Chapter 9: The Trap.
The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the apartment, but the silence felt different this time. Ezinne stood in front of the window, watching the fading light and feeling something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a long time: power. The woman in white had said the words that had stuck with her, echoed in her mind ever since: "You're not alone. He'll slip. And when he does, you must be ready." Ezinne had knelt in front of the altar, lost in her grief, but when the woman had whispered those words, something inside her had shifted. She wasn't the broken woman anymore. She wasn't the scared, bruised soul who had endured in silence. No. She was a mother fighting for her child's safety. She was a woman who had lived through hell and had come out stronger for it. The fear was gone. Replaced with an unshakable resolve. Ogechi had come by earlier, her face still worried, her words full of concern. But now, when Ezinne thought about it, she saw it through a new lens. Ogechi wanted to protect her, to shield her, but Ezinne knew she had to take control of this herself. She was no longer the victim. She was a woman fighting for her future, for her child's future. She paced the living room, her steps purposeful, every movement calm and deliberate. There was no hesitation in her anymore. No fear. There was only what needed to be done. She had already filed the police report. The officers had barely listened, dismissing her as if her fear didn't matter. But that was fine. Ezinne wasn't waiting for them to save her anymore. She was the one who was going to end this. The doorbell rang, breaking her thoughts. It was Ogechi, standing at the door with a bag of groceries, her expression unreadable. "I brought food," Ogechi said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. Her gaze moved immediately to Ezinne, studying her with the intensity that had become familiar over the past few weeks. "How are you holding up?" "I'm fine," Ezinne said, her voice calm, strong. "Better than fine, actually." Ogechi frowned. "You don't have to do this alone, you know." Ezinne shook her head, a soft smile forming on her lips. "I'm not alone. I never was. And this—" She gestured around the apartment, her hand steady—"this will end. I'm ready." Ogechi narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" Ezinne looked her friend in the eyes. "I'm not going to wait anymore. He thinks he has control. He doesn't. He's been watching, waiting, thinking I'm still the scared woman who can't fight back. But he's wrong. He's underestimated me." Ogechi took a step back, surprised, but there was something else in her eyes too. A flicker of admiration, maybe even awe. "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to give him what he wants just enough to make him think he's winning. And then, when he shows up thinking I'm weak, thinking he has the upper hand—I'll have him exactly where I want him." There was a moment of silence as Ogechi processed her words. "You're sure about this?" Ezinne's lips curled into a confident smile. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, quickly scrolling through her messages. She had already arranged the meeting with Chike—one final confrontation, where she would let him believe he had the upper hand. The trap was set. The night grew darker, and Ezinne couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to shift permanently. The storm that had been brewing for weeks was ready to break, and she was no longer running from it. She was ready to face it head-on, to take back everything he had stolen from her. The phone buzzed in her hand, and she looked down at the screen. Chike. The message was simple: "I'm coming." It was time. The trap was set, but this time, it wasn't a desperate escape from fear. It was a plan, a calculated risk. Ezinne was ready to confront her past, to take control, and to fight back in a way she never had before. She was done being afraid. She was done being the one who ran. Now, she was the one who would make the moves. And as the clock ticked down, Ezinne felt the power surge within her. She wasn't the woman Chike thought she was. No longer his prey. Now, she was the one in control. This wasn't just the end of his reign of terror. It was the beginning of her freedom.