Chained By Love

Chapter 1 Liam loved Danieka deeply, but the feud between their families prevented him from expressing his feelings. Despite the rumours about her descendants, he could never hate her; he felt indebted to her for saving his life. He longed for fate to free him from his chains, as being powerful meant little without her. Living without her felt unbearable, and even after years of wandering, he knew he would someday reveal his true love for her. No matter how deeply he buried himself in his work, it never brought him the satisfaction he craved. The gnawing hunger inside him remained unfilled, a void that seemed to grow wider with each passing day. In an attempt to escape the emptiness, he sought refuge in the bottom of a glass, but no amount of liquor—no rich, smoky whiskey or sweet, heady wine—could dull the ache within his soul Each sip only served as a temporary distraction, leaving him feeling more lost and unfulfilled than before. The emptiness intensified, driving him into a depressive state. When all interventions failed His mom sat him down for a heart-to-heart conversation. "Son...," She began, begging for permission to enter the darkened room, which reeked of alcohol and vomit. Her voice trembled with concern and empathy. His demeanour slightly changed upon the realisation that he wasn't as alone as he thought. His mother had always been his greatest cheerleader, a knight swinging her sword and annihilating any threats to her precious son. This time was no different. He recognized the fiery passion brewing within her like lava, and he knew she would stop at nothing to come to his rescue. Like she had done countless times before. "Mom..." He responded faintly. His voice crackled with desperation, pain, and loss and it became apparent to her that he was deeply wounded. His eyes were sunken into their sockets, revealing the toll that this burden left on him. There was no escaping this. He was empty. His soul was devoid of joy. "Son, you know that I love you with all my heart....." She began tearfully, and her tears broke him. She was not one to cry easily, regardless of the pain she suffered. As a matter of fact, in his teens, he thought she was sociopathic. As he evolved into adulthood, he discovered that her smile and laughter were not a mask or a badge of mental instability; rather, it was a symbol of her unbreakable spirit and resolve to take life head on despite her troubles. He envied her resilience and longed to tame the beast of addiction that had crept stealthily into his life. His response was a nod. He was afraid that if he tried to speak, the tears that were welling up in his eyes would burst through its damn and drown what little sanity he had left. "Talk to me ." His mother Liam loved Danieka deeply, but the feud between their families prevented him from expressing his feelings. Despite the rumours about her descendants, he could never hate her; he felt indebted to her for saving his life. He longed for fate to free him from his chains, as being powerful meant little without her. Living without her felt unbearable, and even after years of wandering, he knew he would someday reveal his true love for her. No matter how deeply he buried himself in his work, it never brought him the satisfaction he craved. The gnawing hunger inside him remained unfilled, a void that seemed to grow wider with each passing day. In an attempt to escape the emptiness, he sought refuge in the bottom of a glass, but no amount of liquor—no rich, smoky whiskey or sweet, heady wine—could dull the ache within his soul. Each sip only served as a temporary distraction, leaving him feeling more lost and unfulfilled than before. The emptiness intensified, driving him into a depressive state. When all interventions failed His mom sat him down for a heart-to-heart conversation. "Son...," She began, begging for permission to enter the darkened room, which reeked of alcohol and vomit. Her voice trembled with concern and empathy. His demeanour slightly changed upon the realisation that he wasn't as alone as he thought. His mother had always been his greatest cheerleader, a knight swinging her sword and annihilating any threats to her precious son. This time was no different. He recognized the fiery passion brewing within her like lava, and he knew she would stop at nothing to come to his rescue. Like she had done countless times before. "Mom..." He responded faintly. His voice crackled with desperation, pain and loss and it became apparent to her that he was deeply wounded. His eyes were sunken into their sockets, revealing the toll that this burden left on him. There was no escaping this. He was empty. His soul was devoid of joy. "Son, you know that I love you with all my heart....." She began tearfully, and her tears broke him. She was not one to cry easily, regardless of the pain she suffered. As a matter of fact, in his teens, he thought she was sociopathic. As he evolved into adulthood, he discovered that her smile and laughter were not a mask or a badge of mental instability; rather, it was a symbol of her unbreakable spirit and resolve to take life head on despite her troubles. He envied her resilience and longed to tame the beast of addiction that had crept stealthily into his life. His response was a nod. He was afraid that if he tried to speak, the tears that were welling up in his eyes would overpower its dam and drown what little sanity he had left. "Talk to me ." His mother persuaded him with all the tenderness and gentile that she could muster. But he sat there staring at the ceiling almost absentmindedly. His mother persisted, Liam Arthur Williams ,I am not leaving here until you speak with me!"She said with a smile, trying to mask the anger that was building and twisting inside her like a tsunami. Images of himself as a boy, trying to test the boundaries of his mother's guidance and love, flooded him. As a child, he was blessed with everything he could have imagined and more, but his parents were adamant that he needed to learn the value of hard work and philanthropy and be instilled with values and morals that would transcend their tenure on earth. The sternness in his mother's voice stirred up obedience and willingness that was embedded in his loins, and his tears finally flooded their banks and spilt into his empty soul. "Mom." He sobbed ....putting his against the wall like an enraged fighter. She held him. She wanted her tears to cease so that she could wipe his. His vulnerability made her formidable. This had to end. A world did not exist where her son's wit, brilliance, and aura of pure light were dimmed or his potential wasted at the bottom of the bottle. "I'm here ."She consoled him, yearning for him to spill his guts and escape the prison his mind had him incarcerated in. Her thoughts were wild, filled with horror and dismay. Usually, Cordelia was able to compartmentalize easily, but she was struggling. She was living a mother's worst nightmare.Not being able to protect her child from anguish and pain was horrendous and devastatingly traumatic for her. "I love her mom." He and his , oice echoed through their large centurion castle-like home ,like a warriors bell announcing impending danger. Announcing his devotion for her freed the door of his cage.Now all he needed to do was find the courage to walk through it. A quizzical expression formed on Cordelia's face.Since his last fling with a girl no one in his family liked ended, he didn't introduce any other conquest. Could it be that her son was in love and this was the cost of his misery? If so how did she not know? Halfway into her conflicting thoughts, she recalled how clandestine her son was and shrugged self blame away. "Love....whom?" She stuttered, still trying to process the news but he was nonverbal, rocking to and fro like his autistic ,deceased brother whom he had adored immensely. Cordelia's anger finally spilled over and she was determined to endure any repercussions that would be had. "Liam .....Arthur......" She yelled again, but before she could finish spitting out his name, he clutched his chest and ..... He fluttered, his beautiful hazel eyes opened,glancing frantically around the room.He would have leapt from the bed and ran to safety had he not realized that he was hooked up to machines. Three frames were closely knitted together facing his bed, and from their facial expression, it seemed serious. "Am I dying." he thought helplessly. Images of the night his brother died flooded him, and tears fell from his eyes and slid down his cheek. Relief came as he realized that he felt the warm sensation running as his other body parts felt numb. His brother Kaleb was a pure light that autism,stigmas and prejudices tried to dim but was never successful.He knew acceptance, empathy not sympathy.He accepted his fate and endeavoured to live an intentional life despite his handicaps.He leapt over boundaries established by men and would often say ,If I can dream it I can bring it to life ." And that he did.He was a renowned musician who touched lives ,healed broken hearts with the peaceful cadence imbedded in his music.He never complained or made excuses.He had his mother's ability to navigate the torrid terrains of life and remained calm. He was sobbing uncontrollably as he regurgitated the events following Kaleb's demise. He recalled his mother's screams that night when she got the news that he had been killed. He remembered his father punching the wall as though his fists were made of steel instead of flesh and bones.He reminisced about his confusion and the numbness in his soul that made crying impossible Crying would have eased his woe.It would have been wonderful. "Son ... thank God you are okay." Cordelia almost screamed as she realized that he was awake. He let out a huge sob as they embraced. " I'm so sorry, Mommy." She reassured him that everything would be .....