Chapter Seventy -six Annabelle_ I knew no one knew me personally outside because I do not talk to people or stay in public places. “Someone else must be bearing my name here.” Brooklyn looked back to see who was calling me. “Oh My!” Her face glowed as she smiled I turned to look at who could make Brook gleam. It was Prisca. “Wow! Prisca. It's been a long time. I must say, you look very nice.” Everyone knew Prisca. It's funny. She was once forcing herself to be in a relationship with Henry. I genuinely do not know if they had a thing later on when I got married. “I know right…” Prisca smiled. I felt it was weird meeting her at that spot where we were. I began to feel uncomfortable because Prisca and Brook were close when they were little so I understand the joy Brooklyn felt when she saw her. Brook does not know all the other things that had happened while she was away from her. “You look so tall. I can't believe I'm seeing you. How have you been?” Brook's joy was palpable. I j
Chapter Seventy -seven Annabelle_ I was going to make the same excuse I regularly make for him, “he's a changed person” but I knew within me that it was wrong to keep doing that so I just stayed quiet, letting Brooklyn pour her mind to me. “I want what will make you happy. I wish to see you very happy but I don't think being with Travis is what would make you happy.” I began to reconsider my thoughts on Travis and me. The thought of having Travis makes me feel happy but when I'm with him I don't know how to enjoy the happiness I feel. I feel like it's because of the things I have achieved that I'm able to stand in front as an honorable woman. “Thank you, Brook.” I know what to do now. She looked at me like she understood all I was going through and hugged me. Brooklyn just loves hugging. “So don't let's keep him waiting.” She pulled me up and dragged me to the mirror. “Shall we begin the transformation?” I nodded just a little and took a deep breath. Brook weaved my hair
Chapter Seventy -eight Annabelle _ He drew closer to me and leaned forward. I didn't want it to be what I thought but it began to seem like it. I did not give myself the space to think if it was the right thing to do or not. I leaned forward and kissed him first. His lips, soft and tender, taste like sweet red wine. We were drinking the wine already but it was sweeter tasting it from his lips. He pulled me in closer and before I knew what I was doing we had gone far into the kissing with several thrusts. We had raw sex. He was quite faster than I had expected. It didn't feel like the feeling I got from the experience I had with Travis. His ended so fast and I did not enjoy it. “I trust you enjoyed it?” Can I even say no? I was going to enjoy it but maybe I needed more time to get there. It felt like nothing had happened even though something happened. I nodded. He cuddled me and kept pecking me on every part of my face. He took care of me other than the sex. Maybe I was ex
Chapter Seventy -nine Annabelle_ I knew I had to think through this decision. “Should I see Travis or shouldn't I?” I needed to answer these questions for myself. Then I told myself, “If I'm having two thoughts about making this decision, then I shouldn't.” “I’m busy today. You can leave me a text on whatever it is you need to discuss.” I sent it to Travis. Then a red display on the television in my office caught my attention, “Breaking news!” “Four Armed men, captured after the vandalization of the Smith's company and the death of Staffs.” On seeing that, I had a rethink of seeing him. Not because I pitied him but because I became interested in knowing who could be that callous and do something as terrible as that to Travis. I thought to put a call through to him and I did. The calls kept going into voicemail so I decided to try another method. Get through to Alex. I knew Alex was his right-hand man and friend. He always knew how I could get across to Travis unless Travis war
Chapter Eighty Annabelle_ I didn't mean all I said to him but I had to let it out that way. How dare he try to frame Henry? Henry is one person I know who barely thought of evil things happening to people. I would never accept that from Travis. That was a wrong thing to say or try to insinuate. “Okay. I'm sorry I gravitated towards that. I did not realize this is how things had become.” I was not having the conversation anymore. “Well, I think we've sorted out whatever this call was supposed to be about. I have to go now.” “Okay.” His response was low but clear. I knew he was not done speaking but I was no more interested in hearing him speak again. I think Brook has been telling the truth. “Don't be anno…” I ended the call before he finished his sentence. I was angry. I looked at the envelope on my table and got angrier. I ripped the envelope apart to see what was inside. It felt like a folded letter but it was a picture. A picture of Henry amid soldiers. I never knew Hen
Chapter Eighty -one Annabelle _ Everywhere seemed so loud. Glass cups were clattering here and there, men laughing, and several prestigious people were gathered at my dad's home. I would have preferred he threw the party somewhere else. “Annabelle, you're late,” Prisca yelled from afar to me as I walked into the sitting room. “Ohh, shit. She? What's she doing here m” I grumbled in my mind but wore a smile as she approached me. “You've always been late to parties since I ever knew you. It's more like you don't like gatherings but you're always forced to attend anyway.” She kept talking to me and I was not interested in hearing whatever it was she had to say but yet again, I just had to listen with a smile, using my eyes to scan for my father. Finally, I saw him. Talking to one of the wealthiest men in the country, Sir Mackenzie. “Excuse me for a minute,” I walked out on her without waiting for a response and walked to my father, joining the conversation he was having with Sir
Chapter Eighty -two Annabelle_ “Where are you heading to?” Henry asked me as though he would love to accompany me. “I just need to address something. I'd be back.” I turned away from him in haste and went down the stairs. Before I got down, I slowed the pace I used to walk so that I wouldn't attract unnecessary attention to myself. I scanned around for Travis before walking towards the crowd after I saw where he was. He was speaking to someone so I had to talk with the person too so I could have access to him. “Good evening sirs. I see we are having a good time. May I join your conversation?” It seemed as though the man knew who I was because he was quick to give me an audience. “Sure! If we are looking for someone with more authority to speak tonight, it's you.” I smiled. “Thank you.” Travis looked at me with a little grin. “You look beautiful tonight.” It was as though he scanned me with his eyes before saying his word. “Thank you.” I smiled. The man seemed to underst
Chapter Eighty -three Annabelle_ After my short speech. I was looking at Henry who stood in front of me while I spoke with a very proud look. I expected my dad to introduce him next after me and I think he expected that as well. I got down and went to stand by Henry, after shaking everyone that was standing around where I passed to stand beside Henry. Henry leaned in on me. “You spoke so well.” He whispered. I wiggled. “Now to my ever-excellent son-in-law-to-be.” I didn't like that phrase. I enforced a fake smile because everyone began looking at the two of us. I looked at the other end of the room and sat Travis looking with a painful smile. He smiled and nodded his head. Then he walked away from where he stood like he was about to leave. My father praised Henry as expected and he also gained more influence after that. “Now great men and women, we can all sit and enjoy our meal.” They all clapped as my father left the center of the floor. I was eating on a long table speci
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