The Contracted Stripper

Iris blinked several times as her vision slowly came into focus, the haze in her eyes gradually clearing. She could see familiar figures hovering around her bed, their faces tense with concern.

She struggled to piece together the fragments of her memory, and then it hit her-Ryan.”Ryan,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. Ryan, who had been pacing at the foot of her bed, immediately rushed to her side.

His heart raced as he took her hand gently, gazing into her eyes with a mixture of relief and anxiety.

“Hey, honey. How are you feeling?” he asked softly, his voice laced with worry. Iris’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What happened, Ryan? Where am I?” She glanced around the sterile white hospital room. “Where’s our baby?.”

Ryan froze, his hand still clasping hers. “Our baby?” he asked, his voice faltering. He didn’t know what she meant.”Yes,” Iris nodded weakly, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach. “She took her away from me.”Ryan leaned closer, his eyes narrowing with alarm.

“Who took her away, Iris? What are you talking about?”Tears welled up in Iris’s eyes, her face contorted with anguish. “What did I do to deserve all this?” she cried, her hands clutching her head as if in pain. “Bella. It was Bella. She did this to me.”Ryan’s heart sank, the weight of her words hitting him like a freight train.

“Bella?” he repeated, his mind racing to connect the dots. “Iris, what did Bella do?”Iris gritted her teeth, her memory flooding back in painful flashes. “Bella is responsible for my kidnapping,” she said, her voice shaking with rage. “I was pregnant, Ryan. I wanted to tell you, but before I could, they took me. And after I gave birth… Bella took our child away. She took her away from me.”

Ryan’s face paled, disbelief etched across his features. He couldn’t process what he was hearing. “Iris… you were pregnant?”She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Yes, Ryan. We have a daughter. Please… find her. Find our baby.”Ryan inhaled sharply, his mind reeling. He had come to terms with a lot recently, but this was overwhelming. He leaned over, pressing his forehead against hers gently.

“Iris, I promise you… I will find our child. I’ll do whatever it takes.”Iris nodded weakly, but her body trembled. She looked fragile as if the weight of everything she had been through might crush her at any moment.

Suddenly, there was a soft voice from the corner of the room. “Iris…”Ivy stepped forward hesitantly, her face drawn with guilt and shame.

Iris turned her head to look at her, and the fury in her eyes was unmistakable. Anger rippled through Iris as she met Ivy’s gaze, her body tensing up.”Ivy…” Iris spat her name out like venom. “What do you want? You have no right to be here.”

“I know,” Ivy said, her voice trembling. She stepped closer, wringing her hands nervously. “I know you’re mad at me. You have every right to be angry, but please… please forgive me. I’m so sorry for everything.”Iris shook her head, her chest heaving with emotion.

“You don’t have to apologize, Ivy. I know you’ve never liked me. I know you never wanted me in your life. But right now, I don’t care about you or your apologies. I just want my child. I want my daughter, and I want my mother. Once I have them, I’ll leave your family forever. You’ll never have to deal with me again.”

Ivy’s eyes filled with tears, and she took a deep breath. “Iris… our mother. She’s our mother.”Iris stared at Ivy, stunned by the words that had just left her sister’s mouth. “What are you talking about?”

“Iris… Jessica… she’s our mother. I only found out recently,” Ivy whispered, her voice barely holding steady. Iris blinked in confusion, her mind scrambling to make sense of what Ivy had just said. “No… No, that can’t be true.”

“Yes, it is,” Ivy said, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I didn’t know either, but I found out. All this time… she’s been our mother.”

The room went silent, except for the beeping of the machines around Iris’s bed. Iris could feel the ground beneath her slipping away. Her heart pounded as the pieces of her past began to shift, clicking into place in a way she had never imagined.

“Our mother,” Iris whispered, her voice shaking. She squeezed her eyes shut, the truth cutting deep. Ryan watched in silence, unsure of what to say or do. He could see the pain etched on both sisters’ faces.

But there was no denying the tension between them, a rift that felt too wide to bridge.”I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” Ivy continued her voice small and pleading. “I swear, Iris. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”Iris opened her eyes, her gaze hardening.

“Then why didn’t you do anything to stop it?” she demanded. “You stood by and watched, Ivy. You didn’t lift a finger to help me.”

“I didn’t know how!” Ivy cried, the weight of her guilt crashing down on her. “I was scared! I didn’t know what to do. But I’m here now, Iris. I’m trying to make it right.”Iris shook her head, her heart heavy with sorrow.

“It’s too late for that, Ivy. The damage is done.”A soft knock at the door interrupted them, and a nurse peeked in. “Mr. Kendrick,” she said, addressing Ryan. “There’s someone here to see Iris.”

Ryan looked at Iris, who gave a weak nod. He stepped aside as the door opened wider, revealing Jessica, her face pale and strained with emotion.

“Iris…” Jessica whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Iris stared at her, the woman who had raised her, loved her and protected her. And now, the woman who was her mother. Her real mother.”Mom?” Iris’s voice broke, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Jessica rushed to her side, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, Iris. My sweet girl.” She gathered Iris into her arms, holding her tightly as if afraid to let go.

“I’m so sorry, Iris. I’m so sorry for everything.”Iris sobbed into Jessica’s shoulder, overwhelmed by the flood of emotions crashing over her.

The weight of betrayal, fear, and confusion suffocated her, but in her mother’s embrace, she felt a tiny bit of solace.

Ryan stood back, watching the reunion, his heart aching for Iris.

He wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything would be okay, but there were still so many unanswered questions-about the baby, about Bella, and about what they would do next.

As Jessica stroked Iris’s hair, she whispered, “We’re going to get through this. Together. I promise.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

But before anyone could respond, the door burst open again, and this time a detective entered the room, his expression grim.”I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have news,” the detective said, his voice heavy. “We’ve just received information about Bella’s arrest and her connection to Iris’s kidnapping.”

Iris gasped, her body going rigid. Ryan moved closer to her, his face hardening. “What information?”The detective pulled out his phone and played a voice recording. Bella’s voice filled the room, cold and calculating, discussing the abduction of Iris and the plans to take over the Kendrick empire. Iris’s heart raced, her mind spinning.

“Bella…” she whispered, her eyes filled with rage. “She took everything from me. And now she has my child.”The detective paused the recording and looked at them. “We’re still working on locating the child, but we believe she’s with a buyer Bella arranged.”

Ryan’s jaw clenched, his hands forming fists at his sides. “We need to find her. Now.”The detective nodded. “We’re doing everything we can, Mr. Kendrick.”Iris gripped the sides of her hospital bed, her chest heaving with fury. “She’s not going to get away with this,” she growled. “I won’t let her.”

Ryan placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice low and determined. “We’ll find her, Iris. I swear to you, we will.”But even as they stood together, united in their determination to bring Bella down, an unsettling feeling lingered in the air-a sense that something far worse was yet to come.

And in the shadows, someone was watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The clock was ticking.