Chapter 3

            ☆Samira☆

It took a moment for reality to hit me like a cold wave.

This wasn’t some horror episode from a bad dream.

I was getting arrested.

They forcefully pressed me against the cold wall, slapped cuffs on my wrists, and began reciting my rights as if I were some hardened criminal.

I struggled against the officer.

My heart raced as I turned toward the bed.

“Daniel! Daniel! What’s going on?” I shouted in desperation. “Daniel! Stop them!”

“What's going on officers!” he yelled at them but they ignored him.

“Mrs. Norwood, you’re causing a scene, this is a hospital!” one officer barked as he dragged me out of the room.

“Daniel! Stop them!” I cried out, my voice echoing in the quiet hallway.

I kicked and screamed, desperately trying to grasp the doorframe, but the officers were too powerful, dragging me down the corridor like I was some wild criminal.

My eyes darted around and that's when I spotted Linda and Kate, and my struggle halted.

The officers also paused for a second.

The two women stood in a corner, smiling.

“Linda….Please!” I called out, my voice trembling.

She turned away,  holding Kate’s arm tightly.

“Linda!” I pleaded, but the officer continued to drag me away.

Onlookers, patients, staff, everyone on the floor watched as I was escorted to the elevator.

As the doors slid open, Kate's brother stepped out, his gaze shifting from me to the cuffs binding my hands.

For the first time, his expression was empty of ice.

The officers shoved me into the elevator, and the doors sealed me inside.

They whisked me straight to the police station and tossed me into a cell.

I cried

I pleaded, but my cries fell on deaf ears.

No one seemed interested in hearing me out.

It wasn’t until morning that the officer who had arrested me finally came to explain the charges.

His questions were initially confusing, but gradually, the pieces fell into place regarding the cuffs around my wrists.

It was all because of my signature.

My signature was everywhere and worse they found a bank in my name with over two million dollars of laundered money.

Documents instructing ship workers to pick up immigrants had my signature.

Papers detailing hidden offshore accounts for money laundering had my signature.

I had only begun signing papers a week ago.

I tried to explain this, but the officer wouldn’t entertain my words.

Then it dawned on me.

It was Kate.

That conniving bitch.

“She set me up!” I exclaimed. “My husband’s secretary, Kate!”

“Are you saying she forged your signature?” he asked. “Were you signing digitally or with ink?” he asked.

“Ink,”  I replied.

“Exactly, we used a handwriting expert and he is hundred percent sure none of the signatures were forged,” he explained, draining the hope out of me.

“Were you even reading the things you were signing? He asked.

I lowered my gaze, shame washing over me.

Daniel assured me they were just routine paperwork.

“Mrs. Norwood?” the investigator called out.

“You need to speak to my husband!” I insisted, reaching for his arm.

“Mrs. Norwood, your husband claims he’s unwell and has not been involved with the company for weeks,” he replied, his tone firm. “He also said you had free access to the company.”

My eyes shot up.

“What… he…”

“I strongly suggest you hire a good lawyer, this situation isn’t looking good for you,” he declared as he stood up.

“No, no, please wait…” I attempted to object, but he was already out of the door.

I was granted a single phone call.

To call my lawyer.

But I chose to call Daniel.

He was going to clarify everything.

This was all a misunderstanding.

This was all Kate.

Daniel was my witness.

I dialed his number, but it wouldn’t connect.

The line kept saying it was out of service.

I tried repeatedly until the officer snatched the phone from my grasp.

“No, please, I couldn’t get through,” I pleaded, but he brushed me off.

I only had one call and I had wasted it.

Who else was I supposed to call?

My family was not in the country yet.

They were facing some delays.

I was escorted back to my cell.

The next day, no one came.

I was on the verge of madness.

Why was Daniel not sending anyone?

Did he think I was guilty?

Was his mother preventing him from helping me?

That made sense.

That old woman was likely relishing my predicament.

She was blocking Daniel’s support.

Tears streamed down my face.

I felt utterly doomed.

On the fourth day, they formally charged me and set a trial date.

They offered me a court-appointed lawyer, but I declined.

They needed to speak with my husband.

He had a competent attorney.

“Please, call my husband!” I begged them.

“Your husband doesn’t want to get involved. He has his own lawyer. We spoke to him about your claims regarding the secretary, and he denied everything,” the officer explained.

“What?” My mouth hung in disbelief.

“Daniel couldn’t… you must have spoken to his mother, right?”

He sighed heavily.

“No, did you know we’ve been investigating him for years but lacked evidence?” the officer asked.

I froze in horror, my mouth drying up.

They escorted me to the prison facility.

Madness was slowly settling in.

I kept repeating words to myself.

Talking to walls

I tried to convince myself that this was all Linda’s or Kate's doing.

Daniel would never abandon me like this.

It was Linda and Kate.

The next day, I finally received some glimmer of hope.

My uncle came to visit.

My family was finally in the country.

I was allowed to see him, but all I could do was cry as I entered the room.

“Samira,” he said, his voice breaking.

“I didn’t do it… they set me up… I had no idea what I was signing,” I sobbed.

“Why would you sign things without reading them?” he asked, disappointment laced in his tone.

I looked down, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Honestly, I had no answer for that.

For days, I had wrestled with why I hadn’t taken the time to read.

I tried to justify my actions, but the truth was I had been deceived by my own trust in Daniel, all while knowing the papers had come from Kate.

 I felt like the biggest fool.

“Uncle Ben, you have to talk to Daniel… yes, he’ll explain everything…” I urged, but I could see his expression darken.

“Samira, this is all Daniel’s doing!” he yelled, his voice echoing with frustration.

I looked away.

Daniel couldn’t do this to me.

I refused to believe that.

“Your husband was discharged from the hospital this morning, and your aunt and I went to see him,” he continued, his tone shifting to one of defeat. “He wouldn’t let us in, and his mother kicked us out of their property.”

“Wait, did you actually see Daniel? Did you hear him speak…” I asked.

“Damn it, Samira! Think for a second!” he yelled, “Why hasn’t he sent a lawyer to help you at the very least?” 

I cast my eyes downward, unable to meet his gaze.

“I spoke with the officers, and they believe you’re just a pawn in this game! Why did you sign those papers? Why would you sign something without reading it?” he pressed.

I kept my head down, feeling the weight of his words.

“Your signature and that bank account!” he exclaimed. “Not Daniel’s, not his mother’s nor the secretary. Can you at least tell me they forced you to sign, or that they put a gun to your head?” he asked. “I’m getting you a lawyer, we can use that to negotiate.”

Tears ran down my face as shame washed over me.

I slowly covered my face with my hands.

Uncle Ben stood up without saying a word.

Just like that, my bail was set at a staggering one million dollars.

Both my uncle and aunt were only retired civil servants. 

They could not afford that amount so I stayed locked up.

The only money they had was used to hire my lawyer.

Their retirement money.

Worse, Daniel and the company had distanced themselves from the entire situation.

My lawyer informed me that they didn’t want the company to sink alongside me.

I was the scapegoat, and when trial day arrived, neither Daniel, his mother, nor any of the company employees showed up.

But on the second hearing, Linda testified against me.

She cited the day Daniel gave me the power to run the company and how she was against it.

Kate also testified and played innocent pointing at the loading managers who she claimed were giving her the files. 

She claimed she never read the files and had no idea what I was signing.

The managers, People I never met pointed fingers at me, claiming I was running the illegal operations and that they were only following orders.

I had no witness to refute their claims.

And Daniel never showed up.

The judge made his decision based on the account in my name and the signatures.

He said I was supposed to get more than ten years but due to the finger pointing I was only sentenced to FOUR YEARS. 

“NEXT TIME READ WHAT YOU SIGN”

Those were the last words that echoed in my mind as the judge’s voice faded into darkness, and I collapsed in the courtroom.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a prison clinic, handcuffed to the bed.

The stark white walls and the sharp scent of antiseptic overwhelmed me.

“Finally, she’s awake,” a familiar voice broke through the haze.

It was Kate.

I shot up, confused and alarmed.

What was she doing here?

“Let’s get this over with, we don’t have all day,” another voice cut in.

It was my mother in law.

“What… what’s going on?” I asked, but Kate shouted for the nurses.

“Strip her and hold her down!” she commanded.

“No, no! What are you doing? What’s going on!” I screamed in panic.

The two nurses quickly undressed me, each gripping a leg and spreading them apart.

I could feel their hands shaking.

“Stop! Help! Somebody help!” I cried, but my voice faltered as I felt something rough and painful thrust inside me.

I screamed in horror, my voice piercing through the cold room.

The pain was excruciating.

It was Kate.

“This is for your own good,” Linda’s voice whispered in my ear.

Everything around me faded into numbness.

I could hear laughter as they exited the room.

When I finally came around, I was already dressed up, and two officers arrived to escort me to a women’s prison where I was going to serve my four year sentence.

“Wait! My mother in law… Kate, they did something to me!” I tried to report to the officers.

“Move it, or we’ll drag you out!” one of them barked.

“No, please, listen… they did something to me!” I cried out.

But my pleas fell on deaf ears.

I was dragged toward the van.

“They did something to me!” I kept screaming, my voice cracking as I was tossed in the back of the van.

I landed hard on my stomach and a wave of agonizing pain came crashing.

I winced as the vehicle started off.

The pain radiated fiercely, from deep within my abdomen.

It was unbearable.

I tried to hold in my cries, but the pain only kept getting worse.

“My stomach!” I cried out in desperation.

“Cut the games, we’re not falling for your tricks again,” one of the officers snapped.

“Wait Is that blood?” the other officer asked.

In a panic, I glanced down, and my heart sank at the sight of blood running down my leg.

Finally, the officers took notice and ordered the driver to make a turn to the nearest hospital.

The blood continued to seep out, I could feel it coming out of me.

We got to the hospital and the moment the nurse checked me, she directed us straight to the gynecology ward.

“What? Gynecology? What’s happening?” I shouted, fear gripping my heart.

“Please, calm down, ma’am. It seems you’ve had a miscarriage. We need to clean you,” the nurse explained, her words shattering my reality.

KATE!

I inhaled sharply, my chest tightening as if the air had turned to lead.

The atmosphere felt suffocating.

That thing she inserted in me…

Was I pregnant?

She… she… she… killed my baby…

I LET OUT A LOUD CRY