After John ended the call with Zack, he sat back on his bed, still staring at the ceiling. The silence in the room was deafening, the weight of recent events pressing down on him. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, each one more confusing than the last. Just as he was beginning to lose himself in this storm, his phone rang again, shattering the fragile quiet.He picked up his phone and checked the caller ID. His eyes narrowed as he saw it was Miss B calling. His heart skipped a beat, and a wave of unease washed over him.“Elizabeth, I am sorry I can’t talk to you now,” John whispered to himself, his voice barely audible. He sighed deeply, feeling a pang of guilt as he dropped the phone onto the bed. There was so much happening, and he needed to handle things on his own without involving Miss B.Miss B kept calling a couple more times, each ring a reminder of the unresolved tension between them. John ignored the calls, his resolve firm, until finally, she sent a text m

The next day, John didn’t waste any time. He rushed over to Claire’s house, his heart pounding with a mix of anxiety and determination. He stood outside, concealed by the shadows of a large oak tree, waiting for the moment she would come out. He knew better than to approach her at the door; he didn’t want to scare her into calling the police.John’s plan hinged on Claire taking her child to school. He hoped that the little girl he had seen with her yesterday would be leaving soon. He waited, each second stretching out like an eternity, his breath shallow and quick. The morning air was cool and crisp, and he could hear the distant hum of traffic and the chirping of birds, but all his senses were focused on the house.After what felt like forever, but was only thirty minutes, the front door finally opened. Claire and her child stepped out into the morning light. Claire’s face was serene, her eyes crinkled in a gentle smile as she held her daughter’s hand. The little girl, a spitting ima

“What do you want from me and my child?” Claire asked, her voice trembling with barely contained fear. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white, as she drove the car gently through the dark, winding road. The tension that enveloped her was palpable, a tangible force that seemed to tighten the very air around them. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her anxiety making her every movement rigid and deliberate.John, seated beside her, turned and studied her carefully. He noticed the glistening beads of sweat trickling down her face, tracing erratic paths over her pale skin. Her eyes were wide with fear, darting from the road to him and back again, as if expecting him to pounce at any moment. The dim light from the dashboard cast eerie shadows across her features, accentuating the lines of worry etched into her face.John shifted his gaze to the backseat, where Claire’s child sat, a small, fragile figure in the dim light. The child’s eyes were wide wit

“I caught him in bed with another man,” Claire spat, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and anguish. Shishi’s eyes widened at the revelation, shock and disbelief rendering her momentarily speechless. Tears welled up in Shishi’s eyes, and soon they overflowed, streaming down her cheeks in a silent cascade of empathy.“I caught my husband on our matrimonial bed with another man,” Claire repeated, her voice breaking as she spoke the words again. She gritted her teeth, struggling to maintain her composure, her fists clenching so tightly her knuckles turned white.John felt a surge of empathy, his heart aching with a familiar, burning anger. Claire’s pain resonated deeply with him, dragging up memories of the time he had caught Stephanie in bed with Jeffrey. The trauma of that discovery was still raw, a wound that had never fully healed.“Calm down, Claire,” John said softly, extending a hand toward her but then hesitating. His hand hovered in the air, unsure whether to offer the comfo

John struggled in the car, wedged tightly between the burly figures of his kidnappers. The space felt suffocating, each breath a laborious task as the weight of their bodies pressed against him, making escape seem impossible. His wrists were bound tightly, the rough rope chafing his skin raw, and his vision was obscured by a thick, scratchy cloth tied around his head.“Who is it?! Free me!” John thundered, his voice echoing within the confined space of the vehicle. Panic surged through him as sweat trickled down his face, stinging his eyes beneath the blindfold. His heart pounded erratically, each beat a drum of desperation.As he writhed in their grip, he could feel the harsh reality of his situation pressing down on him like a physical weight. The car’s engine roared beneath him, a constant reminder of the relentless forward motion into the unknown. John’s breaths came in ragged gasps, his mind racing with fear and anger. He twisted and turned, muscles straining against the unyield