BOUND BY HIS PROMISE CLAUSE

NOTHING FELT FAMILIAR

CHAPTER 4

Maya’s Pov

Every step toward home felt like I was walking deeper into a life I no longer recognized.

The morning breeze brushed against my face, carrying the scent of wet earth after last night's rain, but it couldn't clear the storm inside my head.

Every time I blinked, I saw him. "Lucian." his cold eyes, His calm voice.

The way he looked at me was as though I were a puzzle he'd already solved.

But the questions wouldn't stop coming to my head.

Who was he?

Why had he saved me?

How did he know about my past?.

None of it made sense, and the more I thought about it, the less I understood.

I wrapped my arms around myself and kept walking gently.

The streets were slowly waking up around me.

Immediately, i opened the gate.

"Mummyyy!!" "Mummy"!

"Oh my baby girl,"

My daughter ran straight into my arms.

"Mum, where have you been? Grandma and I have been searching all over for you. "

I couldn't meet her eyes... the memory clawed at me from the inside.

"My baby, mummy, had to work overtime at work yesterday."

"But we called several times, and your phone was off."

She doesn't give up easily, just like me .

I smiled... "Princess, mum's phone drowned, I just fixed it."

She gave me a cold stare.

She was way too smart for her age.

But I had to lie... Just yesterday, I had stood on the edge of a cliff, convinced the world would be better without me.

Now, I wasn't even sure the world would let me disappear.

"Ugh! I almost left my girl. "

That sent a cold shivering on me even more.

"But at least No more bills, no more rejection emails.

No more pretending everything was fine whenever Grandma asked if I had eaten.

A bitter laugh slipped from my lips, then disappeared.

The universe had a twisted sense of humour.

For years, I had struggled to survive.

First, it was Lucian, then the accident and waking up inside a mansion so luxurious, it looked like it belonged in a movie.

If someone told me this story yesterday, I would have laughed in their face, and now I was living it.

I looked at the walls in our home.

Damn! The paint had started peeling months ago.

Grandma always promised we'd repaint it "next weekend."

Unfortunately, next weekend never seemed to arrive.

Every time I managed to save enough money for repairs, something happened, school fees, medicine, and food.

Life always found a way to spend my money before I could. Raising a kid alone is a kind of pain people don’t give credit enough for.

What would Grandma have done if I hadn't come back?

What would she have thought?

Would she have blamed herself?

The image alone made my chest ache so badly.

Before I could gather myself, the front door burst open.

"Maya!"

Grandma rushed toward me faster than I'd seen her move in years.

She threw her arms around me so tightly I could barely breathe.

For several seconds, she didn't say anything she simply held me. Her hands trembled against my back.

My eyes stung shut with tears.

When she finally pulled away, tears filled her eyes.

"What happened to you?" she whispered.

Her voice broke on the last word.

Only then did I notice how swollen her eyes were. She had been crying a lot.

"I..."

The words refused to come. I just stood there like a structure.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she continued.

"I called your phone until the battery died. I went to your friend's house. I even walked all the way to the mall looking for you."

Guilt crashed into me instantly…. If Lucian hadn't stopped me, Grandma wouldn't be hugging me right now. She would probably be identifying my body.

A sharp rumble cut through the silence from my stomach.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

The apology sounded painfully a bit

Grandma sighed heavily, and then she cupped my face in both hands and searched my eyes.

"Tell me the truth, Maya."

My heartbeat stumbled. I thought my face hid the guilt properly, but grandma could see right through me.

"Where did you spend the night?" She asked.

Panic flickered through me...

"Princess, go back to your room. Mummy will be with you soon." I said, handling my bag.

"Ok mum".

Now, how was I supposed to explain any of this to Grandma?.

I had met a stranger on a cliff that he had talked me out of ending my life and somehow ended up in his mansion after an accident I barely remembered.

The story sounded ridiculous even inside my own head, and the last thing I wanted was to frighten Grandma she already has a health condition.

"There was... an accident," I said carefully.

"A kind family helped me."

The lie tasted bitter, but It was the best option. Grandma stared at me for several long seconds.

I knew she didn't believe me. She raised me and could always tell when I was hiding something.

But instead of pressing further, she nodded.

Omg! I was so relieved.

"Come inside."

Although guilt tangled together inside me.

I followed her through the front door.

The familiar scent of ginger tea immediately wrapped around me.

“Home”. I felt that peace!

The tiny living room looked exactly the same. The faded floral couch, crooked family photographs, and an old television that only worked when someone hit the side twice.

For the first time since yesterday, my chest loosened, and everything looked normal and safe.

“My child..where is she” I asked, looking around the room.

Grandma noticed me staring.

“She’s already sleeping” Grandma replied

pointing towards her direction.

"Why are you looking around like that?" she asked.

My eyes almost fell off in fear.. I hugged my baby gain. dearly on the bed.. I almost left her in this cold world all alone last night.

Grandma’s eyes still stare at me, waiting for answers.

"Like what?" I asked

"Like you're saying goodbye."

The words hit harder than she intended.

My smile faltered immediately.

"I'm not." I managed to say.

"You better not be." She said, pointing a warning finger at me.

"I am far too old to start making new grandchildren."

A startled laugh escaped me, and the sound surprised both of us, her face softening.

"There she is."

Something warm settled in my chest instantly. For a brief moment, everything felt normal again.

Then Lucian's face flashed through my mind.

The warmth disappeared, his voice echoing in my memory. His eyes, his expression.

The strange certainty that he'd known something about me that I didn't know myself.

Why couldn't I stop thinking about him?

I hated that question. Why do I keep thinking about such a rude man?

Because deep down, I already knew the answer.

Nothing about Lucian felt ordinary and somehow...

I had the unsettling feeling our paths hadn't crossed by accident.

The thought lingered long after Grandma disappeared into the kitchen.

"Let me get you your meal."

I nodded calmly.

Suddenly.... a strange unease crawled across my skin. The sensation was so strong that I turned toward the front window.

Something felt wrong, although I couldn't explain it, I just knew.

Slowly, I stepped closer to the glass. Across the street, beneath an old mango tree, sat a black sedan.

My breath caught. The windows were tinted so dark they looked almost black.

I frowned angrily, I didn't recognize the vehicle, or maybe it belonged to a neighbour. Maybe someone was visiting or I was imagining things.

After everything that had happened, paranoia seemed understandable.

Then the engine started, and then Sedan pulled away slowly and deliberately. As though whoever sat inside had already seen everything they came to see.

A chill crawled down my spine. My instincts screamed that it wasn't a coincidence.

The car hadn't been watching the house, It had been watching me.

And then.... a horn

HOOONK!!

The car's headlights flashed directly on me at once...!

My blood ran cold because It wasn't a warning.

It was a message.

Someone knew I was home.