Novels by Mercyogochi

Henrietta’s POV It was already past noon and the aroma from the muffins I had made earlier still filled the house. Kristine and I sat in the dining area for lunch. Thankfully, the baby was asleep in her bassinet, her tiny chest rising and falling. Her entire wardrobe was color matched, it was mostly pinks, whites, pastel and every other joyful color one could think of. We weren’t speaking so the only sound in the room was the clinks of our cutlery against our plates. The room was quiet but I could already feel the weird shift in the air like there was a pressure to speak and I knew she would strike up a conversation soon. She finally spoke up, quicker than I anticipated. “I just wanted to say thank you, for last night.” I wasn’t surprised but I tried to sound nice. “You don't need to thank me.” “Actually I do,” she insisted, her voice soft. “You don’t need to help me, you could have watched us scamper up and down and stood back but you knew what to do and you jumped in and hel

Raphael’s POV The moment I entered the house, I could hear the baby crying. Katie’s cry sounded sharp and restless. She was agitated and maybe whatever was wrong with her was serious. I rushed towards the living room and found Kristine pacing the room, she was barefooted and her hair looked a mess. Her one hand bounced the baby gently while the other one had a damp cloth that she used to wipe at her face. Her eyes snapped up when she saw me. “I googled some stuff, I don’t know which one to do, her fever dropped a bit though,” she said quickly, in one breath. “She's still fussing a lot and crying and I think we need to take her to the hospital as fast as possible.” I moved closer to her, I had no idea what to do, I had only been a father for less than a week. “Let me feel her.” She shifted the head of the baby towards me, her skin was still warm but it didn’t seem like a fever but I didn’t know the temperature that could be called a fever for kids. “Let’s get to the car,” I sai

Henrietta’s POV As we drove to the charity gala, the car felt colder than usual. We didn't make small talk, just silence. I sat stiffly in the passenger seat, my hands rested on my thighs, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. Silence wasn’t a new thing between Raphael and I, but tonight it held something different, something deep. The sting of being reminded, in such a manner, that I was just the wife on paper was going to be a sore soon. I was just the one who came to events and smiled for the camera. There was no depth, he’d not let me smoothen his shirt like Kristine had. I was just the figurehead. I clenched my jaw and looked outside the window.It didn’t matter how many times I told myself to stop caring or how many times I reminded myself that this marriage saved my brother’s life and it was the money Raphael gave me that helped pay off his tuition, medication and food bills. Without this job, Julian wouldn’t be finishing university. I had to keep my head in the game. It was

Henrietta’s POV There was a time when I used to think silence was peaceful but now it just felt like pressure. Since Kristine moved into our home, the space had changed, even the air felt different and Raphael? His energy felt… new. With me, he’d been quiet, colder in some ways and distracted most times. But when it came to her, to his beloved Kristine, his guard dropped. I noticed how he lingered longer in conversation with her, how he listened attentively to her pointless conversation and how he laughed with her in a way that felt real and genuine. I hated myself for noticing, for drawing comparison between his acting with me and his actions with her. That wasn’t all, I hated how much it bothered me. I kept telling myself it shouldn’t matter. It was a contract for heaven’s sake, a deal and nothing more. I had signed up for this in complete awareness. I was supposed to play the wife, smile at events and stay out of his way otherwise. But my stupid heart didn’t read the fine p

Raphael’s POV Kristine’s body felt lighter than I had expected as I carried her down the hallway, her skin felt cold and her breathing was shallow. The baby was no longer fussing and was now cradled in Henrietta’s arms, calm. Henrietta didn’t say a word after she called the doctor. She just watched me with that unreadable expression she always had on her face. I laid Kristine gently on the guest bed, her hair sprawled over the pillow, she looked pale… very pale. “Kristine,” I said, crouching beside her. “Kristine, can you hear me?” There was no sign or response. I rubbed her palms gently, trying my best to be firm enough to stir her awake. After a few minutes, she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open lazily. “What… what happened?” She asked, her voice faint. “What happened? You fainted.” I said. “But it’s okay. You’re awake now. The doctor’s on his way.” She looked around the room, dazed. “I… I don’t remember anything. One moment I was standing and the next everything just… wen

Henrietta’s POV I felt like the room was spinning or maybe it was just my head. I didn’t know which. Raphael stood in the middle of our living room, he still looked disheveled and scattered. She was seated on the armchair now with the baby in her arms, she held the girl tightly like if she let go, the baby would run away. I couldn’t take my eyes off the scene playing in front of me. I couldn’t process how any of this was happening under our roof. With my mind still turning, I looked at Raphael. “What happened?”He met my gaze, he looked tired, heavy and I wanted to believe that he was going to be honest with me. “I didn’t plan this,” he said. “I just ran into her by chance. She looked shaken and said she needed help getting a few baby things so I drove her to that big mall near Westfield, we were shopping and then I opted to take her to her house and when we got there, her house was on fire.” My stomach tightened. “There were already sirens everywhere and the entire place was i