Page 18 of Taking Adalisa

I relax in my seat, taking a deep breath as he walks around the car. I need to get away from him. I need to come up with a plan to leave so he can’t find me.

Matthias opens the door, holding his hand for me. I take his hand with one of mine and hold my dress down with the other as we walk into the small restaurant that is a essentially hole in the wall. How have I never heard of this place? I’ve lived in New York City my whole life, yet this little place has escaped me.

“Sit,” he says as we walk up to a table in the corner.

I slide into the booth, getting close to the wall as he sits beside me. I should have sat on the other side, but he pointed to this one, and my brain, without even thinking, did what he said.

“Oh, Matthias! You’ve finally come in,” An older lady stands at the end of the booth, a bright smile across her face. “And who is this lovely lady?”

“Ma, this is Adalisa, my girl,” Matthias replies. “Adalisa, this is my ma.”

I blink several times as I take in the older woman. Does she know what her son does? Does she know what he is doing to me right now?

“Adalisa,” he growls low.

“Sorry,” I whisper. “Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”

I give her a confused look as she smiles at Matthias before looking at me. She is looking at him like he is her most prized possession.

She must not know what he does, then. She’s looking at him like he’s done nothing wrong in this world.

“It’s so nice to finally meet ya.” Her smile grows even more as she holds out her hand.

Matthias doesn’t look at me, but his leg bumps into mine. I plaster a fake smile on and shake her hand. What would Matthias do to me if I didn’t shake his mother’s hand?

“How long have you known my boy for?” a

she asks, sitting across from us.

“A couple of days,” I reply.

“Several months,” Matthias says at the same time.

I suck in a breath and glare at him. She was looking at me when she asked the questions, and I assumed I was supposed to answer truthfully.

And I did.

I’ve only known Matthias for a couple of days. Before that, he was different people and someone I didn’t know.

“Matthias!” his mother scolds. “Do not tell me this is the same young woman you were seeing several months ago.”

“I was seeing her. Almost every single day,” he replies like nothing is wrong. “I saw her from afar as she worked or when she got home.”

His mother stares at him like he’s grown two heads. Maybe this is my chance.

“He’s apparently been stalking me for several months, dressing up as different people to come into my work and talk to me. He knows things about me that I haven’t told anyone,” I rush out, looking at her with pleading eyes. “I didn’t know him until a couple of days ago when he showed up at an event I was going to and pretended I was his girlfriend.”

She should be able to help me get away from her son. Maybe she knows someone who can apprehend him while I escape.

“He did what?” his mother gasps. “Matthias, you did not!”

I look at Matthias, a smug smile dancing across my face. But he doesn’t look at me.

“I did, and I don’t regret anything. She is mine and will always be mine,” Matthias tells his mother. “Just like dad knew you were his.”

Wait.

I look at his mom to see her smiling at him.

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