Chapter 46Willis felt as though the world had tilted and the person in front of him was no longer the Arlo he knew. He was no longer the man that had been his best friend for twenty-eight years. He was now a monster. A cold-hearted monster that was well on his way to doom and there was no going back.His gaze remained on him, unwavering, unrelenting, taking in his features. If he was sad, it didn’t show on his features. But was it possible that he wasn’t sad? Was it normal? To have betrayed a woman he was probably in love with and not feel anything. Did he regret it? Did he mean his words? Could he really not save Ivory? “What happened to you, man?“ Willis blurted out, his voice crashing into a sob. Arlo swallowed hard, fighting with every fiber in him to remain strong.“Don’t you feel anything for this girl?” Willis's low sobs continued, “She’s… she’s not guilty. I can help you. Together we can… we can free Ivory”“Don’t you owe her that much? You brought this on her, don’t you f
The black van, —you know the one that looks like a bullion van but for prisoners— came to a halt. The police officers hopped out, heavy on duty, loaded with gun. Ivory was still trying to accept her reality. She was still trying to accept that she had gone from being Ivory to being called ‘the suspect’.She was yet to accept the fact that Arlo had really said those words and sentenced her to death. This, to her, was death.She was slowly dying. Every passing moment was bringing her one step closer to her death.“Pick up the pace!” The officer’s voice bolted her out of her thoughts.She snapped up her gaze and came in contact with a familiar face. Ivory paused. Her heart leaped. I was wrong, she thought. He’d never betray me.Ivory’s adrenaline surged, picking up the pace as the officer had demanded. The cuffs in her hands and legs did not stop her. She was too happy to care. She stopped before Willis. Her eyes sparkling with both hope and relief. “What took you guys so long?!”
She didn’t die. She cried herself to sleep every night, woke up with headaches. Couldn’t find the appetite to eat the watery food served in prison. Her cell was too small, barely having any light, barely having any hope. She survived the first week of her time in prison, sought for death but didn’t die.She suffered long days of hard labor, panic attacks that seemed to stop her breathing for what seemed like eternity, aching heart, and everything in between, still she didn’t die.On the Friday of her second week in Cadet prison. Ivory had woken feeling exceptionally down, she couldn’t barely drag herself off the flat mattress.Her eyes refused to open after she blinked. Her body felt disjointed. It seemed her body had finally received the message that her mind had been sending. Ivory sighed weakly, accepting the death that seemed to be knocking on her door. “What a beautiful day to die,” she muttered under her breath as her body gave up.The prison warden tasked with supervising th
Five Years LaterIvory’s POVWhat is the difference between times past and time’s past?I personally do not know. I do not know. But I do know that it’s been five years. Five long years since I last saw life the gates of Cadet Prison.Since that incident—The incident that changed my life, the one that brought me in here but most importantly, the one that gave me my son.Standing outside the gates of Cadet Prison after all these years, the air tugging on my skin felt different, felt new. There really was something called a breath of freedom. You will never know what it means until you’re trapped, enslaved, or imprisoned.If you’re wondering what’s going on, if you’re curious to know why I’m standing out here and talking about freedom after only five years when I was supposed to do ten, then here’s a summary in three lines:A thief was caught in Gusan CountyIt turned out to be Lori Spencer.I am free! Mondays are now my favorite day of the week. It was on a Monday, that the u
Arlo’s POVFive Years LaterI am now thirty nine. The last time you heard from me I was on the way to Greece to make a baby with my second wife Crystal. If you’re wondering how that went— it was terrible.I tried. I tried.We both tried.But it seemed like I had gotten impotent overnight. My member refused to work. Crystal tried. She did her best to arouse me but nothing she did worked.I attended therapy for a year, drank healthy smoothies, changed my diets every six months. (These were all Crystal’s doing). At some point, I had given up on my life. Nothing interested me. Not my life, nor my company.For five years, I’ve spent every day and night thinking about the one woman that came into my life for only a week and left me impotent.I would not say she charmed me or used some kind of voodoo. But I would say that my whole being only belonged to her, and no one else.A DAY BEFORE IVORY’S IMPROMPTU RELEASE“I want a divorce.” Crystal slammed the table with papers, raising dus
The air was as thick with anticipation as the conference hall was thick with people. The event was about to begin. The mayors of the city were seated at the front desks to represent the public, but most importantly to uplift their public profile and sell themselves to the people as being humane and pitiful. You know there’s nothing the public loves as unconventional events. A sea of reporters crowded the room, cameras flashing like rapid gunfire, all trained on the stage where the government was preparing to deliver an unprecedented apology. Standing at the far left of the podium, Lori Spencer, a thoroughly disguised Lori Spencer. You bet she had all her natural fetal tires altered to look as far different from Ivory as possible. She had in fact taken a new name. Standing at the podium, she had been arrested as Lora Spencer. But who knew she’d be arrested over something as simple as shoplifting and be uncovered for all other crimes including framing the innocent Ivory Hollis? T
“I told you not to get out of the car!” Ivory said softly, yet her voice carried a displeased tone. “Mommy, I just wanted to pee.”“Ivory, could you stop yelling at the boy?”“Just focus on driving, Willis. This is all your fault. I told you I didn’t want to go to that stupid conference anyway.”“We already talked about this Ivory. I’m not about to rehash it. Besides, how long are you going to keep him away from…”“Drive, Wills.” Ivory interjected. The entire ride to the airport, Willis said nothing, only occasionally checking on her on the rear view mirror. No matter how desperate she wanted to hide it, seeing Arlo bothered her, in fact, it did more than just bothering her. However, Willis had not expected that he would show up. Not after everything that had happened. Not after the way things ended, no, he didn’t expect him of all people to show up. Let alone meet his child for the first time under such tensed circumstances. “By the way, what did Lori say to you…?” He finally a
Ivory had just arrived at Grenville airport. She had left Greenville as a captive of a certain heartless man— a man whose name she would never speak of, and a divorced wife of a disgusting husband. Today, she was returning as a mother, a freedwoman, a survivor, and a hundred million dollars rich.Marvin wrapped his hands around her little finger, clinging to her side as they made their way through the bustle of the town. Ivory had forgotten just how different Greenville was to Ovieto until she stepped out of the terminal and was hit by the decibels of noise made by people and moving vehicles. “Don’t let go of my hand, baby,” she said, glancing at the address that Willis had given her. She was regretful for how she snapped at Willis, he had been a great help to her for the last five years. Seeing Arlo had not only ruined her mood, her mind, and her heart, it made her completely disoriented. “Look, Mommy, look!” Marvin exclaimed, pointing at a boy in a scooter who was driving past