Chapter 14

Mia POV

Mia took a deep breath and began her story, her voice trembling. "I came home early yesterday because I wasn't feeling well. I had a bad bellyache and just wanted to rest. When I saw a black van parked outside, I sensed something was off. But nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. I tried to brush it off as paranoia, thinking maybe it was just a delivery or something. But my intuition was screaming at me to be cautious.

I had just finished putting away the groceries when I heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was you, I opened it without hesitation, wondering why you were back so early. That's when I saw the masked men. They were dressed in black and had this menacing aura about them. I tried to slam the door shut, but they were too quick. They overpowered me, and I tried to fight back, but they were too strong. I was terrified, thinking about all the worst-case scenarios.

As they dragged me out of the house, I saw Gracie, our neighbor, walking her dog. I tried to signal her for help, but she didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. I was helpless, unable to escape or call for help. They threw me into the van and drove me to some unknown location. I must have passed out from the shock and fear because the next thing I knew, I was being splashed with ice water to wake me up..."

She paused, collecting her thoughts, and I stopped her to wipe away her tears. I listened in awe, marveling at her strength and resilience. "Mia, you're a total badass," I thought to myself. "If I had gone through what you did, I'd need months of therapy." But not Mia - she's a rock, a true survivor. She's been through hell and back, and yet she's still standing, still fighting.

"We still need an apartment though" she knocked me out of my thoughts, her voice cheery.

"Why are you so excited?" I was curious as to whether yesterday's incidence messed with her mental health.

"Who isn't going to be excited to be moving to a better and much more beautiful place?" She asked with a grin. She was right about that, but my mind was reeling about something else.

I wasn't a detective or anything like that, but I don't think it was just coincidence that the day she was having a bellyache and was home early - also known as the time when most people are still at work - was the same time as she was kidnapped. How did they know that she'd be back at that time? There's no way they'd have attempted that if the apartment was full of people, but what caused the bellyache though? Could it have been something she ate? Thinking about it, she didn't eat before leaving for work, because she could go hours, even days, without eating and she won't feel affected. I can't count how many times I teased her about that by calling her a robot.

Here's a longer version:

I'm no detective, but I can't shake the feeling that Mia's kidnapping was more than just a coincidence. The fact that she was home early due to a sudden bellyache - also known as a time when most people are still at work - and that was the time she got kidnapped seemed suspicious. It's unlikely that the kidnappers would have attempted this if the apartment was full of people. But what triggered the bellyache in the first place? Was it something she ate? Now that I think about it, Mia didn't have anything that morning before Head out, just like most mornings. Mia's always been someone who can go without food for hours, even days, without showing any signs of weakness. I've often teased her about it, joking that she's a robot. But now, I'm wondering if something more sinister was at play.

I thought back to our conversations earlier that day. Had she mentioned anything unusual about her food or drinks? Did she eat something that didn't agree with her? I racked my brain, trying to recall every detail. But there was nothing.

The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that someone must have deliberately poisoned her or slipped something into her food to ensure she'd be home alone at that specific time. The thought sent chills down my spine. I needed to talk to Mia more, see if she remembered anything unusual about her food or drinks that day. This was no ordinary kidnapping, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Mia, I know we're on about house hunting right now and you probably don't want to go back to the other conversation" I drawled. "But I have a quick question, what caused your belly to start hurting, I mean, I know you do not have a weak stomach, so??"

"Now that I think about it, I really don't know what caused it." She scrunched her brows in thought.

"Was food..or anything edible given you by anyone?" I asked, really curious to know.

She widened her eyes in shock and terror, "Oh shoot, pack anything you can we need to get out of here, stat".

"What is it?" I breathed out as I ran to the closest to get my clothes and office files.

"I knew that chai latte tasted weird" she began crying. Sight of her crying in fear almost caused me to shit my pants, because if she was scared then what should I be?

"Who gave you the chai latte?" I asked, my eyes wide with urgency.

"Mr Jones" she yelled. My mouth fell open, I was pretty sure my jaw was touching the floor right now.

"Your boss?!" I whispered. It was more a statement than a question and Mia knew that so she didn't bother answering.

Now that I think about it, no one told him that Mia was kidnapped but he already knew. Gosh, how stupid I was.and still am.