Chapter 23: “Trauma’s house…”

LISA'S POV 

As soon as dinner concluded, my father rose from his seat, his expression resolute. "It's time for us to leave," he announced, his tone firm.

My mother nodded in agreement, her eyes darting towards Grandma, who looked taken aback. "So soon?" Grandma asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.

My father's gaze avoided mine as he replied, "We've overstayed our welcome."

Louisa, who had been quiet throughout dinner, spoke up. "I'll gather my belongings."

As they prepared to depart, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense. Unspoken words hung in the air, heavy with accusation and suspicion.

Grandma escorted them to the door, her expression stern. "We need to discuss this further," she said, her voice low and urgent.

My father's face tightened. "Not now, ma. We'll talk later."

As they stepped out into the night, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I didn't want them to stay, not with the tension between us.

Leo walked with me to the door, his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" he whispered, his voice gentle.

I nodded, feeling grateful for his support.

As we watched them drive away, Grandma turned to us, her eyes serious. "We need to get to the bottom of this," she said, her voice firm.

I nodded, feeling a sense of determination. We would uncover the truth, no matter what it took.

Grandma sat down, her hands clasped together. "I've noticed my father is been acting strangely," she said, her voice low and concerned. "He's been avoiding eye contact, and I sense he's hiding something. Leo what's wrong?”

Leo's eyes narrowed. "What do you think he's hiding?"

Grandma's face set in a determined expression. "I'm not sure, but I aim to find out."

I felt a surge of admiration for her unwavering resolve. We would work together to uncover the truth.

As the night wore on, our silence grew, but it was no longer oppressive. It was a silence of determination, of shared purpose.

I walked into the room, my eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What's going on?" I asked, my voice bright.

Leo's mask slipped back into place, his expression smooth. "Just discussing our departure," he said, his voice light.

I narrowed my eyes, my gaze flicking between Leo and his grandma. "Oh?" I said, my voice questioning.

Grandma's hands began to knit again, her needles clicking softly. "Leo and Lisa are leaving tomorrow," she said, her voice matter-of-fact.

My face fell, my eyes clouding. "So soon?" I asked, my voice tinged with disappointment.

Leo nodded, his expression unyielding. "Yes, we need to get back."

The room fell silent, the tension between us palpable. I knew something was wrong, knew that Leo was hiding something.

As we left the room, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were living a lie. Leo didn't love me, not really. He had married me for convenience, for appearances.

Later that night, I lay in bed, my eyes fixed on Leo's profile. He was staring up at the ceiling, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and unease.

I knew he was thinking something, but I had no idea what. All I knew was that I couldn't keep up the act forever.

As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that our marriage was a sham. And I didn't know how much longer I could keep up the charade.

The next morning, I woke up feeling anxious, my stomach twisted into knots. Leo was already up, packing his bags with a quiet efficiency.

"Hey," he said, noticing me watching him. "Sleep okay?"

I nodded, trying to muster a smile. "Yeah."

Leo's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he could see right through me. "You okay? You look a little...off."

I shrugged, feeling a surge of irritation. "Just tired, I guess."

Leo nodded, his expression sympathetic. "We'll get out of here soon."

As we finished packing, Grandma came into the room, her eyes shining with tears.

"I'm going to miss you both so much," she said, her voice trembling.

I felt a pang of guilt, knowing that we were leaving her with unanswered questions. But I didn't know what to say, how to explain the complicated web of emotions that had led us to this point.

As we left the house, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were running away from something. But what?

The drive was quiet, the tension between us palpable. I didn't know what to say, how to break the silence.

Leo's eyes were fixed on the road, his jaw clenched. I knew he was thinking something, but I had no idea what.

"Leo?" I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

He turned to me, his eyes questioning. "Yeah?"

I hesitated, unsure of what to say. "What's going on?" I asked finally.

Leo's expression smoothed out, his mask slipping back into place. "Nothing," he said. "Just tired."

I nodded, feeling frustrated. Why couldn't he be honest with me?

I turned to Leo, my eyes locking onto his profile. "So, now that we're finally married, when do we start making our move against Andre?" I asked, my voice low and even.

Leo's gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, his expression unchanging. "I don't know, Lisa," he said, his voice flat.

I felt a surge of irritation. "What do you mean you don't know?" I pressed, my voice rising. "We've been planning this for months. We can't just forget about it now."

Leo's shoulders shrugged slightly, his eyes still fixed on the road. "I just don't see the point anymore," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. "What do you mean you don't see the point?" I demanded, my voice shaking with anger. "Andre ruined my life, Leo. He deserves to pay for what he did."

Leo's expression finally changed, his eyes flicking towards me before returning to the road. "I know, Lisa," he said, his voice soft. "But maybe it's time to just move on. Forget about Andre and focus on us."

I stared at him, incredulous. "Forget about Andre?" I repeated, my voice disbelieving. "How can you say that? You know what he did to me."

Leo's eyes flicked towards me again, his expression sympathetic. "I know, Lisa," he said. "But maybe this vendetta of yours is consuming you. Maybe it's time to let go."

I felt a wave of anger wash over me, followed by a deep sadness. Leo didn't understand. He never had. I realized that I was alone in this fight, that Leo was never going to be the partner I needed him to be.

I turned to Leo, my eyes blazing with anger. "You're really going to sit there and tell me that you don't care about taking down Andre?" I demanded, my voice low and even. "That's the whole reason we got married in the first place, remember?"

Leo scoffed, his expression dismissive. "Oh, come on Lisa, don't be dramatic," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "You're not going to pretend like you actually loved me, are you?"

I felt a surge of rage at his words, but I kept my cool. "No, Leo, I'm not going to pretend," I said, my voice icy. "I married you because I needed your help to take down Andre. And now that you've gotten what you wanted, you're just going to dismiss my reasons?"

Leo shrugged, his eyes rolling. "You're being dramatic, Lisa. You depend on me for this revenge of yours. Without me, you'd never be able to touch Andre."

I felt a wave of fury wash over me at his words. How dare he? Did he really think I was that helpless? "I don't depend on you, Leo," I spat, my voice venomous. "I used you. And now that I've gotten what I needed from you, I don't need you anymore."

Leo's expression changed, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, so now you're going to use me and discard me?" he said, his voice cold.

I smiled, a cold, calculating smile. "That's right, Leo," I said. "I'm going to use you to get what I want, and then I'm going to get rid of you."

The air between us was thick with tension, the silence palpable. I knew I had crossed a line, but I didn't care. I was done playing games with Leo. It was time for me to take control.

Leo's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white with tension. 

He accelerated suddenly, the tires screeching as he took the corner too sharply. I felt a jolt of fear as the seatbelt dug into my shoulder, holding me in place. 

He sped up again, weaving in and out of lanes with reckless abandon. The speedometer climbed higher and higher, the needle quivering at the edge of the dial. 

I grabbed onto the door handle, my heart racing with every swerve and jerk of the car. 

“What are you doing Leo?” I screamed, my heart panting heavily, my palms was sweating profusely and I could only wish to be alive, my spirit left me from his angry driving.