Chapter 18: Expectations Met With Disappointment

Susan's POV

I tried to wrap my head around her reason for appearing that way and I ended up shooting point-blank

“Take this,” she handed the documents to me before I could ask what they meant.

“What's this about?

I still don't get it,” I asked with a hint of confusion after examining the documents.

“I'm pretty sure you can read, don't you?” She mocked me with the response.

I stopped asking questions.

Instead, I glanced through the documents to grasp their content.

“The court restraining order.

You want me to sign it on Ethan's behalf?” I asked after reading through.

“You certainly haven't lost your reading ability, have you? Isn't that what you want?” She asked me.

I nodded my head in response as she handed me a pen.

I thought about countless things as I signed the agreement.

Despite how small the pen was, I still found it difficult to hold it firmly.

My hands keep trembling like a kid being forced to write to him in the classroom.

Maria snatched the documents from me and went through them just to be certain I had signed.

When it was confirmed, she turned around to leave, but I stopped her.

“It was nice doing business. I thought we were done here?” She asked me.

“You're missing something. We just did your bidding.

You haven't done ours yet,” I explained without hitting the nail on the head.

“Oh! About Ethan, isn't it?”

She exclaimed.

“Yes, Ethan.

You haven't said anything about his release and you want to walk away like that? That wasn't our agreement,” I lamented bitterly.

“Don't worry yourself about nothing, Suzy.

I already ordered for his release before you signed the damn papers. Shut the gate after you and don't show up here again,” Maria kept talking as she walked away.

I had mixed feelings. I love the fact that Ethan was finally free.

But the thought of being played like a ping pong table by Maria bothered me.

If only I had known she already ordered for release before bringing the documents, I wouldn't have signed them.

Now I know why she took so much time to show up.

“We need to leave now. We've got what we wanted,” Paul implored me after witnessing my anger.

He had a feeling that I was going to do something stupid. He wasn't far from the truth.

The only word signing in my head has been “Violence”

After Ethan's release, I no longer feel indebted to Maria.

Should she speak to me in a tone that doesn't sit well with me, I will hit her hard.

Until we left Maria's home and returned to the car, I couldn't stop thinking about the nasty things I could have done to me.

The anger is still fresh inside of me. While we were inside there, I was hoping that she was gonna show up again.

It was such a disgrace to walk away like that after the humiliation I endured from Maria and her new man.

“Hold on a second.

When did Maria suddenly become Naomi Jackson?

Is there something I'm missing? Why is she running away from her past?” Paul asked me as we sat inside the car.

We were unable to leave immediately. We needed some time to put our shit together after the horrible encounter at Maria's mansion.

“That was the same question on my lips when I found out about it. It's crazy, isn't it?” I responded after a sigh.

“But who cares anyway? Ethan is out now and that's what matters to me.

I'll also appreciate it if we stop talking about Maria,” I pleaded with Paul.

At the mention of Maria, my demons are awakened Inside of me again.

There's something she does to my head that I can't fathom.

“Speaking of Ethan, we need to visit the station Immediately.

He can't afford to spend one more minute there,” Paul suggested, and I obliged without any reasonable doubt.

I took some time to stay calm before driving to the station.

I tried my best to avoid any form of distraction that might be caused by Maria.

A few miles away from the station, I stopped by the mall to get a bottle of wine to celebrate Ethan's release.

The moment we arrived at the station, I went to approach the female cop, Aleeyah Coleman, who had attended to me the last time I came to visit.

“Good evening, ma'am.

Please I need to see my husband, Ethan.

Remember me? I was here earlier this morning,” I asked nicely.

Unlike the last time that I was restless, I approached her with absolute calmness and a broad smile.

Nathan's release was enough to calm my soul and command the storm to stay still.

“Your husband?” She gave me a cold response after a suspicious glance at Paul.

“Oh, he's my husband's cousin.

We came together,” I had to set the record straight to eradicate any negative thoughts dwelling in the mind of the cop.

“No one cares anyway,” she smirked.

“Back to my question.

Where's my husband?

You haven't responded yet

Can you please take me to him?” I repeated my question but in a different dimension.

I needed to be certain that she heard me the first time.

“Your husband isn't here anymore.

He left after Ma'am Naomi Jackson ordered his release,” The cop responded harshly as though we've had a fierce altercation In the past before.

“What do you mean my husband left already? If this is a prank, then you need to put a stop to it.

I don't find it funny. My husband can't just leave like that. What have you done to him?” I cried my eyes out.

It was difficult for me to believe that Ethan would leave without prior notice.

At this point, I might be convinced to believe that Maria has done something extraordinary again.

It's now clear to me why she refused to come with us to the station.

Could she be lying when she called the station and sanctioned Ethan's release?