Chapter 45
“The heart wants what it wants.”
Lionel
~~~
Gulping shots of whiskey was the only way to quell my heartache and curtail my anxieties. I wasn’t a drinker but some situations warranted this response. What have I done to happiness that it doesn’t want to stay with me?
Having understood where Shannon was coming from, I began readying myself to let one person go, but it was easier said than done. I wouldn’t have been comfortable with the same if I was ever in her shoes so it was only fair to do right by her.
The doorbell jolted me out of my daze, my eyebrows drawing in wonder of who it could be. Turning my attention to the CCTV, I tried to type in my passcode but the ‘code error’ tag kept staring at me so I abandoned it be and made my way to the door, yanking it open to reveal the shock of my life.
The glass in my hand slipped from my grasp, shattering into pieces at the sight before me. My eyelids opened and closed severally to ascertain the alcohol in my system wasn’t playing mind games with me but she was still there, her smile never faltering. I swiped a hand over my face to confirm I wasn’t daydreaming and reached out to poke her shoulder, her voice compelling me to draw my hand back in fear.
“I’m real,” she spoke again, her attempts to pull me into a hug proving to be futile.
I’d pictured this moment one too many times, varied scenarios of how I would welcome her lining up in my head. But now that she was here, nothing registered and all I could do was hold myself from bolting and screaming my lungs open.
“Are you okay?” she queried, peering at me closely.
“I’m just stunned to see you. It’s almost surreal,” I murmured.
“How about we go in for a chat then?”
I nodded, stepping as far as feasible from her as she sauntered into the room. I instinctively left the door ajar, just in case I would need a quick escape route. I couldn’t comprehend why I would be fleeing from her but something felt off.
Taking the seat across her, my lips parted to question her but nothing came out. It’s like my sense of reasoning had been paralyzed by shock.
“How have you been?”
“What happened to you? Where have you been all these years?” I finally managed to ask.
Tears welled in her eyes, her gaze shifting to her fidgety fingers. “I was taken by human traffickers.”
“What?” I exclaimed, jerking forward in a bid to comfort her but thought against it for some unknown reason. “Why did they take you? What did they do to you?”
My mind raced with diverse incidents that would lead to her getting abducted by such people, but nothing plausible came up.
“They said my father owed them money so they took me as payment.”
“Owed them?” I let out a humourless laugh. “How much would a billionaire like him owe that would warrant him selling off his only daughter as payment?”
My phone buzzed, halting her next words. Shannon’s name had me picking it up without batting an eyelid. Her request to come over for a talk leaving me in a dilemma. I couldn’t tell Joanna to leave, neither could I say no to Shannon so I found myself concurring to what seemed like a ticking time bomb.
“She has a great effect on you.” Her statement reminded me of her presence, my brows shooting in question. “The woman, she stole all your attention. She must be important.”
“She is,” I said, a small smile playing on my lips.
She leaned forward, her hand flying to her chest. “What about me?”
“You still mean a lot to me. I never stopped searching for you and it took me ages to stop the self-blame I let take over me.”
The realization that I was in no way liable for her disappearance lifted a weight off my chest. To think that her father had the guts to tarnish my name because the circumstances surrounding it all pointed at me was infuriating. He knew what he had done but still attempted to lock me behind bars to guise his heinous deeds.
“I never stopped thinking about you, Lionel. I did everything I could so I could come back to be with you, I love you. Let’s pick up from where we left off, I’m still dying to marry you.”
My face sunk into my hands, I no longer felt the longing I’d had for her. I always believed I would be the happiest man in the world once I found her. I scouted for honeymoon destinations among other romantic couple getaways but my fascination was no more.
“Your family has always been well off, how come they didn’t pay for your ransom? How come you didn’t call me or find a way to reach me?” A lot of unanswered questions played in my mind. She wasn’t making any sense.
“There’s clearly a lot to discuss but right now, I just want to be in your arms,” she said, leaping to her feet and making her way to me. But my eye caught something behind her, causing her to stop and turn around, coming face to face with Shannon.
“Who’s this?” Joanna asked, her eyes darting between Shannon and I.
“She’s my girlfriend,” I said without a second thought.
Joanna’s face mirrored Shannon’ in shock, the only difference being the distress in her eyes and the tears she was holding back. It stung to see her like that but there was no talking my heart out of its decision, my decision. My heart and soul belonged to Shannon.
“He’s my man, you hear me?” Joanna cried out. “He doesn’t love you. He can only love me so you better leave.”
“I know her,” Shannon suddenly said, coming to stand beside me, she continued, “She sounds like the woman who was conversing with Matthew about handing me to him.”
“Are you sure?” She nodded, her glare matching Joanna’s piercing gaze. She was an entirely different person, everything about her now seemed odd and alarming. She wasn’t the version I craved to see all these years.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“You know what I mean. You told Matthew of my whereabouts, convincing him to abduct my sister in exchange for me. You planned to get me out of the way so you could have Lionel all to yourself!”
She took steps back, her hands trembling along with her lips. “You’re lying.”
“You’re the one lying. Even though a lot has changed about you, your stance when spitting lies hasn’t changed one bit,” I interjected, her response affirming our claims.
“I did it for you, everything I’ve done is for you.” She let her tears free. “Please forgive me.”
“What do you mean by everything?”
“I can’t tell you.” She began taking steps back. “They’ll kill me.”
“Who’s they?” I asked in desperation. She shook her head, taking more steps till she was at the door. “I will always love you.” With that, she sprinted off.
