When Chioma and Isaac arrived at Sochi's house, the air felt heavy and uncomfortable. Sochi welcomed them with a thin smile that never reached her eyes.
"You can use the small room at the back," she said coldly. "Just for one week."
The room was small, dusty, and hot — nothing like the mansion they once called home. Isaac looked around quietly, holding his mother's hand. He did not complain, but Chioma could see the sadness in his young eyes.
That night, Chioma could not sleep. Something in her heart kept warning her that they were not safe.
On the third day, Isaac began to feel weak. After eating the food Sochi served, he complained of a sharp pain in his stomach. As the night grew darker, the pain became worse. He started sweating and trembling.
"Mummy… my stomach hurts," he whispered.
Fear gripped Chioma's heart. She did not wait. Carrying Isaac in her arms, she rushed to a nearby clinic.
After examining him, the doctor's face became serious. "What did he eat?" he asked.
Chioma explained everything.
The doctor paused before speaking carefully. "There were harmful substances in his body. This looks like food poisoning."
Chioma felt the ground shift beneath her feet. Her mind raced. The jealousy. The hatred. The past threats. Everything returned to her memory.
The next morning, she confronted Sochi.
"What did you put in my son's food?" Chioma demanded.
Sochi laughed softly. "Be careful what you accuse me of."
Her son stood behind her, watching Isaac with cold, unreadable eyes.
"Your week is almost over," Sochi added. "You should start packing."
In that moment, Chioma understood. This was never kindness. It was a trap.
That night, Chioma knelt beside Isaac as he slept and prayed with all her strength. "God, You gave me this child after long waiting. You cannot allow him to be destroyed."
Suddenly Isaac opened his eyes.
"Mummy," he whispered, "Daddy came to me in my dream."
Chioma's heart skipped. "What did he say?"
"He said I should not be afraid. He said I am a lion."
A strange chill ran through her body. Lion. The same word used before.
The next morning, before the week ended, Chioma made a bold decision. She would not wait to be thrown out again. She sold the only car they had and used the money to rent a small apartment far away from Sochi.
People laughed and whispered. "Look at her… from riches to nothing."
But Chioma was no longer ashamed of starting small. She had lost wealth, status, and comfort — but she still had her son.
What Sochi did not know was that before Emeka traveled to China, he had signed some important documents in secret. There were papers hidden somewhere — papers that could change everything.
Sochi believed she had won.
But the battle was far from over.
Isaac, the child of laughter, was growing stronger. And soon, the truth would rise like fire no one could stop.