1 A Tragic Reunion

Danaya was trying to calm the squirming toddler in her arms as she stood listlessly in front of the toilet. Her nanny went to the toilet but it has been 30 minutes and she was not back yet. Danaya needed to relieve herself and can't wait anymore.

The door finally opened and Danaya's eyes widened.

"You." She muttered under her breath.

The man was equally startled. He never imagined that he would have the chance to meet the woman who has been in his dreams for the past three years.

"How have you been Ibrahim?" She asked bitterly.

Ibrahim gazed at her with a complicated emotion in his dark eyes.

"I am doing well." He said stiffly. She doesn't need to know how much he missed her and of the many sleepless nights he spent thinking about her.

Danaya hesitated for a while.

"Why did you leave me? I didn't know it wasn't you until he said 'I do.'" Danaya's eyes sparkled with the unshed tears that threatened to fall anytime.

Ibrahim looked down at the woman who looked at her with eyes full of longing, regret, sadness and hate.

He reached out to touch her face but she stepped back. His hand froze mid-air.

"I did not leave. I was drugged and when I woke up I was on the other side of the hemisphere watching you walk so happily towards him who was waiting at the altar." He said bitterly.

Dayana's tears finally fell down like water that broke from a dam.

Ibrahim reached out and brushed her tears away with his thumb. "I hope he treats you well." He said softly then turned around to leave.

"Wait." She shoved the toddler to him.

"Can you do me a favor? Please hold Amaya for me. The cubicle is really small and it will be difficult to bring her inside. I need to answer the call of nature now." Danaya entered the cubicle without waiting for his answer.

Ibrahim was holding the child by her armpits and she was an arm's length away from his face.

"Da Da." The toddler giggled and reached out her chubby hand to touch his face but her arms were too short.

"Da Da hug." She said in her cute voice.

Ibrahim's heart melted. The little girl was a replica of Danaya. He stepped away from the toilet to study the little girl in his arms.

Amaya yawned and snuggled in his chest. Ibrahim was engulfed with a fuzzy feeling when there was a sudden commotion at his back.

Danaya was being dragged by a bulky man toward the cockpit. A thick knife was pointed at her neck.

"Open the door!" the terrorist demanded while kicking the cockpit door.

Ibrahim remained calm as he took careful steps towards his seat which was very near the cock pit.

"Stay where you are. Don't take another step."

Ibrahim stopped. His hold on Amaya tightened. His eyes never left Dayana who was looking at him, her large eyes filled with unspoken fears.

Sobs and whimpers soon filled the cabin which agitated the terrorist.

"Quiet!" The terrorist shouted. But instead of being quiet, the passengers grew more restless, and more women began crying louder.

Ibrahim scanned the surrounding. He was trying to determine if the terrorist has accomplices.

When he shifted back his gaze to Danaya, he was horrified to see the man pull back the knife pointed at Danaya's neck only to thrust it back forcefully.

"No!" Ibrahim roared. His heart stopped beating for a second. Amaya who was startled by Ibrahim's cry of rage let out a heart-wrenching cry.

In a blink of an eye, Ibrahim was beside the terrorist grasping his neck. He twisted it with one hand. A crack was heard and the man grew limp. He was tossed hard to the side of the plane.

Ibrahim kneeled down and cupped Dayana's face with one hand. He was still holding Amaya in his other hand.

"Look at me Aya. Stay with me." He commanded her. Tears started to fall from his eyes. As a military doctor, he knew that Dayana's wound was fatal.

"Ibrahim, I never stopped loving you and I never will. You are the only one." She said with difficulty.

"I know. You are also my only one Aya." He choked.

"Pro... promise me. No matter what… save Amaya. She … she is ours." Danaya's voice was inaudible but Ibrahim heard it loud and clear. "I am ha .. happy. Your face is … the last thing I see…" She smiled weakly and closed her eyes.

"No!" Ibrahim cried in anguish.

Amaya cried with him. "Mommy wake up. Aya is scared."

The plane shook. Ibrahim could tell that something was wrong.

Ibrahim quickly put down Amaya on the floor. He cradled Danaya and pressed his lips on hers as he pulled out the knife from her neck. Ibrahim removed the baby carrier fastened on Dayana. He took off her engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the necklace on her neck. He then crawled to his seat and removed the backpack that he stuffed under his seat.

Ibrahim's action was very swift. With the baby carrier, he tied Amaya securely to him and put on the backpack. With both hands free he easily maneuvered himself amidst the chaos and shouts to the rear part of the plane.

He clicked something on his wristwatch and put it on his ear. He was intently listening to the radio transmission from the cockpit. The pilot issued a Mayday and while they managed to subdue the terrorist that infiltrated the cockpit, he succeeded in activating a mini bomb that will detonate in a minute. The pilot has started the plane's descent a minute ago for a crash landing.

Ibrahim stuck a circular disk on the door. He waited. The moment he heard the explosion, he pushed the button on the disk and opened the emergency exit without difficulty. He jumped off from the plane. He estimated that he jumped from an altitude of 15000 feet.

He spread his legs and arms to slow down his fall. Amaya who was strapped on his body was sleeping peacefully. He used acupuncture techniques to knock her unconscious during the chaos.

Ibrahim scanned the view below him. He was thankful to see a rugged landscape of an island below. At least it wasn't the vast ocean. He pulled a handle placed on the outside of his backpack and the dome of the parachute unfolded. He steered towards the shoreline and landed safely.

He placed Amaya gently on the parachute. He stood and looked up in the sky to where their plane exploded. Her body must have been burnt. His heart ached so much. He took the rings and the necklace from his pocket. The engagement ring and the necklace were his. He looked at the name engraved on the wedding ring. A bitter smile tugged at his lips when he read the word 'Ibarra' on the inside of the ring.

He closed his eyes and remembered their last encounter. He saw the knife on her neck and the pool of blood. 'No not that one.' He shook his head to erase the vision from his mind. He focused on her words that she never stopped loving him that he was her only one and that Amaya was theirs.

Amaya was his daughter!