Chapter 25 Kidnapped
Heaven lay in her room, half waiting, half expecting. She had seen that cold, angry look in his eyes the same one from the night she refused to eat the meat and had mentioned her husband.
He had told her to stay in her room, and she did. She had even hidden away the morning-after pills so nobody would find them.
But she still had a duty to her husband. She needed to light the candles for him and pray for his soul.
She sighed and stared at the phone Maverick had given her.
Her heart warmed at the memory of when he hugged her. His words echoed in her mind: “I’ve got you.”
Who was the blonde girl? she wondered.
Then her thoughts shifted to his misconception about her. Did he know about the money spent from the card? Of course, he did, it's his card. Summer had spent the money, but she couldn’t tell him that. There was no point.
Her mind drifted to the way he had touched her afterward and before she realized it, her thoughts were consumed by him, her brother-in-law.
The next morning at breakfast, Maverick was present. He didn’t spare Heaven a glance.
He sat quietly and coldly, as usual. The servants served the food on the table and stood aside.
Heaven served her mother-in-law’s plate first, then moved to Maverick’s. Her hands shook slightly as she placed the food before him, wondering if he was still angry. She chose to sit a few seats away from him.
She was surprised her mother-in-law hadn’t said a word about the fact that she and Maverick had stayed out all night.
“Heaven,” Mrs. Richard’s voice broke the silence.
She swallowed. “Yes, Mother.”
“What did the doctor say?”
Her heart did a double flip. Her tongue knotted instantly. She was a terrible liar what could she possibly tell her? She hadn’t even gone to the doctor.
“Uhmm…”
“She’s malnourished,” Maverick said flatly, not looking at anyone. “She should eat more.”
Heaven let out a quiet sigh of relief. Her eyes flicked up to him briefly.
Mrs. Richard looked at Maverick, her brows creased. She wondered if her son judged her the way his father did. She was only trying to make sure Boyle’s soul rested in peace. The fasting, the rituals… they were necessary.
She scoffed softly. “Heaven, you’ll be going to the temple alone today. I have things to attend to.”
“Okay, Mother.”
Heaven sat in the car; it hadn’t taken her long to get ready for the temple.
She pulled out her phone and decided to call the adult home where her Nana stayed. She wondered if her grandmother was still at the Kalabora mansion that was where she’d been the last time Heaven visited.
She dialed the number, and the call went through.
“It’s Ivory Gold’s Adult Home. Please, what can we do for you?” a woman’s voice answered.
“Please, may I speak with Edith Kalabora?” Heaven asked softly.
“Heaven…?” the woman’s tone brightened instantly.
“Yes…” she replied, surprised she was recognized.
“Where have you been? You don’t visit anymore! Wait I’ll get your Nana for you.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Heaven smiled faintly. She didn’t know how to explain her complicated situation or why she hadn’t visited in so long.
From the background, she heard her grandmother’s familiar voice barking at the nurse.
“It had better be a good reason you pulled me away from my game!”
A small laugh escaped Heaven before the phone clicked again.
“Hello?”
“Grandma, it’s Heaven,” she said gently.
“Oh, my grandbaby! How are you? Are your in-laws good to you? Did they scold you about the money Summer spent?”
Heaven chuckled softly. “So many questions, Grandma… I’m fine. They’re good,” she replied, carefully skipping the one about the money.
“Grandma, how are you? Did you get the money I sent?”
With Butler Rose’s help, Heaven had sent the red packet her father-in-law had given her.
“Yes, I did. But where did you get that kind of money, Heaven? It was huge! What would an old woman like me even do with such an amount?”
“My father-in-law gave it to me,” Heaven said quickly, smiling. “Grandma, you sound so healthy. I’ll speak to you some other time, okay?”
She knew her grandmother would start scolding her for sending that much money. Heaven didn’t need it anyway; her in-laws provided everything she needed. Everything except freedom.
“Alright, Heaven. Bye, my dear. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Bye, Grandma.”
Heaven ended the call smiling, but as she looked out the window, her smile slowly faded. The route wasn’t the way to the temple.
“This isn’t the way to the temple,” she said to the chauffeur.
No answer. He kept driving.
“Where are you taking me?” Panic laced her voice. She reached for the door handle, but it was locked.
“Stop the car!” she shouted, tugging at it desperately.
Her hands trembled as she grabbed her phone. She didn’t even know who to call until she remembered Maverick had saved his number on the speed dial.
But before the call could connect, the car jerked to a stop. The driver turned his face, it was masked and he yanked the phone from her hand.
He unlocked the doors and stepped out. Heaven seized the chance. She flung the door open and ran as fast as her feet could carry her down the lonely road.
“Fuck!” the chauffeur cursed.
Heaven’s heart pounded. Why was this happening? She didn’t know who wanted to kidnap her or why she only knew she had to keep running.
The sound of heavy footsteps closed in behind her. She screamed as the man caught up, lifting her off the ground.
“Help! Someone, please help me!” she cried, thrashing wildly.
“Who are you? Let me go!” she yelled, kicking at his chest.
He fought to restrain her, dragging her back toward the car. When she refused to stop fighting, he pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it over her nose. Heaven thrashed weakly until everything went dark.
His phone rang. He pulled it out and answered.
“I got her.”