Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen Annabelle pov I walked into the room without saying a word to Travis. “Annabelle, I'm so glad you came actually. I don't know what happened. I was about to drive out of my compound and then I was surrounded. Norah saw them as they handcuffed me and walked me into the van without explaining to me what I had done. They took my gadgets from me and gave me no chance to get a lawyer.” Travis complained bitterly and he looked helpless. I had to force myself to not take pity on him. “I'm not here for any of your talks. I just felt it was wrong locking you in here without help which is why I came.” I said sternly without looking Travis in the eye. “Annabelle, what is wrong? Have I done something? Why are you acting so cold to me too? Speak. I hope someone will tell me what is going on.” I was angry at how he tried to play innocent. “Oh please! Spare me all of the drama. After all the trust I put into you? All you were after was just my money. Nothing m
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Travis pov I couldn't understand why Annabelle reacted the way she did to me and I felt hurt by that. “What exactly have I done wrong?” I asked myself after the ward officer locked me back into the room I was kept in.She said something about me betraying her. “How?” Or was it that the plans I had then were revealed to her? But I love her. I do. But, that shouldn't be a reason for her to put me in this place. I'm not sure she had hands in whatever is going on presently. I hope she's able to help me reach out to Alex. I hope so.”I lay in the very uncomfortable bed that I was allocated to. It felt like a nightmare to me. Before the crash of my company, no one would ever have been able to lock me, A Smith in a station. I felt at my lowest and like a lowlife because of the location I was kept in and the conditions that were attached to it. I knew whoever thought to take me to the prison I was in was an intentional act because if I was kept in a central s
Travis pov I sat in my study and Alex placed the meal we had bought on the table. “Would you like to eat rice?” I asked Norah.She nodded her head and I gave her my portion of rice. I sat her on the sofa in my study so Alex and I could have some space to talk as we ate.Alex was focused on his phone while I was attending to Norah.“I just got the news that Henry was the one who arranged for you to be taken to the station,” Alex said to me as I approached my chair to sit.I sat down and said, “What? I haven't had any reason to have a business with him.” I scoffed. “Because Annabelle's father has made him prominent, he thinks he can do anything to people at any time. I told you that I never liked him. There's certainly something odd about him. What did they say he said was his reason?”Alex kept reading from his phone, “He made mention of a fake business deal you made with Annabelle that caused her to sign off one of their Spencer's organizations to you.”I was shocked to hear the al
One Hundred and Twenty Two Travis pov I wasn't interested in having to deal with Samantha at that moment. I did not see the need to share the good news I had received with her either. “So why were you taken away?” “Samantha, I was taken by the police in your presence and you didn't think to follow after them, look out for where I was taken to or even come to bail me out. What happened to the old you? Am I the reason why you became like this? Or how did you become…” “Don't try to make me feel guilty because it won't work here.” She did not allow me to finish all I had to say before she cut me in abruptly. “You were the one that knew what you did that made them come for you. Why should I be bothered by that?” “Since it's not something you should be bothered about then I see no reason why you should know anything that has to do with me.” I walked out of her and went straight into my room. I was not sure what Samantha had even been up to, I just knew that whatever it was we had to
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty ThreeTravis pov All I knew was that I blacked out after someone yelled at me, “Keep quiet!” I woke up and met myself in an unknown room. I could barely see and I could not remember how I got to where I was. “Where am I?” I said out loud before looking around the room to see if anyone was in with me. I was in an empty room that had just a small window that was high up. I couldn't get to it unless I stood on the bed I met myself in. I wasn't chained to anything but I could tell I was taken into a station. The door has a see-through space on it and the down part of the door has a space where a plate can be passed through. I also could see that there was another door similar to mine when I looked through the see-through space in my door.“What is going on here? Where am I?” I stayed by the door and kept asking but no one answered.I went back to sit on the bed so I could process what had happened before the blackout. “I was in the house. The light was t
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty FourTravis pov I had never met anyone as strange as this man was. He kept laughing. It was hard for me to understand why he laughed that much at anything I said that went against what he had asked me to comply with. “You want to take your leave? I don't think you will want to do that. You will be in grave danger.” He walked back to me and smiled. “Let me tell you a great secret, this is the safest place for you on earth.”“Why?” I asked him.He looked at the door and said, “Because, out there, hungry soldiers are looking for a fresh civilian to kill.” He tapped my shoulder and laughed while he walked out of the door. Someone else was by the door and that was the person that locked the door as he stepped out because I could still hear him laughing as he walked away.“He must be a mentally disturbed person too,” I said to myself. “What am I going to do? This place is full of soldiers who are disturbed. They have nothing to lose if they waste me. Even if
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty FiveTravis pov I knew I had to leave as soon as I got the chance to because I couldn't imagine what I was about to witness them so to me if I decided that I would not bend to their will. “I might be speaking as a dead person since they will torture me before putting me in front of the camera to confess.” I thought, inwardly. There was no reason why I shouldn't try to leave.“I have never told a soldier to fight anyone on my behalf before. I am as broken as you all have been.” I said, thinking it could calm him down.“Shut up! You foolish civilian! Whether it is you or your country, we fight for all of you and you all have to pay back for it. Yes! You live peaceful lives because we decided to sacrifice our lives for you ungrateful humans.” At that point, I didn't want to go further with the conversation as I realized he had anger issues and I was watching the iron, it kept shaking the more he yelled.I knew if it fell while he was talking, I was as good
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty SixAnnabelle pov I woke up the next morning and thought it was best I did a proper morning routine that I had missed for some weeks. I had stopped exercising or doing yoga. I gained weight and I hadn't been able to declutter my mind from all the negative things that had been happening to me.“Where did I put my running shoes?” I stood and looked at my wardrobe but I couldn't find my running shoes. Then I bent down under my bed because out of laziness sometimes I always removed them and kicked them under my bed. But I knew that if it was there, the cleaner would have taken it out to clean it and returned it to the proper place where it was supposed to be kept.I didn't want to ask Nana because I could hear her talking to some of the staff downstairs about how they were going to clean Johnson's room.“I should check the lower wardrobe. They probably changed where it's normally kept.” I said to myself and bent down to open the drawer. Lo and behold, my r
Epilogue Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Six Annabelle_ Months after the nightmare I had with Henry. I woke up in my new home with the perfect peace of mind I had always wanted. My life was in a better shape and even though It wasn't perfect, I was living the future I had always dreamed and hoped for. I stood in front of the large windows in the parlor, looked out of it and took a very deep breath. “Come back here! If I catch you, I will eat all your candy.” “You won't catch me then!” Johnson was running after Norah. It was not going to be my first time experiencing such as they have both been best of friends since we all moved in together. “I've told you two. No running around.” I said and shook my head. Travis was the one handling the major companies owned by my dad. He and my dad had become very close following the incident with Henry. Travis held his suitcase, walked down the stairs of our new home and said, “Anna, do you know where my car keys are? I couldn't find them
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five Annabelle_ The tunnel led to one of the trees in the compound. I walked out of it and snuck to the back of the several police vans that were parked in the compound. I was on the lookout for Alex because I wasn't sure of who to trust. I saw Henry and hid behind the car. I couldn't afford him to see me and then come up with another lie that he wasn't the one behind my kidnap. Someone touched me from behind and I lost my breath for a while. I turned back slowly towards the person and found that it was Alex. I took a deep breath of relief and hugged him. “What happened?” He asked, concerned. I was still trying to get my breath, when he yelled, “Medics, medics.” And the whole attention drifted towards us. Immediately, I could see them putting handcuffs on his hands and leading him into the car like the criminal that he was. “Travis, Travis is badly injured. He has lost a lot of blood.” Those were the first words I said to Henry so they could go a
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four Annabelle _Henry went out of the basement he kept us in. He went out through a different door this time. I saw him but I was not fully conscious.I didn't know what to do to get us out of his place but I knew that if we did not try to get help from the cops or whoever was around, things would get worse for us all and Travis could die.“Travis,” I called out to Travis who lay in his blood on the floor with his eyes swollen. I wasn't even sure if he was still alive. “Travis, can you hear me? Travis!” I yelled. I couldn't afford his death.“Yes, I can hear you.” He said in a very low voice. I knew he was losing a lot of blood and he was in severe pain.“Can you loosen me? I know it's hard for you to get up but if you can try, it would help us out. We can't stay here. Now is our time to get out of this house because I can hear people walking back and forth in his house. I'm sure they are looking for us.” I said to him to encourage him to get up. Travi
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-ThreeAnnabelle_All I saw was the blood of Travis spilling on the floor like someone had made an incision on a bottle.I picked a cloth that I saw in the room and used it to tie around his arm. I was very displeased with Henry as he stood and watched me take care of Travis' hands unremorsefully.“What has gotten into you? Why are you doing all this?” I asked with so much pain in my heart. I couldn't understand how Henry became the way he was all of a sudden.“Get back to your seat and tie yourself at this moment, Annabelle.” He yelled at me. “You should not have pushed me to the wall all these years. You are the reason why I'm like this. Yes, it's all your fault.”Travis tried to help himself up from the chair I sat him on so that I could help him with his hand and reduce his bleeding. The cloth I had used to tie his hand was filled in no time and I could see that Travis was losing a lot of blood at that time.“Let's take him to the hospital. You know he
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Two Travis_I broke into the house through Henry's kitchen window after I was sure he had gone out of the kitchen.I walked to the slap where knives were kept and I picked one very sharp one.“This should do a good job,” I said and hid the knife behind my back.“What you don't understand is, I'd catch a grenade for ya!” I could hear Travis as he sang in his voice to the song he played out. I used that opportunity to search around the room for any sign of Annabelle and Johnson.“Annabelle! Annabelle!” I whispered as I entered every part of the room downstairs.Then while walking on the corridor, I walked on a part of the floor that felt like something was beneath it.I went back to look at the stairs to be sure I could still hear Travis playing his song, which he was before I went down to check what it was.“This very strange man. Heaven knows where he kept Annabelle.” I tried to open the thing but I couldn't get how it was being handled. It had a complex
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty OneTravis_I received a call from an unknown number. It was very late at night. I had thought it was probably Annabelle because I had been expecting her to call me but I did not receive any calls from her.When I saw that it was unknown, I did not take the call because I was still hurting from the fact that Henry was playing the hero when he did not help to find Johnson at all from the onset. “He's my son. She's supposed to allow me to come along irrespective of what Henry was going to say or do. Don't I deserve to see him too?” I said to myself inwardly.Norah had slept off on my leg. We sat together in the parlor watching a movie.My phone kept ringing and ringing so I became forced to pick up the call. I did not say anything after picking up the call.“Can you hear me?” The person whispered and it made me curious. I placed Norah's head properly on the chair and stood up to receive the call in a place where she would not be disturbed.“Who is this?” I
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Annabelle_ I was scared that Henry might hurt me so I began to yell at him before he got closer to me, “Henry, what is wrong with you? Do not try anything funny. I'm warning you. You know how this will end. It will surely end badly for both of us. Just let me leave peacefully.” “You are not leaving through that door. Not today and not until you sign the wedding document.” He said and got closer to me. He pulled me with force to himself and began to kiss my body against my will. “Get off me! Get off!” He disgusted me but he held me so strong. It was very hard for me to move my body away from him. It was as though he wasn't the same Henry I had known. “Stop it, now!” I continued to shout at him but he would not let me go. I stretched my hand to reach the vase that was used to decorate his parlor. I was able to reach it and I slammed it on his head with all the force I had. I didn't know what to do next and he did not give me any option. All that was
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty NineAnnabelle_Brooklyn and I got to Henry's place very late at night. We had to drive for a long time for us to get to Henry's place. “Why does it look as if Henry is not around?” We were able to get into the house because the gate was not locked. “It's very strange that Henry's gate is open. He never opens his gate.” I said to Brooklyn who was driving the car.“Just be patient. It's late already and he was expecting you. So why wouldn't he leave his gate open?” I knew Brooklyn was tired of hearing all my complaints.“I don't feel good about this honestly. Something is wrong somewhere.” I said to Brooklyn, “Don't drive to the front of the building itself. Park around here.” Henry's compound had some gardens and big trees that one would go through before one would get to his house. I just wasn't comfortable with the way I felt.She sighed but did as I said.“I'd go in by myself alone. You should stay in the car in case anything bad happens.”Brooklyn ga
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty EightAnnabelle_Travis drove us into a very nice apartment that he said belonged to Samantha. It was a more beautiful apartment than the one that he lived in. “This apartment is nice. You guys could have lived here instead of where you're presently living though.” Brooklyn said. I was surprised she said that out loud so I turned to look at her.Travis smiled and said, “Well, Samantha loves her things to be perfectly the way she likes them. She fixed it several times, that's why it looks as good as this.” We got out of the vehicle and we could tell that Johnson was not in that building because everything there was so calm but we walked into it irrespective of how the environment felt, leaving Brooklyn and Norah alone in the car.Travis unlocked the door and led me into the room. “I don't think anyone is here at the moment but we can search the apartment to see if there might be any lead in the house,” Travis said to me as he walked into the living room