Epilogue

Zya and Snow watched as their four-year-old son boarded the helicopter alongside Anari. It was the first time that their child would be away from them. Anari had convinced them to let her godson stay with her for the weekend. Zya didn’t want to admit it, but she did need some alone time with Snow. For the last five years, they had been living in seclusion in a small town in Jamaica under phony names.

“There goes our baby boy,” Zya said as she waved to her son while the aircraft lifted from the ground.

“He’s only gon’ be gone for a couple days. We need some time to ourselves anyway. It’ll be fun. I’ll even take you to that maze of mirrors you been bugging me about. Since little Maurice is terrified of them, now is the perfect time to go,” Snow replied as he threw his arms around Zya’s waist. They walked back to their villa, which was about a hundred yards away from the open field, and prepared for their well deserved night out.

“Where you at, Snow? I’m gon’ find you,” Zya said as she placed both of her hands in front of her to avoid bumping into the deceptive mirrors. Zya turned her head as she saw his reflection brush past her. Zya laughed out loud as she stepped straight into a mirror.

“You’ll never catch me,” Snow said as he continued to make his way through the tricky maze. Zya could see him, but couldn’t tell exactly which direction he was headed. There were so many mirrors that she couldn’t decipher what was real and what was a reflection.

Got him, Zya thought as she noticed Snow tiptoeing through the maze. She knew that he didn’t see her, so it was the perfect opportunity for her to tag him.

“I know where you at,” Zya said in between her laughter. She spotted him, and she knew that he couldn’t see her. She crept up on him, only to find that it was another mirror.

Damn, I can see him, but I can’t get to him. Zya’s heart dropped as she looked into the mirror and saw a raggedy-looking bum with dread-locks approach Snow from behind.

“Snow!” she yelled as the face of the man became clear. It was Lonnie Wade. “Baby watch ou—” Before she could get the words out of her mouth, Lonnie Wade had grabbed Snow from behind and placed a gun to his temple.

“Zya, where you at, bitch?” Wade yelled as he maneuvered through the maze with a struggling Snow in his grasp. He was choking Snow so hard that he couldn’t breathe.

“Run, Zya, run!” Snow managed to let out. His voice roared through the soundproof house of mirrors. He was helpless against Wade because he had left his pistol at home.

“Wade, let him go. He has nothing to with this,” she stated. Zya’s heart was pounding frantically as she made her way through the mirrors, trying to find their exact location.

Wade strengthened his grasp, almost causing Snow to lose consciousness, with nothing but revenge on his mind.

“Do you know what it’s like being a cop in prison? Do you, bitch?” Wade began to cry, and Zya felt fear creep into her heart when she saw the crazed look in his eye. He was like a madman.

Zya was speechless. She hadn’t even thought of Wade since the trial, and now here he was, threatening to destroy her like he had always planned.

“Please, let’s just talk about this,” she pleaded as she continued to search for them. She could no longer see their reflections, and the fear of the unknown gripped her. “Wade, please,” she cried out as she pulled her gun from its ankle holster. Zya could only hear his voice.

“Every day I got raped like a woman. My manhood was stripped from me, and it was all because of you.” As he talked, he jammed the gun against Snow’s temple. “All because you lied. I have been waiting on this day for four years, and now you will pay.”

Before Zya could even respond, she heard a single gunshot ring throughout the entire maze, causing the mirrors to rattle.

“Snow!” she screamed as she frantically searched for her man. She turned corner after corner, and she found Snow’s lifeless body lying in a pool of his own blood. “Snow! Please, God . . . no,” she begged as she kneeled next to him. Her knees were soaked in his blood, and she struggled to pick him up in her arms. “Baby, please,” she cried as she rocked him back and forth, staring into his lifeless eyes.

Wade escaped, and his mission was accomplished. He knew that by taking the life of Snow, Zya would come back for him to seek revenge.

And when she does, I am going to put her where she belongs ... in a grave.

Zya woke up in a cold sweat, desperately gasping for air. Her heart ached, and she breathed heavily while gripping her chest. She looked over at her newborn baby in the corner of her room, and then over to Snow, who lay sleeping peacefully next to her. She then realized that it was only a nightmare and Snow was alive and well.

Her tensions settled as Zya got out of bed and slowly walked over to the balcony that overlooked the ocean. She took a deep breath of relief and watched as the tides gently washed up on the shore.

“It was all a dream,” Zya whispered as she realized that she was finally at peace. She knew that it was not the last nightmare she would have, but it was a small price to pay for all the wrong she had done.

The baby began to cry, and Zya walked over to her son and gently scooped him in her arms. She rocked softly back and forth while returning to the balcony.

Snow crept up behind them and held Zya while she held their baby. Snow noticed Zya had been sweating. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I just had another nightmare, that’s all,” she replied.

“You don’t have to worry about anything, Zya. I will not let anything happen to my family. You’re safe here.” Snow kissed Zya and then his son. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

THE END . . . FOR NOW