Destined Hearts - Prologue. Prologue

It was a great day at the temple. People from all walks of life were going in and out of the temple to praise and worship the almighty for what he had done for them. The temple was one of the biggest and most popular in the entire city. The people of Ashton, a country rich in culture knew exactly what they needed to do to please the Lord.

Emilia Gonzalez and her husband Harvey were also at the temple. She had her hands held together, staring at the statue that was right in front of her. She had a smile on her face because God had done a lot in her life. She usually came to the temple to praise and worship for every little thing that happened in her life.

Emilia Gonzalez was a really beautiful woman. She had deep blue eyes, a well-curved body and her face was just to die and maybe that was the reason why her husband loved her so much. He was handsome too and they were one of the richest families in all of Ashton. Although she was a rich woman, she was an honest and generous woman who gave to the poor and anyone that needed her help.

"I know the Almighty will answer every prayer that you have offered to him," Harvey said with a smile, wrapping his arm around his loving wife's shoulder.

Emilia opened her eyes and smiled back at him. "Yes! I know he always has and he always will. And now, I know that we will continue to rise because he is faithful to us."

"Yeah!" Harvey breathed, chuckling softly. "Are you done?"

"Yes!" She smiled back. "Let's go."

The happy couple turned and then stopped to admire the little boy that was seated on the floor, playing with his lovely yellow ball. His name was Antonio and they loved him so much. He was a really cute boy, five years of age, and adorable. He had short chocolate brown hair, a cute smile, light green eyes, and too handsome for his age.

Antonio was the second of Emilia's three children and she simply loved him so much. He was her favorite and she treated him like her own little prince.

She took a deep breath and then started heading to her son. Reaching him, she picked him up, kissed him on the head, and then enjoyed the giggles that were coming from him.

They all started heading to the car and Emilia got the boy to the ground so that he could play a little as they went back to the car. She was talking with her husband and laughing with him. The couple was so engaged in their conversation that they had no idea that the ball Antonio had been playing with had slipped from him and now it was moving towards the road.

When the boy saw the ball, he started running after it and unfortunately for him, it stopped right in the middle of the road. The boy rushed towards the ball and once he got to it, he started playing with it right in the middle of the road.

Suddenly, a huge truck appeared out of nowhere and was rushing towards the road at killer speed. The driver of the truck who wasn't even paying attention because he was so engrossed in his phone was just driving carelessly.

Meanwhile, Emilia and her husband reached where they had parked the car. She noticed that her little bundle of joy wasn't with her. She turned around to see if he was behind her but he wasn't. She looked at her husband quickly and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, wondering what she was looking for.

Emilia had no idea where her son was but she was really worried. Her little boy could easily get lost in such a crowded place. She needed to look for him. Emilia took a deep breath and turned around, looking all over the place to see if she could spot him.

However, Emilia's heart started racing as soon as she turned and saw her son right in the middle of the road with a huge truck closing in on him. Adrenaline flooded her system. It pumped and beat like it was trying to escape. She thought her heart was gonna explode and her eyes became wide with fear. Tears formed in her eyes and her breath came out harshly. She trembled in fear and her voice suddenly went. She wanted to run for her son but instead, she remained where she was.

Meanwhile, when Harvey turned to look at his wife, he got scared when he saw the state that she was in. She was looking right ahead and he had no idea what she was staring at. He quickly went towards her to see what was wrong.

"Emilia!" He quickly moved towards her and pulled her closer. "What's wrong? Are you okay, honey?"

Emilia still couldn't say anything. She was like a statue. Her mouth trembled terribly and a tear was going down her cheek. Her little boy... her wonderful joy and her prince was right in the middle of the road.

"Emilia!" Harvey shook her.

At that moment, Emilia came out of her shock and immediately started panicking. She quickly pulled away from her husband and started rushing towards the road, calling her boy's name like she was going insane.

"Antonio!"

But the poor boy that knew nothing and probably couldn't hear his mother's call was just playing innocently in the middle of the road. Never had Emilia been so scared in her entire life. Her heart was pounding so deep in her chest that she felt as if she was about to have a heart attack.

Harvey who was still confused started running after his wife, still wondering what could have made his wife act the way she was acting. He was trying to call her when he saw Antonio in the middle of the road. His eyes widened and his breath came out harshly. He increased his speed, trying to run as fast as he could. He needed to save his boy.

"Antonio!" Emilia cried at the top of her voice. "Somebody please, save him..." She cried.

Emilia looked around as she ran but it seemed there was no one near her boy. As she moved closer to the road, the truck also got closer to the little boy and her fear just maximized. She had never been so scared.

Emilia ran as fast as she could but she didn't run far before she tripped and fell to the ground with a thud. She didn't even mind the pain that she felt. She knew that it was all over for her boy. There was no way that she was gonna reach the boy before the truck. It was all over.

She quickly tried to get up but felt arms wrapping around her. It was her husband and he was holding her tightly. She tried to get up but her husband had a tight grip on her. She cried at the top of her voice, begging him to let go of her so that she could save her son. But he wouldn't let her go.

She was sweating. Her whole face was wet with both tears and sweat. Her head was pulsing terribly and her body trembled in fear. She was struggling but her husband was just too strong. She knew that it was late to reach her boy but she still needed to save him.

Emilia quickly moved her eyes forward and the big truck had obstructed her view. She couldn't see her son. She screamed at the top of her voice as if she was going insane. She felt her strength leaving her and she started beating on her husband's chest as hard as she could, pleading with him to let her go but he was just too strong.

She buried her head in his chest and wailed right there, crying for her boy. Harvey on the other hand knew that there was nothing he could do to save his son. He just held his wife and closed his eyes. He couldn't watch as his son lost his life. He just couldn't do it.

"No!" Emilia cried at the top of her voice, gripping her husband's chest. "Antonio..."

She could still hear the noise being made by the huge truck as it passed and she knew it was all over. Her wails increased and she cried as she had never done before. She loved Antonio so much that his death guaranteed her death as well. There was absolutely no way she was gonna survive when her little boy was gone.

Emilia continued crying right there, pouring her heavy heart out. Her wails were so loud that they attracted some people that were passing by and those from the temple. They all came rushing towards where she and her husband where.

"What's going on?" They asked, trying to understand what could have made a woman like Emilia cry like that.

"What's wrong?"

But Emilia and her husband couldn't even utter any word to anyone. They just continued crying, calling their little boy's name. Never had they experienced such pain in their lives before. It was just too much for them to bear.

"No!"

Suddenly, Emilia opened her eyes and furiously got up. Her husband tried to hold her but she quickly moved away and started running towards the road, screaming her son's name. Her husband and the people were following her behind. They had no idea what was going on but from her expressions, they knew she was deeply hurt.

"Antonio!" She cried as she moved closer and closer to the road.

Emilia's heart was on fire. The more she moved closer to the road, the more her strength left her, and the more scared she got. She didn't want to see her son's dead body on the road. But she knew she had lost him.

When Emilia got to the road, she just stood there helplessly looking all around. It was painful to watch. Emilia felt as if a sharp, hot sword had just pierced through her heart. Her body trembled terribly and she fell to her knees with her eyes right on the road. It was all over.

"No!" She cried, slowly moving closer. "Antonio..."

The people came running and found Emilia kneeling helplessly on the road, crying like a little child. Her husband quickly rushed to her and he didn't have strength too. He looked on the road and he couldn't see a thing, not even his son's body. His strength immediately left him and he fell to the ground and started weeping for his son.

The people that were watching were surprised by what they saw. They wondered what could have made a man like Harvey and his wife cry like that.

"Hey!" One of them asked. "What's going on? Why are the two of you crying?"

Harvey raised his face and looked at the people. He shook his head pitifully and cried softly. He didn't even have the strength to hold or comfort his wife. His precious little boy was gone and it was the most painful thing he had ever experienced.

Meanwhile, Emilia just cried with her eyes right where she had seen her little boy. The pain she felt at that time was nothing like she had ever experienced before. She had been holding her little boy just a moment back and now he was gone. It was painful.

She kept on crying and crying as more strength left her. Then suddenly, Emilia gave a piercing cry that scared everyone that was there watching. She furiously got up and started rushing to the temple. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her.

When her husband saw her running, he got up and started running after her. He knew just how much she loved Antonio and he also knew his wife. He didn't wanna lose her at all because he knew she could do something stupid because of what had happened.

But contrary to what Harvey was thinking, Emilia rushed back to the temple and when she reached there, she stood right in front of the statue and just looked at it as more tears flowed. She clenched as fists as more tears poured down her face. Her husband and the people arrived at the temple and stood behind her.

"For years..." Emilia said in a voice filled with nothing but pain. "...for so many years I have remained devoted to you. I have put you first in my life and I have always praised you."

Emilia's eyes were completely swollen. Her voice trembled and at that moment she had no idea if what she was feeling was pain or something worse than that.

"One thing that I have kept on asking you is to make my family happy and to protect us..." She raised her voice, screaming with her entire strength. "...I have kept on asking you to let my children live for long. I thought that you had granted my wish but guess I was wrong." She wailed. Tears were now going down her neck. "My little boy is gone now and you just watched without..." She sobbed uncontrollably. "...without even doing anything. Why didn't you save him?" She shouted at the statue. "Why did you let my son die like that?"

Harvey knew his wife had gone insane. He slowly walked to her, trying to hold her. But she pushed him back and just continued with what she was doing. He was surprised and he couldn't even comfort her.

"Why did you take him away from me?" She groaned, feeling as if she was running out of breath. "And if you had to take someone why didn't you take me? Why my son?" She screamed. "Is this the price I have to pay for being devoted to you for so many years? Why?"

Emilia got closer to the statue, slowly nodding her head. She needed answers. "Answer me!" She yelled, suddenly feeling a terrible headache. "Answer me right now because I need to know what sin I have committed that I had to pay such a heavy price."

But the statue didn't even move. It just stood there with its palm open as if it was blessing her but that was a lie. Standing in that temple added nothing but more pain to Emilia.

"Answer me..."

She felt really weak and she couldn't stand it anymore. She fell to the floor and started sobbing uncontrollably, still begging the almighty to bring her son back. That was when the people realized why she was acting the way she was. She had lost her child and the mothers completely understood her. She was such a devoted woman and it was just normal for her to act the way she was.

"Bring back my son!" She cried as she lay on the floor. "Take my life instead and bring him back."

Harvey couldn't stand seeing his wife in such terrible pains. He slowly knelt in front of her and wrapped his arms around her. This time, she was really weak that she couldn't even move. She just cried out in pain and begged the Almighty to bring her son back.

"I am ready to do anything." She sobbed uncontrollably. "Just bring him back."

But nothing was happening.

"I have been nothing but faithful to you and... and you have just taken a part of my joy away." She was getting weaker. "If you truly exist then bring back my son and take my life instead. I am begging you."

But still, nothing was happening. The almighty was quiet and that was the moment that Emilia knew that the almighty had let her down. She had been wasting her time the past years she had been devoted and he, in turn, decided to punish her. It was painful.

The husband and wife continued crying right there. Emilia buried her head in her husband's chest and cried weakly. She was remembering her son, her lovely boy. She could still remember his cute little face, his gorgeous smile, and his little voice. She just couldn't forget about that and she still couldn't believe her little boy was gone.

"Mommy..."

Suddenly, Emilia heard her little boy's voice and it just added to her pain. She buried her face in her husband's chest and cried even more. Hearing his voice in her head was painful. She could still hear his cute voice.

"Antonio!" She wailed.

"Mommy..."

Suddenly, Emilia stopped crying and slowly moved her head. She looked at her husband in shock and he looked back at her with the same expression.

"Mommy..."

Emilia felt as if a strong wind had just blown on her face. She got scared and her heart started pounding deep in her chest. Her breath stopped for a second and she slowly moved her head to see where that little voice was coming from.

Just when she turned, she got the shock of her life. Her eyes widened and she felt as if she was dreaming. She froze for a second and held her breath, trying to see if what she was seeing was real or just her imagination.

Emilia looked at her husband and it was clear they were both shocked.

"Mommy..."

But it was all real. Antonio was standing just a distance away from them and there was a woman that was holding him. He looked a little dirty but other than that, he was right there in front of them, staring at the both of them with tears in his eyes.

"Son!" Harvey quickly got up. He couldn't mask the surprise in his voice.

The woman that was holding Antonio let go of his little hand and he rushed to his parents. Both of them opened their arms and he ran into them. When Emilia held her son at that moment, she couldn't believe it was him. But she was holding him, flesh and blood. Her little boy was still alive and she was really happy.

"My son..." She sobbed, holding him tighter. "...you are still alive. You've come back to me."

Emilia and her husband embraced their son, kissing him like a billion times and just cried out of joy. The almighty had just granted her another request. Her son was still alive. He had brought their son back to them and Emilia was thankful for that. Even every one that watched the beautiful scene was pretty happy.

Meanwhile, the woman that had saved the little boy's son felt happy and emotional at the same time when she saw just how much love the parents of the boy showed him. She was happy she had saved his life and she thanked God she had been nearby at that time to save him. She had barely escaped that truck but she was glad she had saved the boy.

"Thank God I have saved his life." She smiled brightly, taking a deep breath. "I am happy seeing another mother happy."

The woman slowly moved her hands to her tummy and slowly rubbed on it. She smiled even brighter when she felt the baby kicking. She was pregnant and just seeing the way other parents showed love to their children made her extremely happy. She couldn't wait to hold her baby and show him as much love as she could.

The woman bowed to the idol and slowly turned, heading towards the exit of the temple.

Emilia who was busy hugging her son moved her eyes and saw the woman she had seen with her son going away. She kissed her son, slowly let go of him, and started rushing towards the woman. She needed to thank her for what she had done.

"Wait!" Emilia shouted.

The woman stopped quickly and turned when she heard someone telling her to stop. She quickly turned to see Emilia rushing to her. A bright smile appeared on her face. She knew Emilia and her family but not personally. She had heard a lot about them and also read about them so she knew who Emilia was.

"Yes... ma'am."

"Just wait a minute." Emilia rushed to her, slowly rubbing her tears. She went and stood in front of her, just staring at her. "You are the woman I saw with my son and..."

"Yes!" The woman smiled brightly. "I am the woman who had saved your son."

"Oh my God," Emilia covered her mouth as she felt emotional again. "I thought I had lost my son and..."

"It's really fine, ma'am." She grinned. "I did what I did because I just couldn't watch as a little boy..." She paused and then took a deep breath. "...anyway," She smiled. "...just forget about it, ma'am."

Emilia moved closer to the woman and just stared at her, the woman that had just saved her son's life. She was a really beautiful woman, her son's savior. She had deep blue eyes, long blonde hair, and her skin was just lovely. From the way she was looking, Emilia knew that she was just a middle-class woman but she didn't care.
"No!" Harvey raised his son and walked to the woman. "How can we forget about it like that? You have no idea what you have just done. I am ready..." He quickly rubbed his tears. "...I am ready to do anything for the woman that has just saved my son and..."

"No!" The woman shook her head, speaking in a voice that was a bit low. She slowly moved her head and looked at the statue of the almighty. "I don't want anything for what I have done. What I did also makes me happy because I have just saved an innocent little boy. I thank God that I was nearby and I grabbed the little boy before that truck reached him. What matters the most is that he is all right."

Harvey and Emilia looked at each other, proud of what they had just heard from the woman. They heard what she had said to them and honestly, they completely understood her, but still, she had saved their son and they couldn't just let it pass like that.

"Look..." Harvey pleaded. "...my name is Harvey Gonzalez and..."

"I know who you are, Mr. Gonzalez." She said softly. "Who doesn't know the Gonzalez family in Ashton?"

"Great!" He said in a serious tone. "Then you do realize that you have just saved my precious little boy. You have saved my family from misery and pain of losing our little boy." He said in a casual tone. "Ask me anything, any amount of money and I will give it to you. I am even ready to give you one of my companies if you ask for it."

At that moment, Grace knew that what Mr. Gonzalez was offering her was something that would change her entire life and her unborn baby's life. She and her husband were poor and they were suffering. Taking the offer was the wisest thing at that time but...

"I'm so sorry sir, but there is no price for humanity." Grace inhaled deeply, shaking her head. "I accept that I come from a really poor family but I don't think I need what you are offering me. Besides, I don't think my conscience would leave me in peace if I decide to accept your offer."

"No!" Emilia quickly took the woman's hands in hers. "Please, just accept our offer. You saved our son and..."

"I know that I did and I also know the reason why." She said with her usual smile. "I think God just used me to save your son and I know the reason why." She smiled. "When I came in here, I could see how broken-hearted you were when you thought you had lost your son. I could feel your pain and I could also hear the anger in your voice. But like they say..." She paused and stared at the idol again. "...the almighty never lets his devotees down. He is always there for them. Your son is safe and that's the most important thing. It also makes me happy knowing that I saved a life."

Grace rubbed on Emilia's hand, smiled brightly, and then turned to leave. She didn't even take a single step before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turned and found Emilia looking at her.

"Please," Emilia pleaded. "Can you just wait for a minute? I just can't let you leave like this. You don't know what you have done today."

"Don't worry." She said simply. "I will..."

"Please, just wait for a minute." Emilia just couldn't let the woman go just like that.

Grace stared at Emilia and her husband and then softly nodded. Emilia smiled softly and she and her husband quickly went at a distance. They started talking to each other but no one heard what they were talking about. Grace was staring at them and honestly, she didn't want anything from the couple. As long as the little boy was fine, she was happy.

After what felt like forever, Emilia and her husband came back. Emilia couldn't hide the smile that was on her face. She took Grace's hand and sweetly rubbed on it.

"I owe my son's life to you." She said with simple directness. "If not for you then I don't know what would have happened."

"It's all the almighty's doing," Grace said.

"I know that," Emilia said softly. "But still, without you, my son wouldn't have been here. That's why I owe his life to you." She moved her eyes to Grace's tummy and smiled brightly. "You are pregnant and you risked it all just for my son. Something bad would have happened but you risked your unborn baby's life for my son. Such people just don't exist and that's why I would like to thank you."

"It's really fine."

"My wife is right and we respect your decision." Harvey shook his head, holding his son tightly. "But since you don't want anything from us, my wife and I was talking and we believe that the Almighty had sent you to us for a purpose. We would still like to have you in our lives?"

To say Grace was surprised would be an understatement. She couldn't understand any of the things Mr. Gonzalez was telling her.

"I don't understand what you are saying."

"Okay." Harvey cleared his throat. "I can see that you are pregnant."

Grace rubbed on her tummy and nodded, feeling her nerves getting to her. She had no idea what Harvey was telling her.

"My wife and I would want you to be part of our lives." He was going straight to the point. "We owe our son's life to you and that's why we want you to be part of his life."

"I still don't understand." She sounded confused. She was more than confused.

"Okay, let me just ask you." Emilia cleared her voice. "How old is your pregnancy?'

Grace was really confused. She had no idea why they were asking her those questions. "Um... ma'am... I am only seven months gone and..."

"What's the sex of your child?" She asked softly. "I mean, have you gone for a scan?"

"Err..." Grace stuttered, looking at the both of them with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, I... I just came from a scan and they just told me that it is a baby girl."

Hearing what Grace had just said to them, Harvey and his wife looked at each other and smiled.

"Even the almighty wants you to be part of us." Emilia chuckled nervously, rubbing on Grace's hands. "Since you don't want any of what we have just offered you, then let our son be part of your life."

"What?"

"What my wife is saying is that we want our son to be part of your daughter's life," Harvey announced, staring into her eyes.

"I still don't get you."

"Let our son marry your daughter when they grow up." Emilia pleaded, trying her best to smile. "It's the least that we can do since you don't want to accept any of our offers."

"What?" Grace gasped as her eyes widened.

Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that the offer they were giving her was something that was gonna change her child's life even before she was born. Getting married to Harvey Gonzalez's son was gonna change her child's life. Her child's life was gonna be secure. It was gonna be bright.

"But..." She paused and inhaled deeply. "...I don't think I can accept that as well."

"Why not?" Emilia frowned.

"You do realize that I am a poor woman, right?" she sighed, losing her smile. "My status cannot be compared to yours. My husband and I are just live in a really small house and it cannot be compared to yours. I have saved your son and..."

"We just want him to be part of your life," Harvey said in a serious tone. "We don't care whether you are poor or not. We wanna get to know you better, make you a part of our lives."

"But sir, I am not asking for anything else." She said with a deep sigh. "I don't think I can..."

"Well, I am sorry too." Harvey said. "But I will not allow you to leave this place without getting something from me."

Harvey looked at the woman and stared at his wife. Both of them nodded because they had agreed on something and knew it was for the best.

"You have saved my boy and I am gonna do something for you as well." He cleared his throat and smiled. "Today..." He raised his voice, making sure that everyone heard him. "...in front of all these people and the almighty, I make a vow to you that my son and your child will be together in future. You have saved my son and in return, I shall make your child a part of his life. Today, in this temple my wife and I promise that we shall fulfill this, our son will marry your child."

Grace didn't know what to say anymore. She was speechless, completely dumbstruck. She looked around and saw that some people were smiling back at her. At that moment she knew that she had to think clearly because it involved her child's life and future.

"Okay," She smiled, feeling a little nervous.

Harvey and Emilia were really happy to hear that from the woman. They offered their prayers to the almighty, received blessing from the priest who in turn told them that what had happened was destined to happen and that Antonio and the unborn child's future was really bright. The parents were happy.

Since that time, Emilia and her husband became great friends with Grace and her husband. They were visiting them from time to time, bringing gifts and just hanging out when they had time. Their friendship was getting stronger and stronger.

Two months later, Grace gave birth and although it was a really wonderful day for her, something happened that completely changed everything. Instead of having a baby girl like the scans had showed, Grace had a beautiful baby boy, a really beautiful baby.

She couldn't understand anything because the scans had showed a girl. But she didn't really worry because it was the will of God. When Emilia and her husband visited, they were also disappointed when they found out the child was a boy.

Though things were confusing, Grace told everyone not to worry. The vow was void since the child was a boy and the almighty had already made his decision. Although it was like that, Harvey and his wife promised that they would at least remain friends with the Garcias.