Page 97 of I Married Kayog
“Kayog! Are you okay? What’s going on?” I exclaimed, rushing to his side and caressing his back in a soothing motion.
By the way he looked at me, his silver eyes welling with tears, I nearly went into a full panic. But then his words broke my brain.
“It’s her,” Kayog said in a shaky voice. “It’s her. Our baby… It’s Thea.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, yanking my hand away from him as if his contact burned me, and I took a step back. “That’s impossible.”
“IT’S HER!” he exclaimed forcefully, before running a shaky hand over the down feathers on top of his head. “I could never forget that song. Malaya is our baby reborn. Fate is giving us a second chance to save our little girl the way we couldn’t the first time.”
My mind reeled. I opened my mouth to argue that this made no sense, but Kayog dropping his walls had my knees buckling. His emotions crashed over me like a tsunami. With lightning speed, he caught me by my upper arms and drew me to him. If not for that, I would have collapsed.
Although my brain kept telling me this was impossible, the emotions emanating out of Kayog shouted loudly that he believed his claims beyond any doubt. In our thirty-eight years together, my mate had never been wrong when it came to recognizing a soul. Why would he start now? Had he made such an outrageous statement within days, weeks, or months following our baby’s passing, I would have attributed this to a trauma response or coping mechanism. But Thea left us thirty-seven years ago.
I froze when struck by a sudden thought. Malaya was thirty-six years old. She was born to a Filipino couple on the first anniversary of Thea’s death. Although I had noticed that fact while reviewing her file, I hadn’t thought much of it back then. But now…
Temerns believed in reincarnation. However, the chances of us encountering a reborn acquaintance or loved one were slim to none. And yet, as I replayed the meeting in my mind, I couldn’t help but acknowledge that my reactions to Malaya defied logic… or rather they had seemed illogical within the original context. I had badly ached to hug and comfort her. The guards’ rudeness towards her had whipped my protective instincts into a frenzy. The need to save her had exceeded anything I ever experienced in other cases before.
My soul knew hers.
I burst out crying. And Kayog hugged me in an almost bruising hold, while also giving in to the overwhelming emotions engulfing us. These weren’t tears of sorrow, but an indescribable mix of joy, relief, hope, and gratitude.
Fate was giving us a second chance. And this time, we were much better equipped to rise to the occasion. That corrupt Judge Wuras was going down, and our baby was walking free.
We headed straight for Molvi so that Kayog could meet as many other potential partners as possible. We hated that our daughter would likely end up with someone who wasn’t her soulmate, but it was a necessary sacrifice to keep her safe until all charges could be dropped and her sentence overturned.
On our journey there, we called Tedrick to give him an update on the situation. By the speed with which he answered our com request, he had likely put everything else on hold specifically so that he would be available to speak with us. This case was huge with potentially devastating consequences.
“How did it go?” Tedrick asked as soon as the connection was established.
By the look of the background, he was sitting in his office, leaning against the high backrest of his black leather chair.
“As Torgal stated, she’s innocent,” Kayog said, his voice tense and determined. “We must use any means necessary to save her and bring down that corrupt judge.”
Tedrick narrowed his eyes at my mate. Even without being able to perceive his emotions through the screen, I knew him well enough to understand that my mate’s strong reaction was raising red flags for Tedrick.
“As you know well, there’s nothing we can do about her sentence,” Tedrick stated in a careful tone. “Obviously, we hope you can do something through matchmaking to keep her safe a while longer. But our hands are tied. We can only hope to gather enough evidence, especially with her help as an investigative journalist. This is the Obosian justice system we’re going up against. It will be nearly impossible.”
“I don’t give a fuck!” Kayog hissed, making Tedrick recoil. “If I have to burn that entire planet down and break her out, I will.”
He blinked and stared at my mate with a flabbergasted expression. “Kai, what’s wrong? You know we can’t do this. The repercussions…”
“Fuck the repercussions! I’m not letting my daughter die in this foul place!” Kayog shouted. “She’s innocent. I don’t care what needs to be done to prove it, but we will. And if you can’t help, I will handle it. You know I can.”
I placed an appeasing hand on my mate’s forearm. That seemed to startle him out of the rage brewing deep within. He gave me a sideways glance, and then his shoulders slouched as he realized he was letting his emotions get the best of him. On screen, Tedrick’s expression had shifted from shock to a hint of pity, before settling on something more neutral and professional.
In that instant, I realized he believed Kayog was having a mental breakdown.
“He’s not crazy,” I said in a calm but factual tone.
Tedrick flinched. It had been subtle but unmistakable. I locked eyes with him, my chin lifting in defiance as I held his gaze unwaveringly.
“It is fair for you to make that assumption under the circumstances. But my mate is correct. Malaya is our daughter reborn. For thirty-seven years, Kayog has loyally served both the Enforcers and the UPO. Not once has he been wrong about the song of a person’s soul. Do you really think he could possibly be mistaken about the one from our own child?” I asked in a stern tone.
Tedrick frowned, an air of uncertainty settling over his features as he weighed my words.
“I was there in the room. While I cannot hear souls the way Kayog does, everything in me claimed her and wanted to protect her. There’s no question in my mind that she’s our child,” I continued calmly. “But whether you or anyone else believes it is completely irrelevant. Just be aware that we will stop at absolutely nothing to save her. That said, we have a huge problem on our hands with that judge. There’s something much bigger and foul happening here. It must be addressed before the domino effect leads to a much more catastrophic outcome.”
The wave of gratitude that emanated from Kayog glided over me like a warm summer breeze. He took my hand in his and gently caressed it with his thumb. I peered at him and smiled, only for him to smile back at me with an infinite love.
