“What’s the matter?” Steven asked, holding me in his hands as he knelt beside me. I could see that he was beginning to panic. “I think I’ve killed Nonso,” I managed to respond. “Which Nonso?” he asked, looking confused. “My boyfriend, I dropped him off on the bridge in anger earlier today,” I said with tears rolling down my eyes. “I was angry. I didn’t mean to do it,” I cried. “Is that what this whole drama is about?” Steven asked hurriedly, withdrawing his arms which landed me on my bum with a soft thud.
“That’s why you almost brought the house down?” he asked, visibly irritated. “Yes,” I replied, wondering why he seemed angry suddenly—it’s not like he knew Nonso had been cheating on me. But even if he did, I would have expected that his death would require some form of sympathy, even if it were just pretence.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” Steven warned, pointing at me. “You didn’t even ask questions before jumping to conclusions! The accident victim was a woman,” he said, picking up his briefcase and walking to his room, leaving me behind to wallow in my stupidity.
I immediately switched off my caller ID and dialled Nonso’s number to confirm he was not involved in the accident. At first, he wasn’t picking up. I continued to dial his number, determined to wake him up—even if it meant I had to stay awake calling him until he did. I was so relieved when he finally picked up and I heard his voice. I stayed silent for a few seconds to ensure it was really him and listened intently for any female voice in the background. You can’t blame me. I had become that paranoid when it came to him, thanks to his constant lies and deceit. I finally hung up when I was fully satisfied that he was alive and hopefully alone and not with another woman.
I couldn’t sleep afterward. I lay up thinking about my relationship with Nonso and wondering if all the stress I was putting myself through because of him was worth it. It didn’t make any sense to me that I couldn’t imagine my life without him despite all his cheating ways. I concluded that my love for him was complicated for even me to understand, and I may never find the answers to my questions. Eventually, I forced myself to sleep.
After another horrible day working with Nancy the next day, I returned home to find Mum and Steven having a serious discussion in the living room. I was surprised to see that he was home early. They asked me to join them immediately; it turned out there was a serious issue on the ground. “What’s the matter?” I asked, dropping my bag and sitting on the couch beside Mum. “Your father has finally lost it,” Steven informed me. “What has he done this time?” I asked, looking from Steven to Mum and back again. “He has decided to run for governor,” Steven replied.
That’s not bad, I thought to myself. But it would have sounded better had we not been on such bad terms. “What’s wrong with that?” I asked, looking confused.
“Nothing really, ” Steven replied, “except that he’s asking Mum for a divorce so that he can make Teni his first lady. Threatening to make her life miserable if she doesn’t comply with his demands.”
“What!” I screamed, dropping my mouth open, “he’s planning to make Teni his first lady? That is absurd!”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I had hoped that Steven and Mum would say they were joking after a few seconds, but that didn’t happen.
Mum just sat there looking dejected and staring into space while Steven sat stamping his foot angrily as he appeared to be thinking of what to do next.
How could Dad be so stupid and heartless to leave a woman who played the central role in his success story to suffer from heartbreak while he enjoyed that success with a greedy pig like Teni?
I became so mad that I decided I would do everything possible to make him regret his actions, even if it meant committing murder.
Find out what happens next in Episode 19