Maria listened to him as he spoke. Checking on Niya every now and then. "You'll find someone to care about or someone will find you. The lord works in mysterious ways." She said softly. Smiling at him a bit but the smile faltered and then failed as the news report broke through the music that had been playing. She paled greatly and picked Niya up. Holding her to her breasts and rocked lightly. Whimpering a bit but didn't say anything yet. Would he tell the authorities where she was? Would he give her up when she was needed to hide? Why did they have to be searching for her? She just wanted to disappear and give her daughter the best life she could. She couldn't look at Nicolas yet. Her eyes filled with fear and sorrow. Tears rimming her eyes. She didn't want anyone knowing she and Niya were alive. Lifting her gaze as he talked. "Please...don't tell them I'm here. I ran because he was abusive. Because he had almost killed me before and sent me to the hospital at least two times. I did not want Niya to grow up around that. I did not wish her to have an abusive father. To grow up feeling the type of fear I felt daily when I was with her father. He didn't want her. I feared he would try to kill her. I broke off the engagement. I took the baby bag with clothes for Niya, diapers, and other things she would need and left. I didn't look back. I just want to disappear. I don't want that life anymore. I'm afraid for not only my life but Niya's." She said in a soft voice.<br/><br/>"He scares me deeply Nicolas. He is unpredictable and has hit me in front of others. Nobody ever helped me because he was such a famous man. They thought they could look the other way but I knew how dangerous he was. He would constantly put me down. Nothing I did was good enough. I always cooked horrible meals he said. I did not want Niya to grow up hearing such negative comments. To have her hear such things directed at her. To have her in fear of her own father. So I ran. I ran for Niya's sake more than my own."  She rocked with her baby. Whimpering and tears trailed down her cheeks. "I don't want to go back. I don't want Niya to be hurt or killed. I don't want to die Nicolas. Please...just let me hide here where nobody would ever look." She stroked Niya's back. "I don't want to go back...please don't make me. Please don't let the world know where I am. I just want to disappear. To have Niya grow up somewhere positive. I ran for Niya. I ran so Niya wouldn't lose her mother. So she wouldn't grow up in a hostile environment."<br/><br/>She sniffled and cried. "I'm really scared Nicolas. Every fiber in my body is scared what he'll do if I am found. If I go back. He always made my pets disappear. He killed Roxie my dog. He made her disappear. He killed Mimi my kitten. He never let me have anything that would keep me happy. He was so controlling and violent." SHe shook in fear again. "Please...don't make me go back. Don't make me put Niya in such danger."