Like Mother , Like Daughter

Chapter 5

Two weeks had passed, and I was at my new rented home, the walls closing in on me as I scrolled through the internet. My name was everywhere, trending alongside Jason’s lies. i had already signed the divorce papers but yet he wouldn’t shut up about how i was a bad wife on the internet , He was turning everything against me . I wanted to sue him for defamation of character but i couldn’t fund a lawyer , Everything was crashing down on me . I grabbed my phone and dialed jason’s number and he picked almost immediately.

“ I predicted this call !” Jason giggles.

“ These past weeks you have been all on all on the internet saying bad things about me , Jason ! You know how hard i built my influencing career and you are doing this to me ? What exactly do you want !” i yelled out of frustration and he let out of long laughter .

“ This is just the beginning! You want 50% of my company right ? Don’t worry i will ridicule you to the extent you would want to hide in a hole !”

“ i hate you !” i screamed and he scoffed .

“ Ohh not yet ! i just dropped another juicy news for your fans …Byeee” He said and hung up .

“MENTAL INSTABILITY RUNS IN THE FAMILY,” the headlines screamed.

My breath caught when I read further. Jason had leaked my family’s darkest secret: my mother was in a mental institution. He claimed I was following in her footsteps, insinuating that my recent outbursts were signs of hereditary madness.

I clenched my fists, my phone shaking in my hands. How dare he?

I hit the voice recorder and sent him a message: “Jason, you bastard! You’re a coward, hiding behind lies and dirty tactics! I swear, you’ll regret the day you messed with me. You think you’ve won? Think again, you miserable excuse for a man!”

My voice cracked, my rage spilling out as I hung up. I tossed the phone onto the couch and buried my face in my hands, my body trembling.

The knock at the door startled me. I stood, my heart racing as I approached cautiously.

“Who is it?” I called out.

“Ma’am, we’re from an NGO that helps mentally unstable people. We’re here to assist you,” a calm but firm voice replied.

My blood ran cold. “I’m not mad! You’ve got the wrong house!”

The door burst open, and two large men in white uniforms stormed in. I screamed, struggling as they grabbed me.

“I SAID I’M NOT MAD!” I yelled, thrashing in their grip.

One of them pulled out a syringe and jabbed it into my arm. The world blurred, and my body grew heavy.

The last thing I heard before darkness consumed me was, “She’ll be fine. Let’s take her.”

When I woke up, the walls were grimy and cracked, the air reeking of mildew. I was in a small, windowless room, the faint hum of flickering lights above.

I sat up on the thin, tattered mattress, my head pounding. It didn’t take long to realize where I was—an abandoned mental hospital.

“This is a setup,” I muttered, my throat dry. “Jason planned all of this.”

Days passed in a haze. Every morning, I screamed until my voice was hoarse. “I AM NOT MAD!” But no one listened.

The nurses and guards were cold, ignoring my pleas. Every meal slid under the door was tasteless and barely edible.

Then, one day, the door creaked open, and a man in a white coat entered. His face was partially hidden behind a surgical mask.

“Great,” I spat, crossing my arms. “Another one of Jason’s puppets.”

The man said nothing as he approached. My heart skipped a beat as he reached for his mask and pulled it down.

I gasped. “You?”

It was Jason’s stepbrother, Jake. I hadn’t seen him in years, not since the day he and Jason had a brutal falling out.

“You’re in on this too?” I scoffed, folding my arms. “What did he promise you? Money? Power?”

He shook his head. “Andrea, listen to me. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help.”

I glared at him, skeptical. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because I’m taking you to see someone you’ve wanted to meet for a long time, plus i’m taking you out of here “he said quietly.

I froze. “Who?”

“Your mother,” he replied.

My breath caught, and my heart raced. My mother?

“She’s alive?” I whispered, the weight of his words sinking in.

“Yes. it’s a long story , but I found her. She wants to see you,” he said, his voice calm yet urgent. “But we need to move now.”

I hesitated for a moment before nodding.

He led me through the winding, dark corridors of the abandoned hospital, every shadow making my skin crawl. We slipped past sleeping guards and broken doors until we finally reached the exit.

Outside, the cold night air hit my face as we ran across a barren field. A helicopter’s blades roared in the distance, its spotlight slicing through the darkness.

“Get in,” Jake urged, helping me climb aboard.

As I settled into the seat, my breath hitched. Sitting across from me was a woman I hadn’t seen in years, her face worn but regal, her eyes sharp and filled with resolve.

“Mom?” I whispered, tears pooling in my eyes.

She smiled softly, her voice steady. “Long time no see, my beautiful daughter.”

I choked on a sob as she leaned forward, her hand brushing mine.

“I’m here to take you away from this suffering,” she said. “And back to the life of luxury you were born into.”

“ Mom! You are alive!” I grabbed her into a warm hug .

“ I’m sorry …i’m sorry that you had to endure all of that ..But it’s okay , it’s over now …I’m here for you …Jason will never get away with what he has done to you , i promise !”

The helicopter lifted off, and for the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of hope. The battle wasn’t over. It was just beginning.