Did you plan to come back?

Kaia set out the stew with a small bowl of rice. She carefully ladled stew from the big pot into separate bowls. After placing the silverware down beside the bowls of rice, she hollered, "Dinner's ready!" before heading into the kitchen to wash her hands. She also instructed Alex and Alexa to wash their hands before they sat down at the dining table. As soon as Kaia finished saying grace, they dug into their meal.

Occasionally, Alexa would make small talk with Alex and Kaia in between bites of rice and stew. The small talk would die down almost as soon as it was started. Kaia and Alex felt uncomfortable with the awkward silence but they weren't sure what to say to each other. Kaia quietly took small bites of the plain rice. After everything that happened, she could barely stomach anything.

After a while, Kaia placed her spoon down. She knew if she forced herself to eat anymore she would get sick. She waited for Alex and Alexa to finish up their food before she stood up. She reached over with a napkin to wipe off drops of soup that were smeared around the corner of her daughter's lips. "Ok, baby girl, why don't you get ready for bed? Make sure to brush your teeth."

Alexa nodded, hopping off her chair. "Okay Mummy," she said before giving Alex a quick hug and heading for the bathroom. Kaia stacked up the empty bowls, pouring her stew back into the pot before standing up again. She walked over to the sink and placed the dirty dishes under the running tap water.

Alex sat quietly at the table observing her swift movements. In a way, he still couldn't believe she was alive. It had already been 5 entire years since she left his side. Facing such an uncertain and edgy Kaia was quite upsetting, especially because he knew there was a reason for why she wouldn't let him in. He knew that prying wouldn't get him anywhere—especially since she was able to hide from him all these years—but he still wanted to at least try.

He got up after a while and walked over to lend Kaia a helping hand. He grabbed the semi-wet dish towel and started drying the clean bowl that Kaia placed on the drying mat.

Kaia was diligently scrubbing the rest of the dishes when she noticed Alex walk up behind her. She tensed up slightly. Nibbling her bottom lip nervously, she shifted her eyes slightly to sneak a peek at Alex. But all she could see was Alex's hands from her peripheral view because he was too tall.

When Alex finished drying the dishes that Kaia washed, he let out a deep sigh. He pivoted slightly to face Kaia with crossed arms. "I know you're not ready to talk about anything yet, but can you please tell me why the person I loved more than anything in this world would..." Alex paused slightly to hold back the slight lump forming in the back of his throat before he continued, "...would fake her own death and make the person that loved her so much suffer and mourn her death for five whole years? Or maybe you can start by telling me when and if you planned on ever coming back." He stared at Kaia intently, urging her to tell him everything.

Kaia stopped scrubbing midway through Alex's tirade. She stared down at the soap bubbles in the sink as she took in his words. She really wanted to tell him everything but she couldn't. No one would ever understand the torment she was going through having him so near but so far. She yearned for Alex all these years but could only suck it in and hope that she could nail "the man" as soon as possible.

Yet, it took five whole years just to find a small chink in her father's armor. Five. Whole. Years! That was how powerful and mysterious her father was. Although Kaia was aware that Sabor Sights had grown tremendously ever since Alex resumed his position as CEO, she knew that he wasn't "the man's" match.

Yes, Alex was capable, but he did many things legally. He was a righteous and hardworking person who rarely used underhanded means—as far as she knew—to get what he wanted. She doubted Alex even had any contacts with the underground or black market dealers, that her father was very well acquainted with. This was why she never reached out to Alex. Alex played fair while her father clearly didn't. During the shooting five years back, it was clear that "he" was aiming for her, yet Alex got caught up in the incident.

No one was supposed to find out that Alex and Kaia were married, yet her father did. It was merely a coincidence that "he" found out, too. Since her father knew that Kaia cared more about Alex than her own life, it was a given that Alex would be targeted as well.

Alex was still comatose with severe injuries at the time so she didn't even think before making the decision to cut off all contact with him. All she wanted was for him to be safe. She didn't care about the position she had worked so hard for or the wonderful future she had with the love of her life. If disappearing meant that he would be safe, then, so be it. Even if it meant suffering heartbreak for the rest of her life!

It seemed like her father was a man of his word because after she disappeared, Alex was still safe. But there was obviously a catch. "He" didn't touch Alex when Alex was still recuperating from his injuries. "He" didn't touch Alex when Alex was at his weakest after finding out Kaia was "dead". "He" didn't even touch Alex after Sabor Sights started expanding into other industries. Now, why would someone who played dirty tricks suddenly keep his word? That was obviously because Alex didn't pose a threat to him, at least not yet!

If even Alex, who was considered to be currently at his peak in the industry wasn't a threat, then what use would it be to tell him? Yes, she trusted him. And yes he would still be capable of at least something, but there were too many risk factors involved. She would never take any risks that would endanger the people closest to her. Especially if the risks had almost no guarantee of success!

Even if her father hadn't targeted Alex's life since she disappeared, that didn't mean that Alex wouldn't be under surveillance. There was no doubt that her father placed various spies in Sabor Sights, and as a growing company with many different branches, it would be impossible to tell who was trustworthy. Watchful eyes were everywhere so even if Alex was careful, a small slip-up would endanger both of their lives, including Alexa's!

Alex was already "his" leverage over Kaia. She couldn't risk Alexa being included as well. Alex was an adult who could manage to take care of himself so she wasn't as worried. But Alexa was still young and somewhat naive, so kidnapping and harming the little girl didn't even require her father to lift a finger. Plus, "he" only needed to keep one person alive in order to keep Kaia in check...not two…

Since she was currently still seen as a low threat, she would be able to move more freely. Her team was just as capable as Alex's team and the connections Kaia and Naomi made were also vast. As someone who was careful, only after Kaia had more certainty regarding the situation about her father would she ease Alex in about what happened back then.

Kaia recovered from the slight flashback of seeing Alex in the hospital bed 5 years ago. She adjusted her vision and took a deep breath. She tentatively looked up at Alex's somewhat stern expression. Her eyes flashed with uncertainty, as well as a trace of fear. She continued to stare at him, her face contorted slightly as if she wanted to say something.

But she stopped herself and her eyes wandered over to Alexa's bedroom door. She couldn't tell Alex anything at the moment. It wasn't just for Alex but also for Alexa. Her eyes which had glazed over slightly from staring at Alexa's bedroom door suddenly flashed with renewed determination.

She looked back at Alex and firmly stated, "Alex, I'm sorry but I can't tell you anything at the moment. All I can say is that yes, I did intend to come back to your side. I just wasn't sure when that would happen...I'm sorry you had to…" she started to become emotional again. Her eyes welled up with renewed tears when she saw Alex's furrowed brows loosen up. It was now replaced with the concern that he hid underneath his stern facade. "I'm sorry you had to—" she repeated again, only to be cut off by an arm reaching out and pulling her in for a tight hug.

Alex held Kaia's slightly trembling body in his arms. They were like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. He missed this feeling. He gave her a gentle squeeze as he leaned in, resting his head on her neck. Then he whispered in her ear, "It's ok...shhh...you don't have to say anymore. That was all I wanted to hear. I just wanted to know if you missed me. As for the other stuff, I'll wait as long as you need."

The tears started to spill down her cheeks. She leaned into Alex's hug and clutched onto his shirt tightly as she wept. Alex protectively held the love of his life in his arms, calmly coaxing her.