"Come on Ellie, Daddy is waiting for us at home. We have to go now. You've played enough!" I shout at my four year old daughter who has refused to let go of the swings. I should have known bringing her to the park would be a mistake.

"No mummy! Just one more time. Push me for one more time. Please?" She asks in her sweet voice. Ellie may only be four, but she has mastered the art of bending her parents to her will as if she has been living forever. I sigh and go to push her again because I know if I don't, she will just cry for the rest of the day. People may say she's spoiled, but she's still young and this is the only time things can fully go her way. When she becomes an adult, she will have to learn that things don't always go our way but for now, she can have whatever she wants. I finally get Ellie to leave the park after promising ice cream and soon, we're pulling into the driveway of our large house. I see a car in the driveway that doesn't belong to Tyler, my husband, and I deduce that his father Leland must be here. He has been visiting quite frequently and I'm starting to wonder why. I really can't complain though. They only have each other now that Tyler's sister has been missing for three years. His mother died while giving birth to his sister, so it has always been only his dad from the beginning. I pick Ellie from the car and we walk together inside the house that is oddly quiet. Usually, whenever Leland and Tyler are home together, they are either playing games loudly or watching one game or the other. Meaning, they are always so loud and childish. It's like having two teenage boys in the house. You would think Leland being a senator and Tyler being a chief of police would mean they are mature.

I am really curious about what they are doing that makes them so quiet. I take Ellie up to her room so she can nap and after putting her to bed, I walk towards Tyler's study where I can hear murmurs. It seems that Leland and Tyler are in here and they are trying to be quiet. I know I probably should not eavesdrop since if they're trying to be quiet, they probably don't want me to hear. However, with my experiences in this life, I cannot ignore the instinct that tells me to remove my shoes and stand at the door to listen to what they are talking about. I listen for some minutes and decide that nothing worthy is going on anyway. Just as I am about to leave, I hear something that catches my attention. It's Leland talking;

"When are you going to submit Amber to the gang? They're getting impatient." Submit me? For what?

"I'm still thinking about it. I really love Amber dad. And I don't want to let her go. I'll never see her again, and who knows what they will do to her. Is there no other option?" Tyler speaks now

"No, there isn't. You knew this before you joined Tyler. You have to give a family member to assure them that you will not snitch on them. It is especially necessary for you as the chief of police. You can't just expect a human trafficking gang to trust a police officer. You can give Ellie if you feel giving Amber is too much for you. You could always have other children." My heart is beating so loud and fast right now, I am wondering how they can't hear it from inside the study. I try my best to calm down and keep listening. Now I know what they're talking about, I have to make sure I don't get caught.

"No! Never! I will never give Ellie away. She's my life and I know Amber will never be the same, I might as well give her away instead. Just give me some time." Tyler speaks again and even though I am scared out of my mind and feel very disgusted with him, I am thankful we share the same opinion about Ellie.

"You don't have much time Tyler. It's two weeks at most. Sometimes we have to make small sacrifices for bigger purposes. It will all work out in the end." It seems like they're done talking about it and I walk back downstairs as quietly as came. I go out of the house and drive to the supermarket just to have something to do and so that I have something to tell Tyler when he asks how he didn't hear me come in.

I am on auto mode right now and I'm trying not to think about what I just heard. I walk into the supermarket and pick up a carton of milk and some ice cream for Ellie. I sit in my car for probably an hour, just staring into space and thinking about how I ran into just what I was trying to avoid. My father was a part of the mafia. He was the boss to be precise. I remember how my childhood was full of moving from one country to another, trying to make sure my Father's enemies never got a hold of me. I lived my life in the company of bodyguards and I barely spent any time with my dad. I never had a mother. My dad made use of a surrogate to get me. He only had me so I could take over the mafia one day. After a big car accident planned by his enemies that claimed his life and damaged my left knee, I decided I did not want that kind of life for myself and left Italy to never return. I still have a lot of money that he left me though. I don't think I could ever go bankrupt. Tyler doesn't know all these things and I have always felt guilty about keeping it from him. But he's a police officer and I didn't know how he would react to it. Now that I think about it, I am happy I never told him.

I thought I was safe here. Safe with Tyler and Ellie, but it turns out I was wrong.

It is starting to get dark and I start to drive back home. As I drive, I make up my mind to rescue myself and Ellie from Tyler and Leland. Thinking about how betrayed I feel will not help me in any way. I have to get away first. When I've gotten away, I can hate Tyler all I want then. As I park my car this time, I pull myself together so that neither Tyler nor Leland suspect that I know what's going on. I'm not the only one at risk here. I may have left the mafia eight years ago, but the trainings I got are still fresh in my mind.

This time when I walk into the house, I can hear Tyler and Leland's loud voices from the sitting room.

"Is that you Amber? Where did you go? I saw Ellie in her room and wondered where you were." Tyler says as he walks into the kitchen where I am putting Ellie's ice cream in the fridge. He comes and gives me a long kiss as he always does.

"I went to the mart. I promised Ellie ice cream and then realized we didn't have any at home. Is she still asleep? She shouldn't sleep so much in the afternoon if not she won't sleep at night. I'll go and wake her now" I answer and walk out of the kitchen. Leland is on the couch in the sitting room and he sees me as I am about to go upstairs.

"Hi Amber!" He says as he stands up and gives me a side hug. As we exchange pleasantries, I try to think if Leland's face has always looked sinister or if he just looks that way now because I know what kind of person he is.

Ellie is still sleeping when I walk into her room. I take a moment to look at my beautiful daughter. With her full and long golden hair just like mine, sprawled out on the pillow, and her small and cute nose, she looks just like me. Her beautiful gray eyes are just like her Father's and right there and then, my resolve to protect my little girl becomes stronger. I will never let anything bad happen to her. After another promise of ice cream, Ellie finally wakes up and we go downstairs to Tyler and Leland together.

After dinner, Tyler and Leland say they're going out for drinks and won't be back till later at night. Usually, I would complain about Tyler spending the whole day with his dad and not having time for me, but today, I can't be more thankful that I have the house to myself. I have to come to terms with what is happening and think of the next step to take.

After a few hours of playing with Ellie, I practically have to beg her to go to bed. She's so energetic! I wonder if I was that happy and energetic when I was her age. The house is finally quiet and I sit on the bed I share with Tyler thinking. I could run away. I certainly have the funds for it and I could go without Tyler realizing until later. But, he would eventually find me with his resources and it will be terrible for me when I get caught. The fact remains that I have to run away, but I also have to find a way to protect myself and Ellie. If it were only me, I could manage to live on the run. It won't be ideal, but it would work. I can't subject Ellie to that kind of life though.

Who do I know that could protect both me and Ellie? As soon as I ask myself that question, a certain name comes to mind. I quickly shun those thoughts. I promised myself I would never call him or reach out to him again. But after going through everybody I know and not finding anybody who could possibly have enough power and connections to protect me from Tyler and his dad, I think about calling him again. I know he won't turn me down. Or will he? He chose the mafia over me after all. I can't tell what he would do this time. Still, it won't hurt to try. If he rejects me, then I'll just suck it up and look for another means. For Ellie's sake, I have to try everything possible. I pick up my phone and start to pace about the room. Will he still use the same phone number? He might not even be in the country right now and he could have changed his number. I keep pacing for some minutes before I take a look at the time and realize that Tyler may be home soon. If I am going to call him, I have to do it soon before Tyler gets back. This is what seals my decision and I search his name on my phone and dial his number. It rings once, twice, thrice and keeps ringing. Just when I think he's not going to pick up or he probably doesn't use the number anymore, I hear his deep and smooth voice from over the phone.

"Amber?"