Ciara knew she was dreaming; it had to be a dream, because Aunt Mary was dead. The last thing she remembered was banging at the door, seeing the face of a harmless woman, and then passing out into unconsciousness. Aunt Mary stood by the front door of the cabin, glistening in the brightness of her dress, with a smile and gift basket that was securely wrapped, so Ciara could not see exactly what she had packaged in the basket.“I brought them for you,” Aunt Mary said.There was an aura of calmness about her that drew Ciara closer to her. Ciara returned Aunt Mary’s smile with hers. She could not feel any pain as she stretched her hands to receive the gift basket. Not feeling the pains made Ciara’s eyes open in alert. Her hands flew instantly to her stomach frightfully.“My babies!” Ciara yelled in fright, but Aunt Mary maintained a warm and pleasant smile.“They are fine,” Aunt Mary said. The sound of her voice brought so much peace and reassurance to Ciara’s entire being.“I brought th
Ciara has been dazed sine Martin’s last statement. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. She knew that Johnway was murdered, because she had seen his body herself, but she did not think that it was something this deep or related to her.“Who killed him?” Ciara managed to ask after a while.“The same people who never want you to know the truth about your dead mother,” Martin repeated.“I know that,” Ciara cut in. “You already said that. What I am asking is who these people are, because you know them, don’t you?” Ciara asked, looking at Martin.Martin looked away and Ciara did not understand why he could no longer look at her.“Who are they?” Ciara asked again, this time with more urgency than the first time but Martin still remained quiet, avoiding her eyes.“They murdered Johnway,” Martin said and burst into tears again. Lori started to console him while Ciara just stared like a zombie.“He always gets triggered when he thinks about what happened to Johnway,” Lori said to Ci
Samuel was beginning to feel an ache in his head again after Colt and the cops left. He suddenly began to have an unsettling feeling about the decision he made; not on declaring Ciara guilty, because it was obvious that she was, but letting the cops handle it.If they got hold of Ciara before he ever did, he would never get his hands on Ciara, and that would make Samuel angry for the rest of his life. He could not still understand why Ciara chose the Luscious home to carry out her crimes. What led her back there? Samuel knew that a regular thief rarely visited the same home twice, so Ciara going back there just did not sit well with Samuel. Recalling the last conversation he had with Ciara, Samuel started to feel that there was more to Ciara’s story that she wasn’t telling him. She had told him plainly that she could not answer some of his questions even though he had tried to get them out of her. There had to be a story behind it all that Samuel didn’t know.And now, Samuel felt lik
Samuel Fury held onto the stripper, not letting her go.“I know you,” he repeated. The stared intently at her, but trying to recall exactly where he had seen her was proving difficult.The stripper had a look of horror in her eyes. She was frightened to her bones, but Samuel had no intentions of letting her go until he fathomed when and where he knew her from. At first, Samuel thought that she was one of the thieves who had been in and out of prison, where he had found Ciara in an alley in their midst, because he was certain for a fact that she had to be connected to Ciara Summers.“I know you,” Samuel said yet again, this time around, with more certainty and emphasis.“You must have paid for my services before now,” the stripper answered, her voice shaking with fear and trepidation.“No, that is not it,” Samuel disagreed, shaking his head vehemently. He was not a frequent carrier of strippers, because unlike other men, Samuel was somewhat disciplined when it came to his sexual urges
Ciara got into Samuel’s car and drove off in top speed after she stormed out of the cabin. She was enraged and embittered, and even though she had heard Lori’s voice calling out to her, she had paid deaf ears and driven off.Ciara was not foolish to drive back into the city, because she knew that the moment she did so, she would be caught, and that would be her end. There would be no Aunt Mary to save her or ensure that her son protected her.Thinking of Aunt Mary made Ciara to tear up. As she drove farther into the woods, she began to cry. Ciara just continued to drive and cry without looking at where she was headed. At the point, when she had driven far enough, and her eyes were clouded in regretful tears that she was finding it difficult to see clearly, she stopped the car and cried loudly.She had failed Aunt Mary. The impact of her passing hadn’t hit Ciara until now, and that had been because of everything that had been happening at that time, but now, it dawned on Ciara that she
Ciara slept off in the car after her phone conversation with Quinton, which led her to crying for hours unending. “Oh my goodness, I really messed up,” Ciara had said to herself.While she had been consumed with finding out secrets about her past and fighting to know the truth about her mother who was already dead, Ciara had neglected the one person that genuinely loved her and treated her like a friend and daughter.Aunt Mary.Ciara had never felt this guilty about her actions this much. If only she had just allowed the situation with Rudge and Samuel’s hurtful words to fly over her head, she might have been there by Aunt Mary’s side. She would have dedicated every second and minute talking to Aunt Mary. Maybe she would have died anyway, because that had been her second relapse, but still, Ciara would have been there.“I should have been there,” Ciara scolded herself in tears. She would not also be in the middle of nowhere with a stolen car, crying her eyes out. Ciara was doomed, a
Samuel had a restless night. He barely slept a wink the entire night; he was thinking of Ciara Summers.Not that Samuel had concluded that she was completely innocent; she still stole his car and disappeared, and she was still responsible for his mother’s death, an offense Samuel would never forgive her for. After Samuel was kicked out of the motel, he had lingered around for hours, but then again they had threatened to call the cops on him for trespassing. Samuel had intended to wait outside for Lottie to finish her shift and come out so that he could accost her, but he had been warned sternly.And Samuel was avoiding having anything to do with issues with the cops, so Samuel had left in defeat. But he had been more restless than he had ever been, and deep down, Samuel had blamed himself for not believing that Ciara was speaking the truth about lodging and spending the night in that hotel. And for Lottie to act that way when he confronted her, he knew that there was something fishy
Ciara’s bitterness and anger continued to grow as she watched them sleeping peacefully. How could they, or anyone at all sleep this soundly when Ciara’s world was crumbling to the ground? How could they be cuddled up in love when nothing worked in Ciara’s favor?Ciara knew that if she continued to be the victim, she would always lose. Her only dilemma was how to get two of them tied up so that she could carry out what she already planned in mind. Ciara suspected that Martin was not as weak as he displayed himself to be earlier, because the man she met in her hometown was nothing like what she was seeing now. Ciara thought of tying up Martin, because she felt that she could handle an untied Lori, but after thoughtful consideration, she realized that it was a terrible idea, because Lori had fooled her into thinking that she was friendly and innocent and harmless, so Ciara was not about to allow the fact that Lori was a woman fool her. Then if she tied up Lori, Martin might overpower he
Ciara heard a knock on the door and she went to open it without an iota of fear or dread; all her enemies have been put behind bars.Ciara got discharged from the hospital two days ago, and she was yet to make that call to Samuel Fury that she had wanted to make, because she was still dazed about the revelation.“The world is truly a small place,” Ciara had said to herself, breathlessly.Who would have thought that Samuel’s son would be birthed by the same doctor? Heck, who would have thought that the mysterious man that Ciara had spent that night with was Samuel Fury? Ciara trembled at the thought of telling Samuel that her son was his, because she fully believed the doctor even though she was yet to see Samuel’s left thigh, and that was primarily because they hadn’t been really intimate.Ciara almost passed out when she opened the door and found Samuel Fury standing before her. They stared deeply into each other’s eyes for a couple of minutes without saying anything, and Ciara could
It had been several months now, and Ciara was glad that she hadn’t been found, because deep down, she knew that Samuel Fury would be looking all over the country for her. Her bump was big now, and the doctor she had begun seeing already told her that she would be due any moment from now. Ciara wanted Samuel to find her, desperately for that matter, but she knew that if she let Samuel find her without closing this chapter of her life, she would never be complete.Ciara was free now, and she knew this because she was lucky to be present at a coffee shop when Colt and Ruby’s court verdict was read. She wondered why Linda Luscious wasn’t also in the stand, but Ciara pushed that out of her mind.Her only goal and desire right now, before she had her baby, was to see her mother’s grave.“Coffee, as usual?” The coffee server asked Ciara.He was an elderly man who seemed to have seen better years, Ciara almost felt pity for the man, but then again, he seemed to be doing what he loved.“Yes,
“Mr. and Mrs. Luscious, you are both under arrest,” the cops rounded up Ruby and Colt in their home a few days later.“We did nothing wrong!” Colt tried to play defensive, but it was already over for them.“Martin and Hayes have testified against you, Mr. Luscious,” one of the cops informed Ruby and Colt.“What about our daughter, Linda?” Ruby asked.“Mr. Samuel Fury decided not to charge her, but the both of you must answer for your grievous crimes,” the cop told them.Colt and Ruby hung their heads in shame and sadness as the cops handcuffed them and took them away.A month later, Samuel sat in the courtroom, waiting for the judge to pass her verdict on Colt and Ruby. They looked devastated, but Samuel was not moved. As he sat there, he felt relieved that he would be getting the justice he deserved, as well as Ciara Summers. Jess had tracked Hayes down when he was trying to run away, and had handed him over to the cops. A lot had happened since Ciara walked away and never returned,
“It happened two years ago…” Linda began as her mind drifted back to that day years ago.Linda was involved with a perverted old man. This was all because of how reckless she had been living.“Why don't you show me some love toots?” The old man crossed the line, touching her in ways that were unacceptable.“Stop it...” She did her best to resist the man’s grip and the two engaged in a struggle. Eventually, Linda drove her stiletto heel into his skull. The man plopped to the floor completely lifeless.Linda’s heart pounded as she stared at the lifeless body, “He’s dead.” Linda covered her mouth after realising that she had taken the old man’s life.“Think Linda, now is not the time to panic.” She took a series of deep breaths to calm herself as she wiped off her fingerprints from the heel. “What do I do now?” After a while, Linda called her mother.“Mom...” Her voice was shaky.“What is it?” Her mother asked, a hint of worry was evident in her voice.Linda shared her current predica
Ciara waited patiently for Rudge to show up in the location that he sent to her. She was not agitated. She was not afraid. She just wanted to be fully and completely free. When it would happen, she would no longer live her life in bondage, or under the mercy of anyone, but she would know what happened that exact day, and she would be completely free, because Ciara knew that she did not kill that man. Ciara was not even capable of murder, and what happened with Lori’s baby had been a huge mistake. Ciara hadn’t thought of it before now, but she was certain now that Linda and her parents framed her and caused her to spend time in prison for a crime that she did not commit. She wouldn’t be surprised, because several times, aside from the incident that happened on Linda’s twentieth birthday party, there had been other cases that Linda had lied on Ciara, and Ciara had taken the fall for Linda’s recklessness.The only problem was that Ciara did not know exactly what happened.Once Rudge tel
Ciara was still shaken from the whole episode that happened at the cabin. She had been dazed for hours now, unable to react at all. Martin had meant to kill her. He would have driven the sharp knife into her stomach, and then, he would have killed not just her, but also her baby. Martin hadn’t called her to confess a thing to her. Instead, he had tricked her into coming just so that he could avenge the death of Lori and their baby.Suddenly, instinctively, abruptly, Ciara got out of her shock. She looked around frantically; she was back at the penthouse. Ciara jumped up as though the couch she sat on had caught fire.“How did I get back here?!” Ciara asked no one in particular, because she was alone in the living room. “Samuel?” She called out, but no response.She continued to turn around frantically until Jess arrived from the kitchen, carrying a glass of warm water.“Who are you and how did you get in here?” Ciara asked Jess as though she was about to launch an attack on her.“Don
“Miss Luscious, this is not a risk I would advise you to take,” the doctor said to Linda.It was still morning, and Linda had left the house without her parent’s knowledge, but she knew that she had to do what needed to be done. Linda was still angry with her parents, especially with everything that was unfolding, and it was beginning to dawn on Linda the severity of the situation.“I have to do something,” Linda had said to herself the night before, “Because I cannot go down with my patients, because I wasn’t even there when they did most of what they did.”Linda had begun to make escape plans. For days now, she had been starving, although she usually sneaked into the kitchen, but it was usually almost futile, because she only met crumbs of canned food. Linda could not make coffee to save her life, because she had helps around the house for those things, but now that they were all gone, Linda could not recall the last time she had a proper meal.“I am too young to go down with my par
Ciara entered the cabin, and she was met with an eerie silence that threw her off balance. At first, she thought Martin had tricked her into coming to the cabin, because it looked and felt oddly deserted. “Hello?” Ciara called out calmly, not wanting to be too loud so that Samuel who was outside would not get the wrong signal.It was late and quiet, which meant that any noise at all was liable to travel far. “Is anyone home?” Ciara asked, but she remained rooted in her spot.She could not bring herself to even check the other parts of the cabin to be sure that it was completely empty, because somehow, even though Ciara could not explain it, there was something dreadfully dangerous about the cabin. It did not feel like the cabin that hosted her some weeks ago.“Is anyone home?” Ciara called out again, but she was met with absolute silence.Then her shoulders dropped in disappointment; Martin had tricked her into coming here. When would this ever end? Why did it always feel like Ciara
Jess slipped into the car beside Samuel, replacing Ciara, and Samuel jumped in fright.“Jeez, you scared me!” Samuel said after he was able to catch his breath.“What is the fear for? You have been in worse situations, Samuel Fury, so why are you jumpy?” Jess asked and looked at Samuel, and she became more shocked when she saw that Samuel was visibly shaking and sweating. “Damn, Samuel, are you about to faint?” Jess could not help but ask.Jess looked at Samuel, seeing him vulnerable and scared to his bones for the very first time since she had known him, and it dawned on her that Samuel was this way, because Theresa went to the cabin on her own, in danger. There was no other logical explanation to why Samuel was acting as though he was being faced with death.“Oh, I see,” Jess said with a grin.Samuel looked at her, confused. “When you grin like that, you are being mischievous, and now is honestly not the time for that,” Samuel said, angry and irritated. “Don’t you read the room? Did