Chapter 23
“Do you want to say any last words?” Onu’s small voice came through as we stood at the cemetery, saying our final farewells to Elena.
It was a small burial ceremony, and only the family was present. We couldn’t even afford a proper funeral, and all I had, I gave to Onu as my contribution. We could only have this small gathering
with our contribution, and honestly, this was so much better.
The priest had read a passage from the Bible and proceeded to give words of comfort to our family. After he finished, Onu and his wife said a few words; Godiya also did, and now it was my turn.
I stood staring at the casket already lowered into the grave, and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t plan to say goodbye this early–not until she had seen all I set out to achieve, not until I made her proud. We had so much planned out for our lives, and now it’s over.
What could I say? Where would I begin?
I stepped closer to the grave, clutching the rose in my hand, and a tear rolled down. “I didn’t see this coming, mama; if I had, I would have hugged you tighter and laughed louder at your corny jokes, There is still so much I want to tell you, and so much I want you to witness. I had a lot of hope for us; I thought I had time. In the last two months, I have lost a lot, but I didn’t know you would be a part of it, too. I am sorry I failed you.” I finished speaking and took a step back.
It’s been five days since I was attacked, and though I made a report of what happened to the police, nothing has happened. The autopsy report showed Elena’s heart failed, and I knew what she saw triggered it. My attackers were responsible, yet the police couldn’t find them.
They came to kill me; they had orders to follow, and I knew who gave the order. It was ivory. She never liked me from the day she set eyes on me, and she promised to make my life a living hell. She
wanted me dead, but I had no way to prove it. Even if I could prove it, she was powerful and had all
the connections to keep herself safe. I was helpless against her.
I wish I had died, though. I wish death had taken me instead of Elena; then, I would have been at peace, knowing that I escaped this evil world.
I was alive in misery.
“Are you okay?” Maria asked, staring at me as Onu drove us home.
I tried to smile. I wasn’t okay, but they had done enough already.
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Chapter 23
The weakness I have felt in the last five days was more than the ones I’ve felt in the previous two months. My head also hurt a lot, and I was irritated by everything. My body had also undergone a significant change, it had adjusted to the situation my life was now in. I just wanted to die and be done with it. I didn’t want to be a burden any more than I already was. “Don’t I look okay?”
We arrived home, and I got down. That movement must have been too fast because I lost balance, fell, and hit my head. I couldn’t move, so I stayed there until everything faded.
I knew I was in the hospital when I woke because my nose had picked up the smell of drugs and misery.
After seeing Maria beside me, I groaned and began pulling myself up. “Why am I here?”
“I feared you might have a concussion after you hit your head, so we brought you to the hospital instead.” She answered, “Onu couldn’t stay; he went home with Godiya.”
I hissed as the headache didn’t subside, and neither did the weakness. “You shouldn’t be here; I shouldn’t be here; we don’t have money to waste on hospital bills.”
She took my hand and said, “You haven’t eaten since Mama died; you look weak and tired. Your life took a bad turn recently, and we know that. You are not a burden on us, Imela. Let us do what we
can to take care of you.”
My eyes welled up, but the door opened before the tear could fall, and in came the doctor.
We exchanged salutations, and he read the results of the few tests they ran on me from his tab. “You suffered a mild concussion; we have administered medications for you. Your blood pressure is also low, we have recommendations that will boost it. We also ran a pregnancy test following her description of your condition, and it came back positive.” He turned to me and said, “You are ten
weeks pregnant, ma’am.”
If my world hadn’t ended before, it just did.
I stood at the university’s parking lot, where Oliver always parked his car, and just as expected, I saw his red Bentley parked there. I wanted to speak with him, and I knew I would find him here. Despite our differences, he was going to be a father, and I wanted him to know.
I didn’t doubt the pregnancy results, even though it was the last thing I wanted. Oliver and I were
extremely sexual in the six weeks we were married. I didn’t want to get pregnant, so I remained on the birth control pills, but there were mornings when Oliver interrupted before I could take them or made me forget. I feared this might happen, and I expressed my worries to him several times. He told me he didn’t mind and that if I got pregnant, he would work twice as hard to give me and his child a good life.
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That was before my world went to shit.
I was being foolish. I knew that, but I grew up without knowing who my father was or what he looked like. No one told me, either. I didn’t have a relationship with him, and I didn’t want my child to go through the same, I wanted to give it what I never had.
I haven’t attended lectures since Elena died, and I don’t want to return yet. Coming here was important, though; it was necessary.
I didn’t stand there for long because I soon heard rich, heartwarming laughter that made my stomach flutter. It was Oliver’s, and despite everything, he still affected me. He had probably finished his last class today, seeing as it was 2 p.m.
I stepped out from behind the pillar and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jean trousers, making my way towards his car. I paused when I heard another’s laughter, soft, calm, and graceful,
and I had heard it before.
My heart slowed down, but I walked until I saw them. Oliver and Cecil. He was whispering something in her ear, and she was laughing.
My stomach turned as I watched the scene play out.
He leaned in and slowly took her lips into his for a kiss, and she smiled and kissed back. A tear ran
down my face from where I stood, frozen on a spot.
The image of him being happy and loving with someone else felt like betrayal. It felt like death, and I struggled to breathe.
How could he move on so fast? How could he be happy with someone else when, not long ago, he was happy with me? Why did he choose my best friend?
They said love hurt, but they should have told me love also killed.
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