Episode 3

Daniel drove back home in his bike angrily while Lisa followed behind him in a cab. It was a very chilly night and his teeth were already chattering but he didn’t care. He hoped the cold would subside his pain and anger.

He burst into the house angrily and met his in-laws still in the house.

“How did it go?” Kevin asked with a hopeful tone, but Daniel ignored him and walked past them.

“Where’s my daughter you idiot? You promised to be back with her. Better pray nothing has happened to her or else!” Gloria yelled after him as he stormed into his bedroom and banged the door behind him.

“Or else nothing mom. I’m fine,” Lisa said walking into the house, looking obviously cold but there was something else about her expression that her mother couldn’t tell. She looked sad.

“Oh thank goodness my child. What happened to you? You look terrible,” Gloria said after hugging her and started scanning her face.

“I’m fine mother. Where’s Daniel?” Lisa asked and her mother shrugged.

“He’s inside. We couldn’t get him to sign the divorce papers,” she replied in a low tone as if she didn’t want him listening to their conversation.

“Alright. Where are the papers?” She asked and her mother grabbed them from the stool in the living room and handed them over to her.

“I don’t need any interruptions okay?” Lisa said looking at her mother and her brother because she knew they were going to interfere but she had to warn them before hand.

“Okay,” her mother said with her hands in the air and she took one last glance at her brother before going inside.

She opened the door and luckily he didn’t lock it but she was surprised at what she saw next. He was packing his things.

“What are you doing?” She asked in shock but Daniel was too angry to even reply her. He kept packing his clothes into his bags violently and just hoped to get it over with so he could leave.

“Are you packing to leave?” She asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing huh?” He asked angrily and she swallowed hard.

“I… I mean I… I wanted the divorce but I was ready to leave with nothing. You can keep the house,” she said and Daniel scoffed.

“Oh please. Don’t patronize me,” he said without even looking at her the whole time.

“You’re not going to look at me now?” She asked trying to get closer to him.

“How do you expect me to? I can’t even stand to look at your face. After you kissed that man in my presence? What more do you want from me?” He said with a shaky voice like he was about to cry.

“I had to let you know that I was serious about the divorce,” she said with her head down guiltily.

“Spare me that, please. Where are the papers?” Daniel asked impatiently and she handed them to him with a pen.

“Alright, sign here and here for the properties to remain with you,” she said softly, pointing at the places on the paper.

“Impossible!” Gloria yelled, barging into the bedroom. Lisa turned around in shock, her eyes wide with fear.

“Mother, I thought I…” Lisa tried to speak, but Gloria raised her hand in the air, silencing her daughter.

“You will sign for all the properties to remain with my daughter. You will leave with nothing, the way you entered her life with nothing!” She shouted at Daniel, who was already tired of their tantrums and had nothing more to say to them.

“I wasn’t even planning on taking anything. As you can see, I’m already packing my bags,” Daniel said calmly, as he signed only the part where he agreed to a divorce. He didn’t care about the money or the possessions. He just wanted to get away from this toxic relationship.

“Good!” Gloria said with a smug look and crossed her arms over her chest. “Mother!” Lisa exclaimed, annoyed by her mother’s interference.

“You still want to give him all your properties? You will change your mind once you see what he has stolen from you!” Gloria yelled and signaled for Kevin to go and search his bag.

“What are you talking about? Let go of my bag!” Daniel protested, as Kevin grabbed his bag and rummaged through it. A picture frame fell out of it by accident and shattered into pieces on the floor.

It was a picture frame of him and his late parents that he cherished so much.

He felt his blood boil and he was ready to launch at Kevin when Kevin picked something up from the floor. “Wait! This is it! Isn’t this yours, sister?” He said, holding up a very beautiful diamond necklace that sparkled under the light. Daniel looked shocked.

“How did that get in there?” Daniel muttered under his breath, but Gloria walked up to him and slapped him hard across the face.

“Don’t you dare act like you don’t know how it got there,” she said with a scornful look on her face as Daniel held his cheek where she had slapped him.

“You bastard!” Daniel thundered and kicked Kevin so hard that he fell to the ground. He couldn’t hit a woman, so he decided to lay out all his anger on Kevin.

“You guys stop it!” Lisa yelled, already tired of their drama. “I know you people planted that in his bag. Hell, he had no idea I owned such an item!” Lisa defended Daniel, knowing that he was innocent.

“Still! He should leave! We’ve had enough of this pig!” Gloria insisted, not willing to admit her mistake.

Daniel quickly put back everything in his bags and stormed out of the house.

“Wait, Daniel. It’s really cold outside, won’t you wait a while longer?” Lisa called after him, feeling really bad and guilty for what he had gone through that night.

It was their anniversary, and Lisa worried she had picked the wrong day for all this drama, but she had no other choice.

“After what I’ve been through tonight? The cold has got nothing on me,” Daniel replied coldly, without looking back. He slammed the door behind him and left the house.

Lisa suddenly felt empty and started to wish things hadn’t turned out the way they did.

Daniel walked out into the cold of the night and shivered. He didn’t know what to feel at that moment, and he had no money on him, so he thought of the best person to come to his rescue.

“Mother! Kevin! I need both of you to leave!” He heard Lisa’s voice from inside. It sounded like she got into a conflict with his in-laws, but he didn’t care about it anymore.

He reached for his phone in his pocket and dialed a number. “If it isn’t Daniel Sampson!” His uncle, Mark Sampson, said in his usual cheerful voice. Daniel was so happy that after three years of his disappearance, his uncle still had his number saved.

“Hello, uncle. How are you doing?” Daniel asked with a shaky voice. “Great, the way you left us,” he said with a cackle. “The question is… how are you doing without all the privileges your father left behind for you?” He asked, and Daniel didn’t seem to have a reply to that.

“What do you want, boy?” His uncle asked, sounding serious. “I need your help, uncle. I just divorced my wife, and I have nowhere to go,” he confessed.

“Send me your address right now, and my driver will be with you in a minute,” he said, and Daniel smiled inwardly. “Thank you,” he said and disconnected the call.

He sent the address to his uncle and in fifteen minutes, he saw a fleet of cars pull over on the side of the road. “I thought he said his driver,” Daniel muttered under his breath as he got closer to the cars. Then a middle-aged man got down from one of the cars and Daniel recognized him instantly. He was Michael, the CEO of the company where Lisa worked.

“Good evening, Sir Sampson,” he said with a bow.

“Beautiful evening!” Daniel said and gave him a firm handshake.

“Such a surprise to see you,” Daniel said, and Michael grinned ear to ear. “You didn’t hear? I’m your uncle’s subordinate now,” he said, and Daniel chuckled lightly. “Of course. Shall we?” He said, getting into the car while Michael followed behind him.