he took them and forced them to go on without him. He knew he still had one more thing to do.

"What about you? Why don't you just come with us?" Haley was anxious as she stopped in her tracks.

"I am going to be ok, but I need you to go with Mike." Then, he signaled for Mike to force her mildly to climb the stairs.

Then, he ran in the opposite direction, descending the stairs to the lower floor. He believed that would lead him to the back of the house, toward the kitchen.

But he only took a peek but never went to the other room where people were buzzing around, still busy with the night's activities.

"This should be good enough." He thought to himself as he scouted the empty hallway.

Then, he lowered one pair of the shoes to the bottom of the stairs, planting to appear as if Haley had taken it off. Then, he left the other pair a bit further in the hallway leading to the exit at the back.

Then, when he saw the coast was still clear, he climbed the stairs, following the two to their hiding place. He had planned to hide it out until his next phase was over.

He just needed to plant those shoes to make the security, and her father believed that she had run in that direction.

"Haley, open the door." He mildly knocked and whispered at the locked door. Once inside, he turned to his companion and said to sit still and wait.

"What are we waiting for?" Mike asked, wanting to be in with the plan.

"Samson." He said his other accomplice's name. "He would give the signal when it was time."

"What signal?" His friend asked, appearing both excited and weary.

"We will know once we hear it," Samson promised to improvise since they did not have enough weapons to take down Alfred's army.

Then, he guided Haley to a chair to rest her body and bare feet. He could tell that this entire situation had already taken a tremendous toll on her body.

But he knew it was just a matter of time as he finally looked at the grandfather's clock chiming on the wall. The time was already near.

"I hope you are right about this." Haley said, probably more concerned about their child than her life or his.

He hoped he was.

But it did not take them long.

He could tell from the movement outside the window that they had already discovered they were missing. Now, he could only hope that his trick worked.

Then, finally, he heard the signal.

BOOM!