Chapter 1 The Anniversary Trap

• The street was lonely and darkness had already taken over the sky. Mia was already used to the environment and didn't care about the dangers that could hit her at that place.
• But with the faint footsteps that echoed behind her, she could feel her heart tighten in fear for the first time in the three years she had been taking that route back home.
• She paused and watched the ground, silently searching for the emergence of another shadow behind hers.
• After some seconds passed and no one walked past her, she sighed in relief and kept walking.
• But the moment she took a few steps forward, the sound of footsteps that didn't belong to her filled her ears again.
• Mia's breathing grew raspy and heavy as she clutched hard onto the bag that her boyfriend had dropped earlier at her workplace.
• “It's a thief, I know it's a thief," she whispered to herself, daring not to let go of the bag's sling or slow down her pace.
• She kept walking without stopping, her heart thumping loudly in her chest and fear bubbling in her.
• Soon, she got out of the lonely street and into a lane that had some people in it. She sighed in relief and continued her walk silently till she got to her house on the outskirts of the town.
• She reached into her bag and pulled out a bunch of keys, then slipped it into the keyhole, unlocking the door.
• As she pushed the door open, cold air hit her face, causing goosebumps to appear on her body.
• She gulped and slipped out the key from the keyhole, then took a quick survey of the lawn beside her house before shuffling into the house.
• Mia Sanders had lived all her life alone.
• Growing up in an orphanage, she swore to get educated and live the life her parents never bothered to give her before abandoning her in front of the orphanage.
• She fulfilled her dream and single handedly saw herself through college. But life can't always be a bed of roses, right?
• That was what Mia always told herself whenever she was cheated by the college and her superiors.
• Despite her college achievements and academic qualifications, Mia ended up working as a receptionist in a department store.
• Now, her only dream is to be happy with the man she loves, her boyfriend, who has always stuck with her through life's phases, Justin McWell.
• He was the only one who had loved her sincerely and didn't distance himself away from her.
• They met during freshman year in college, began dating after they graduated, and have been together since then.
• She didn't care about becoming wealthy anymore; all she wanted was a happy, simple life with Justin. A happily forever kind of life.
• It was their fourth anniversary. Even though they don't buy luxury things for one another on their special day, they always celebrate it in a simple way that is filled with love.
• To Mia, love was all that mattered in their relationship and she knew Justin felt the same way too.
• The ringing of her phone forced her back to reality and she moved away from the counter, reaching for her phone in her bag.
• She pulled it out and smiled when the caller's ID flashed across the screen.
• “Hey," she whispered over the phone as she turned on the coffee maker, a smile on her face.
• “Hey, queen, you're still with the bag, right?” He asked.
• "Yes, yes. When will you come?” Mia asked and scooped some sugar into a cup.
• Silence trailed after her question, and after what seemed like an eternity to Mia, he finally responded in a hoarse voice.
• "I'm coming over tonight to take it," Justin replied.
• She chuckled, smiling widely.
• "It's our anniversary tonight,” she muttered.
• "I know. We'll go to the movies and make this night a memorable one,” he muttered, his voice hoarse and almost lifeless.
• "I love you,” she whispered into the phone but before she could hear a response, the line went dead.
• Her brows furrowed at his strange behavior, but she waved it aside as a bad day and then headed over to the counter when she heard the whistling from the coffee maker.
• She turned it off and poured herself some coffee before heading into the cozy, damp living room she owned.
• She slumped down into one of the soft coaches and sighed loudly in tiredness, sipping slowly as she waited for Justin.
• About half an hour later, a loud bang on the door got Mia springing up from the couch.
• She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked down at her body, her heart thumping loudly in excitement.
• She was still in the white dress she wore to work and she hadn't bothered to pull off the black heels she had on.
• Working as a receptionist at a busy department store had forced her to stick to stilettos to the point of wearing them around her house unintentionally.
• The knock came again, louder than the first one. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a lip gloss then applied it hurriedly to her lips, screaming out to her boyfriend that she was coming for the door.
• She adjusted her dress and brushed back her hair as she made for the door.
• The moment she twisted the knob and unlocked the door, it swung open and a pair of strong hands brushed her to the ground.
• She fell on her butt and groaned in pain, clutching her wrist as she looked up in shock.
• Her eyes widened in dismay when her eyes locked with unfamiliar eyes. Eyes that didn't belong to her boyfriend, Justin.
• “Who are you?" She questioned in a raised voice.
• The tall, lean man standing before her scoffed in disgust and showcased a pair of handcuffs.
• “You are under arrest for smuggling drugs, Miss Sanders," the man said.
• Mia scoffed, her jaws falling in astonishment.
• “Is this a new kind of stunt Justin is pulling to surprise me on our anniversary," she muttered, silently hoping that it was true.
• The man scoffed, glaring at her with hatred and disgust laced against his face.
• "Does this look like some kind of stunt to you?” The man growled, causing Mia to flinch.
• The smile that was about to creep into Mia's face faded and she gasped as it hit her.
• She stared at the badge on the uniform and the ID card that the man had pulled out and shoved into her face.
• "Wait, you're truly a cop?” She gasped, filled with confusion.
• "Where are the drugs you have hidden in your house?” The man asked and her head jerked up.
• “Drugs?" She admonished, shaking her head, “There is nothing like that in my house!”
• The man chuckled and whistled for his colleagues standing outside.
• Four men entered and began to shuffle further into her room without saying a word to her.
• Mia sprang up, alarm laced against her face.
• “This is not right! What are you doing?"
• “I have a search warrant, miss. Your days of committing crime are over," the cop muttered and she swerved around, glaring at him hatefully.
• “Committing crimes? Have you ever seen me do anything against the law?” She spat in anger.
• "Your underling has been arrested, he definitely knows the number of crimes you've committed,” he replied bluntly.
• Mia's throat knotted and she staggered back, still unable to comprehend the man's words.
• She wouldn't do anything against the law. She had never done anything evil. How could they come to her place and accuse her wrongly? Did they get the wrong address?
• “Look, I don't have anything with me—"
• “Wait till the search party is done."
• Mia felt like breaking into tears but she assured herself that the cops would find nothing dirty on her as she had nothing to do with drugs.
• After minutes of searching, the search party returned with a bag. The same bag that Justin had given her at her workplace.
• “Sir, we found the drugs in here," one of the men muttered and Mia felt her breath cease.
• Before she could say another word, she was already handcuffed and led out of the house.