28 | UNDER THE DOMINION OF FEAR

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Elizabeth wakes up on Monday earlier than usual. She grabs two suitcases from her closet and packs her and Lia's clothes. She would only take what was necessary. She can't imagine how her escape will be, so she opts to carry as few things as possible.

As soon as she finishes loading the car, she calls Lily and asks her to cancel her appointments for the day. The assistant doesn't understand why they wouldn't be rescheduled, but Elizabeth says she will explain later. She plans to spend the morning at the law firm and the afternoon at the office, organizing things for a possible future move.

Before heading to the office, however, she decides to stop by her mother's house to see Lia. It had been three days since they last saw each other, and she was already desperate with longing. On her way to Roselyn's house, Elizabeth went over the conversation she had with Simon the night before. She still couldn't believe the vile plan that Mason had concocted. And she knew she would never be safe in San Diego. In fact, she wouldn't be safe anywhere in California.

Parking in front of her mother's house, Elizabeth takes a good look at the building. It might be one of the last times she would see it. Nostalgia washes over her. Not a nostalgia for the life she lived there, but a nostalgia for the peace she once had. Despite never being happy there, it was a safe place, even with Dylan. Today, she couldn't say the same. She no longer feels safe anywhere.

"Mom? Lia? I'm here," she calls out as she enters the living room.

"Mama," Lia yells, running towards her. "I missed you so much."

Elizabeth crouches down and hugs her tightly. Having Lia in her arms is the sweetest reward for fighting so hard. Tears well up in her throat as she remembers that she was almost killed in that motel. If Mason had succeeded in killing her, she wouldn't be hugging her daughter now.

"Are you sad, Mommy? Are you crying?" Lia asks, wiping a solitary tear from Elizabeth's face.

"No, my love. Mommy's not sad. I'm crying tears of joy because I get to see you." Lia hugs her tightly again.

Elizabeth lets her go, and the little girl pulls her by the hand. "Come see what grandpa and I made yesterday."

Lia leads her to the kitchen to show her some plaster sculptures of cartoon characters.

"Now we just need to paint them," the little one says with a big smile.

"They look beautiful, my love. Do you have paint?"

"Yes, grandma bought some."

"Eliza? I'm glad you're here," her mother says, entering the kitchen.

"Hi, Mom. How are you?"

"Fine, dear. How was your weekend?" Elizabeth's expression changes completely. It's very hard to disguise what happened, even with clothes covering her body.

"Good," she tries to change the subject. "I loved the sculptures."

"Oh, yes. Your father spent the day making them with Lia. He adores that little bug."

Upon hearing the affectionate nickname, Lia starts jumping.

"That's great," Elizabeth says with a smile. "Mom, I have some things to take care of now, but I'll be back for lunch. In the afternoon, I'll be at the office. I'll pick up Lia at the end of the day, okay?"

"Of course, dear."

Elizabeth realizes that something is bothering her mother. She is usually evasive, but always smiling. Today, however, she seems sadder.

"Mom, is something wrong?"

"What do you mean, dear?"

"I can see you're a bit serious."

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