A HEART IN CHAINS
Ezabeth's POV
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of my phone vibrating under my pillow. It was the exact moment I was starting to drift off to sleep, having spent hours trying to study for my upcoming exams. I couldn't afford to disappoint my parents.
Groggily, I opened my eyes and glanced at the screen. The caller ID displayed a private number. I hesitated, wondering who it could be. Should I answer? My curiosity got the better of me, and I picked up, preparing myself for something serious.
I held my breath, waiting for the caller to speak. Instead, I heard muffled sobs in the background. What's going on? My mind was now loaded with questions. Then, a faint voice whispered, "Eliiiii, my baby..."
My heart sank. That was my mom. Why was she crying like this? What was happening to her? The biggest question, though, was: who was behind this?
As confusion and hurt took over my mind, I heard a voice - a man speaking in the background. "You're not wise, you see?" he said with a sarcastic tone.
I knew exactly who this was, but I never thought he'd go this far. I never thought he'd resort to threatening my family.
"You have no idea what you're doing, Gift. Don't you dare try what you're about to do to her," I replied, my voice accelerating with anger. I was talking out of anger; I could barely breathe.
I knew what Gift was capable of, and I couldn't allow him to do that. Losing my mom because of his stupid antics was unbearable.
I heard him laughing in the background, and a large lump formed in my throat. I felt like someone was stabbing my heart countless times with needles. My eyes began filling up with tears.
I was hurt beyond measure. Someone who used to own my heart was causing me such pain.
I'd rather call my dad than lose my mom, but how could I expect him to handle this? How could I even tell him that my ex-boyfriend kidnapped his wife and was threatening to kill her?
I was still trying to figure out what to do when Gift spoke up. "Listen, young lady, I want you to come here now so we can talk. You know I loved you, Eli. I still do, and you know it."
I kept quiet, my tongue frozen in fear. I couldn't tell him that I had moved on. He would go after my new man, and I didn't want that to happen.
"I'm giving you tomorrow, and if you don't show up, get ready to bury your precious mother," he continued.
Did he just say bury? He couldn't do that. He just couldn't compare his obsession with my mother's life. Gift was a monster, and it was sad I was only seeing that now.
"But Gift, you know I'm at school. How do you expect me to come there?" I asked, my voice cracking with fear.
He chuckled before replying, "Come on, babe, it's your choice. It's either you choose books or your mother's life."
With that, he dropped the call. He really sounded serious. I felt defeated, and I couldn't imagine how my mom was feeling right now.
I couldn't help but cry, wondering how I even fell in love with such a heartless person.
_Flashback_
"You know I hate parties, Al..." she cut me off.
"I know, but you'll have fun, trust me. Do this for me, please. I'll owe you one, friend. Please," she replied, her voice convincing.
I sighed, knowing I couldn't win this argument. "Okay, I'll come," I said, defeated.
Alice squealed with excitement, and I couldn't help but smile. She was one of a kind, and I loved her for it.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll call you, okay?" she said before hanging up.
So, I'd been invited to my friend's brother's party. I didn't want to go, but Alice had begged me, and I couldn't resist.
The first few hours of the party were fun, but then Alice's boyfriend took her away, leaving me alone. I sat down and tried to enjoy the weak drinks. Lost in thought, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I slowly lifted my head, and my eyes met a tall, dark guy who was smiling at me, exposing his cute dimple.
"Hello, young lady," he said, his voice smooth and sexy.
I looked at him without blinking, taking in his handsome features. His teeth were extremely white, and his grey sweats suited him well. He had black eyebrows and small eyes that sparkled with kindness.
He waved his hand in front of my eyes. I was embarrassed that he caught me admiring his handsomeness. "Are you alright?" he asked me with a doubled smile on his face.
"Oh, yeah, I'm okay, how are you doing?" I replied, trying to hide the obvious embarrassment on my face.
He dragged a chair over to sit next to me, extending his hand to mine. "I'm Jordan. And who is this pretty young lady at my party?" he said, still smiling.
Did he just say "my" party? So, this was Alice's brother? Oh, wow.
I took a sip before responding. "I'm Elizabeth, Alice's friend. Nice to meet you, party owner," I said, trying not to look nervous.
Jordan's smiling face turned into a frowning one. "You're Alice's friend? How come I don't know you?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.I felt hurt by Jordan's question; it implied that he knew every friend of Alice's. "Well, I'm an introverted person; I barely go out," I said, telling him the truth. I didn't even want to be here, but his sister had dragged me along.
He smiled slightly before making a serious face. He looked at me for almost two minutes without saying anything. I wished I could tell him how uncomfortable that was, but I couldn't.
He finally broke the silence. "You came alone?" I just nodded, wondering if it was necessary for him to pull a straight face for that question.
"Okay, nice meeting you, Elizabeth. You look cute, by the way," he said, still looking serious. I blushed a little, my heart racing. Should I tell him he's handsome too? Oh, no way; he'd think I'm cheap.
"Thank you," I simply mouthed, smiling.
"Do you mind telling me a bit about yourself?" he asked, now smiling slightly.
Myself? The last time I answered that question was in elementary school, writing a composition. I wondered how to start; it was then I realized I clearly didn't know myself.
He was quiet, looking at me, waiting for me to talk. "Ummm, what do you want to know about me? I mean, you already know my name. You now know I'm your sister's friend," I asked, trying to sit comfortably.
"Aw, yeah, but that's not enough, Blinky," he replied with his eyes almost closed.
Oh my God! Did he just call me Blinky? Why was he even calling me that? I had my mouth hanging, waiting for him to explain.
At least he got the message without me asking; he replied ASAP. "I'm sorry, hey. I just like how you blink with those large, cute eyes of yours."
How could I get mad at someone as sweet as this? I ended up laughing, of course.
"Can I call you that? Please," he asked with a pleading voice.
It was a cute name, wasn't it? "Yeah, sure, it's okay," I replied without thinking twice.
"So, are you comfortable telling me about your love life? That's what I'm really interested in," he asked, rubbing his hands together as if he was nervous.
I wished he wouldn't ask me about all this. My life was messy when it came to love.
Imagine falling in love with a man who got imprisoned for killing his own brother after finding out he was sleeping with his wife. Now you must be wondering how I was dating someone's wife – I didn't know, really, and I discovered that after he was taken by the police.
Saying I was hurt would be an understatement. I was beyond the word "hurt" itself. I lost myself for something like two years, wondering how Gift could possibly do that to me.
There were no signs or whatsoever that he had a wife, and now I didn't really know where I stood in this dating stuff.
"Hey, why are you crying?" Jordan asked with a concerned voice.
Was I crying? Oh my God, I didn't even notice that I was crying. I quickly wiped my tears with the back of my hands.
He held both my hands and looked at me straight in the eyes before talking. "Heyyy, it's okay if you don't want us to talk about it, okay?"
I just nodded. Don't get me wrong – it's not like I didn't want to talk about it, okay? But I didn't even know where to start; it was a lot for me.
"Look, can I have your contact details if you don't mind? We'll talk and take you out maybe whenever you're free," he continued.
Now he was talking; I really missed that. I hoped it didn't cause me some pain again. I mean, Gift used to take me out more often, and I just hoped it didn't remind me of those memories. I was still trying to heal.
We exchanged numbers before my mom called. I took the call with a smile on my face.
"Mom," I said.
"Hey sweetheart, your dad is coming to fetch you right now; it's late. Kindly send him the location," she replied.
Why so early, though?
"But mom..." she cut me off without letting me finish the sentence.
"Eli, do as I say, don't tell me what to do. Since when do you love parties?"
She didn't wait for me to reply; she simply said that and then dropped the call. I knew when she sounded like this, there was no turning back. My parents were overprotective, and it was boring, trust me.
I DM'd my dad the location immediately after the call. I chatted with Jordan a bit. I chatted with Jordan for a bit before my dad called me to tell me he was outside. I said my goodbyes to Jordan and asked him to let Alice that Dad had come to pick me up.