Chapter 3 The stranger

• Sasha aimlessly walked along the bustling streets of the heart of Soul city like a marching ant,
• lost in the crowd, she found herself reaching the square where a giant Christmas tree was erected.
• She halted her steps and gazed at the tree for a moment, the thick flocked fir tree was decorated with illumination lights and various coloured ornaments and ribbons.
• Numerous families with children and couples were posing for photographs in the beautiful background of the tree.
• They were creating memories that could last forever,
• Looking at their cheerful faces, a pang of pain raised from her heart.
• These kinds of little moments of joy were never meant for her.
• In her twenty-five years of life, Sasha never celebrated Christmas, not even when her parents lived under the same roof.
• Zach Reagan, the heir of one of the largest business conglomerates in Z country and Selene Coleman, the beauty pageant winner and a budding model, never meant to spend their lives with each other.
• But they were forced to live under the same roof due to their mistake on a drunken party night.
• It was a one-night stand, but due to Selene's ignorance, she ended up getting pregnant with the most eligible bachelor's child. Getting married and settling as the daughter in law of the Reagan family was not her priority.
• Her dreams were always filled with glam and beauty. Hailing from an average household, she dreamt of walking through the top runways all across the world and having a child at the starting of her career was nothing but a burden for her.
• She was planning to get rid of the child, however, sitting on the cold corridor in front of the gynaecologist, Selene was picked by the butler of Reagan's household.
• If it wasn't for madam Ambrosia Reagan, Sasha wouldn't have existed today.
• Her paternal grandmother who thought highly of their family line proposed a fair deal with her mother.
• Let the Reagan family have their grandchild and they will make sure to protect Selene Robert's secret without leaving any stains on her career.
• Sasha was born and her mother went back to the fashion world.
• For the sake of little Sasha, Selene lived in the Peony mansion, the Reagan family's home for five years.
• Not as their daughter in law, but as a woman who is the mother of Young master Zach's child.
• As a child who was unwanted by those who have given birth to her, the chances to make memories with her parents were practically zero for Sasha. Though she had Williams' family's surname, apart from her grandmother no one treated her as a part of the family.
• Festivals, parties, family dinners, all those social gatherings where people arrive as a happy family was nothing but torture for her.
• She never bothered to celebrate any occasion, especially birthdays.
• She hated birthdays to a point where Christmas was nothing but a normal day for her.
• However, surprisingly enough, an image of a small Christmas tree illuminated with fairy lights and decorated with colourful balls and wreaths shone brightly in her memory, as if she saw it yesterday,
• No matter how many times Sasha tried, she couldn't remember anything apart from that Christmas tree.
• Her memories were left in disarray after the accident which almost killed her.
• "Try visiting the places which appeared in your dreams," Lia's words rang in her mind.
• "Should I try it once?" Even before her mind comes up with a rejection, Sasha immediately gets onto the bus which goes to the coastal side of the City.
• Conchester Beach, Soul city
• Evening- 10 pm.
• Sarah sat alone on the white and shiny dunes of the beach, watching the waves crashing on the shoreline with an expressionless face.
• It was the least crowded beach which is located on the outskirts of soul city.
• Not so far from the seashore, in an open beach restaurant, a group of men were celebrating Christmas Eve with loud peppy music and dancing.
• The entire world was celebrating and she sat alone, counting the waves like a fool.
• On the way to the East seaside, Sasha conjectured that she might be able to remember something after visiting the beach.
• However, after reaching here, the only thing Sasha got reminded of was how lonely she is.
• Once her grandmother passed away, she severed her ties with the Reagan family and left the peony mansion at the age of eighteen years,
• Though her grandma left a huge bank balance for her, Sasha chose to live like a commoner, but with no family,
• She had no one to call her own, no family or friends.
• She was all alone.
• Her life and personality were bleak like a blank white paper.
• But as she grew up Sarah tried to change, tried to fit into the colourful world.
• She changed the houses, even left the country- but failed to find the colours of her life.
• While Sasha was immersed in her thoughts, the loud peppy music played in the restaurant stopped all at once and a soulful masculine voice began to hear, along with guitar strings.
• "I know where the rainbow has fallen,
• she said and promised to come with me,
• She held my hand and smiled like an angel,
• In her smile, I got anchored and days passed like that,
• She left without a word leaving me in a bleak world,
• I still hope, one day we will meet again,
• As she promised we will search for the fallen rainbow,
• and bring back the colours of our life,"
• For a moment Sasha was taken aback by the song, especially the lyrics and the soulful rendition of the singer.
• Even though the woman left without fulfilling her promise, he was willing to wait for her.
• "That kind of commitment for a woman? It would be nice to have some of it,"
• She snorts at the thought of commitments in a relationship.
• How dare she have such a horrendous thought?
• Thanks to the gluttonous depression which is eating her alive, Sasha doesn't have any commitments to her life. She lives her life, like a dead fish in the sea, going with the flow.
• However, the flow of her life got obstructed by a stupid nightmare.
• For the past week, her days became torturous like hell. Every single night, she woke up from sleep due to nightmares.
• Nightmares in which she ends her life by jumping from high raised buildings.
• What is the meaning of this dream? Is it indicating that she should end everything? Should she quit this life and put an end to her agony?
• As she stared at the giant waves, her mind wandered into the darkest truths of her life.
• These whopping waves, are they calling her?
• Is it time for her to give up?
• Sasha stood up and walked towards the roaring sea as if she was bewitched by the spells of a maleficent witch.
• "Come and seek your oblivion," Her mind unwittingly chanted,
• "Hey, don't go there," A soulful voice pulled her back to her senses,
• Sasha woke up from her trance state and looked around. She was in the seawater which reached till her waist, floating like a boat in the water along with the waves.
• A man swam towards her and dragged her towards the shore,
• "Are you hurt?" He asked with an agitated voice while scanning her up and down, for any possible injuries.
• She stared at him blankly,
• "Are you hurt?" He repeated his question while pressing her shoulders with great force,
• "I want to go," Sasha squinted her eyes and tried to break free from his strong grasp, "Want to go, want to go,"
• looking at her pitiful face, he released his arms from the girl.
• "Where do you want to go?"
• Sasha ignored his question and tried to walk past him, in staggering steps, her mind was muddled with numerous questions.
• Did she try to end her life by drowning in the sea?
• She came to recollect her memories, not to give up on her life.
• Sasha felt that the ground under her feet was still swaying and before she plops down somewhere, she wished to get home as soon as possible.
• She wore her sneakers and picked up her cardigan and tote bag before walking away.
• "There will not be any buses from this place in the night,"
• The man who was silently watched her actions notified in an honest tone,
• When his deep husky voice reached her ears, Sasha stopped in her tracks and tilted her head to take a look at the man who is walking beside her,
• Even though there were only faint lights on the beach, Sarah could figure out the exceptional good looks of the stranger.
• He was handsome,
• Not just Handsome, devilishly handsome- straight out of fashion magazines,
• "How about I give you a ride?" He suggested,
• Listening to his deep husky voice, Sarah's eyebrows creased in doubt,
• "Why does he sound so familiar?"
• "Do I know you?" Her amber eyes narrowed as she interrogated him.
• "Are you scared that I might hurt you? Hahaha It's Christmas eve and I don't do any bad deeds," His words were laced with a touch of gentle sarcasm.
• However he was abruptly interrupted by the woman who was on the verge of breaking down,
• "Do I know you?" Sasha's voice was trembling in a wave of unknown anger and fear,
• For some reasons this man was giving off an eerie feeling to her,
• He remained silent to Sasha's queries and continued to stare at her with his dark obsidian eyes which resembled daggers that could pierce one's soul.