Chapter 22

"Who told you your mother is in my custody?" His voice sounded uncertain and she felt irritated immediately by the response. 

"You don't have to deceive me," she said, livid beyond comprehension. "Mia told me."

"I knew that girl would say something. I knew she was up to something." He subtly said, thinking he was talking to himself but noticing he was not alone when she replied. 

"Oh, so you were lying." she said, already very angry at the fact that she still had to speak with him or have any business with him. 

"I wasn't. I'm not with her, at least now." He said again, sounding softer compared to the aggressive voice he used earlier.

"What do you mean? Where is she?" Mia got closer to her, holding her to reassure her that everything would be alright. Somehow, she thanked God that there was Mia, who understood her and was kind enough to be there for her. 

"Don't worry about her. She's fine now, but she may not be fine in the next five minutes." He said, without doubt, and she could imagine the kind of smile that would appear on his face if she was there to see his reaction. 

"What do you want, Lucas?" She had to let Mia pet her the way she wanted to, as she was in the heated call with Lucas. 

"Aha. That was the question I expected. You don't have to be proud or prove stubborn about it." He laughed for a long time, and it infuriated her more.

"Don't waste my time! What do you want?" She said curtly again, and she could feel him sigh, a happy one, being written all over his voice, a sigh of fulfillment.

"I want to have a meeting with you. And maybe, just maybe you will meet your mother safe and healthy."

"Don't hurt my mum. If you do, I will kill you." She said, knowing that the threats were empty and his response also prompted that he knew how empty the threats were too.

"I may hurt her to see you try to kill me. You know I love adventures." He said, struggling not to burst into laughter. .

Just then, she started asking herself if she should beg him or negotiate with him. She knew doing either of the two would nurse his ego, and she wanted to bring down that ego, instead of nursing it. 

"Where can I meet you….. please." She struggled a lot to let that please come out, and when it finally did, he roared a laughter that Mia could hear even when she was far from the phone.

"It's good to hear you say please. Wow! I'm impressed." He said, amidst the laughter. She waited for him to laugh to his satisfaction before answering that he would send her an address.

"Thank you, and don't hurt my mum. I mean it." She hung up before getting a response. It had been a rough decision for her to make, but she decided to nurse his ego a little. 

"What did he say?" She asked, concern all over her face. 

"Mia, are you sure you can stay? I don't want to drag you into our mess." Sincerely, she wouldn't have forgiven herself if Lucas had hurt her when he came for her mum.

"I will stay. What is the essence of going when my heart will be here?" She was being so nice to her, and she really needed it. But she wanted to ask and be so sure about her staying. 

"Are you sure?" She asked, staring at her eyes and she could feel that one thing: connection. 

"Yes, don't worry about me. Worry about your mother." She said, holding her tight. She has never had an actual friend, someone who she could confide in. But this, she really appreciated Mia and would do anything to get this kind of attention, love, kindness or any other things it could be called. 

Truly, she needed to get worried about her mother. She decided to call Lucas again to ask about the address he sent, because she did not know anywhere like that. Was he trying to kidnap her too? She took another glance at the address before resolving to call him. 

"Hey, my love." He said in such a sonorous voice that reminded Lizzy of the last intimate time they had together, something she didn't want to remember.

"Cut the crap! Can you describe this address? I don't know anywhere here, except very important places."

"Oh, you now need my help." He made another annoying laughter loud enough for Mia to frown at.

After enjoying his laughter, he said, "That is just around the Governor's house. Do you know the Governor's house!?"

"No, I just told you I don't know anywhere."

"Okay," he said, "You can use Google maps. It will direct you to where you're going," he said matter of factly, like it was normal and everyone should know about it. 

"Alright. I'll be there very soon, please don't hurt my mum."

What came after the statement was a very deep silence, one that meant so many things at once.

"Okay. I'll try." Then he hung up. She stared at her phone for a while, regretting getting involved with Lucas all her life or getting married to him.

When her parents asked how she ended up with someone like him, she did not know how to tell them the story of how she did not want to get married in the first place. It was a struggle, but pressure and advice from her friends convinced her to make that decision to get married, and there she was now, regretting every bit of it. 

"Mia, I am going to Lucas now. Would you stay back here or go back to your home?" She asked her, silently praying that she would say she would love to stay back home. 

"I decided to stay back here. Like I said earlier, it has been a tough ride and I just want someone to be there for you, nothing else."

She did not know when tears started dropping again, and Mia went very close to her, giving her another hug which made her cry more.

In a few minutes, she was already in her car. "Bye Mia, I will call you." It was so good to see how her relationship with her evolved in just a few days. 

The drive to Lucas' location was as long as eternity. She wondered what may have prompted him to choose that location. The government house seemed a little busy today, buzzing with exotic cars and people running here and there, making sure people were parking their cars very well.

But approaching the location she wanted, there was a little change in the landscape. The busy area automatically gave birth to a very quiet area, with tall trees which created a canopy that swallowed the sunlight. She thought she was lost, but her car's GPS showed otherwise, as she was a few minutes away from the marked place.

Immediately, there was a sharp buzz which got her attention and made her jump, which was a message from a strange number.

Park two blocks away. 

Walk the rest. 

Come alone.

Her heart raced a hundred meters as she read it. She knew it was Lucas, but she was wondering how and why he was using another person's contact. But little did she know that every step was a well calculated trap for her. 

She made a decision to send the address to Mia and ask her to come, just in case something bad happened, but she remembered her promise to him to come alone. The love and loyalty Mia had shown her was something no one had shown her, including family, and she sincerely wanted someone here with her.

But she decided to move on. Obeying the signals the GPS gave her, she got out of the car and studied the area, which was weirdly quiet. There were only tall trees, no trace of humans, pedestrians or cars passing through, only her trying to make way from leaves on the ground.

A distance ahead, she saw an incomplete poverty-stricken house which looked like it was haunted or had something to do with actual horror movies. She went straight to the house, assuming that was her destination. When she got there, she went ahead to take the door step to open the door, but something distracted her.

Lucas' signature, just at the front of the door.

Her mind flashed back to their tumultuous past. Their marriage had never been about love, but a complex web of power, manipulation, and unspoken threats. He always had a way of making her feel like she was playing a game where he knew all the rules.

When she approached the building's entrance, a cold breeze brushed against her skin, but she was still adamant on opening the door. But it was slightly ajar, which was an open invitation that felt more like a challenge. As she pushed it open, her heart was racing and pounding so loudly so she was so sure whatever or whoever was inside could hear the rhythm.

The inner place was dark, accompanied by the invisible cobwebs that covered her skin as soon as she entered. All of a sudden, the door was locked with a force she didn't understand.

"You're late," a very familiar voice emerged from the thick darkness, and before she could answer, she could recognize and feel another figure which was not Lucas or her mother. 

"Who's there?" she called out, her voice surprisingly steadfast in her voice. 

The figure came forward, coming closer, her figure threatening enough to make Lizzy's heart skip. She didn't see her, but she could feel someone close to her. 

"Hi there, Lizzy. It's been a very long time," the woman said, something in between an innocent smile and a wicked smirk playing on her lips. "I believe we have a lot to discuss."

She sounded a little familiar, but she knew it would be someone she didn't know. She thought about how coming there alone was such a bad idea. If she had asked Mia to follow her, she would have been more than happy to oblige.

At that moment however, Lizzy thought about the fact that this situation was far more complicated than a simple meeting with Lucas. Something much larger was going to get revealed, and she was the center of attraction.

Just then, the light was on, almost blinding her for some minutes, before she saw the figure which she felt. It was a woman who took another step forward, and Lizzy noticed something clutched tightly in her hand. A photograph. But from this distance, she couldn't make out the details.

"Who are you?" Lizzy whispered, knowing the answer would change everything.

The woman's smile widened. "Let's just say I'm someone who has been waiting a very long time to meet you."

"Who are you?" She had not answered her questions and she needed answers immediately. 

"That will not be mine to reveal," she said, turning her face as Lizzy followed it to Lucas. There he was, enjoying the back and forth with Lizzy and the new person.

"Are you done talking?" He asked, walking Around towards them and sitting on the only chair available in the cobweb infested room.

"No, I'm not." Lizzy said vehemently. I'm here for my mother, but I can't find her anywhere here," she managed to comb the room to see if there was any other person that looked like her mother. "Where is she?"

"You don't understand, do you?" Lucas asked again, laughter filling his eyes as he held it for her to respond. 

"I don't. Where is my mother?" She did not have time for this back and forth, especially with Lucas whom she now had a lot of hatred for. She couldn't stay in the room for a long time with him.

"Here I am." She heard a voice saying.