Ethan's breath stopped. The blue-colored ring casing would have been beautiful had it not stunned him at the expense of the big bang in his chest. His tongue had suddenly curled up with his teeth, and the only movement he could effect happened in his lower jaw. He was staring at the small casing and desperately gasping for air as if it was something sitting unabashed on the biggest decision of his life. Blue used to be his favorite color, until now.He swallowed hard and succumbed to a slump when his knees gave in, and the bed bounced him up as if to reject his weight and the misfortune that came with it. He settled nonetheless and inhaled deeply.Ethan picked up the casing and turned it to every side as he looked at it. He opened it carefully, peeping underneath as the lid gave way to reveal the kind of ring he might not have outdone Emily at picking had he had the thought to propose to her. It was a diamond ring, and it sure must have cost a fortune. He gasped for air and let the
Alethia watched her mom like a hawk at the dinner table. She couldn't understand what was going on in her mom's head and whatever resolution she had made with her discovery. One minute she was going on about how heartbroken she felt with Ethan's betrayal, the next she was kissing him, and now smothering his hand and flushing over his touch as if whoever it was that Ethan was cheating on her with, if she was in the room she should see and get it into her thick skull that Ethan could never be with any other woman but herself.Alethia tried to swallow the stir-fried beef her mom had made for dinner, it tasted awful, but that wasn't the problem. Each time Emily's hand moved over Ethan's, something in Alethia lurched. She dropped her cutleries for a brief moment and sighed in exasperation, and while Ethan could barely look at her, obviously because of guilt--and Alethia understood that he had no choice in such a situation, her mom looked at her with a kind of face that intend to hold Aleth
If anything, the silence that held them in that frozen moment spoke what was more apparent--'stunned'. Alethia's impulsiveness has never been more heart-wrenching than when Emily looked at Ethan's face and saw that should she decide to press further on the allegation, he didn't seem like he was going to deny it. It was true after all--he was cheating on her. She breathed deeply and bit her lower lip. Emily reckoned that she'd have preferred that Ethan had cheated on her by sleeping with just a random woman to having fallen in love with someone else. She wouldn't have decided how they move further from there by his momentarily carnal desire, which she considered only biological for him to satisfy. But how does she move on knowing that Ethan has fallen out of love with her?She looked at his face again, this time looking for a hint of remorse, but rather she met a screaming guilt that made it impossible for him to raise his lashes and look outright at her. Ethan took in a huge gasp o
"But first, is Alethia okay?" Segun chuckled. "Of course, that's what you're more concerned about.""She's my friend.""And she created this mess.""No! She didn't," Olivia said and sat right, facing Segun. "She didn't ask for this, okay? Ethan should have handled this better."Ethan scoffed. "Excuse me, I'm here.""No," Segun defended. "Ethan here is the victim. Do you know how hard it is to navigate your feelings for two women?"Olivia laughed. "Who asked him to fall in love with two women? A mother and daughter at that. This wouldn't have happened if he had just stuck to the mother alone."Segun chuckled in disbelief. He drank from his coffee and cleared his throat. "How about the fact that Aleth was in love with him and wanted him for herself as well?"Olivia looked sharply at Ethan. He looked back at Segun and scoffed. "That was supposed to be a secret."Segun shrugged. "You left me with no choice.""Of course, I didn't," she said and reclined in the chair, then sighed in resigna
Alethia heard a sharp sound, prompting her fingers away from the keyboard of her laptop as she looked at the door immediately. What was that? She thought as she hesitated to look back at what she was doing on her computer. The sound had been light to be that of thunder, but it had been loud enough to shake something in her for worries. She got out of bed and removed her glasses, then she dropped them blindly on the bedside table. She approached the door gently, taking her time should the sound come again and it was nothing. But nothing came. All she could hear when she got closer to the door was the spiteful voice of her mom. Alethia opened the door and came out. She'd just closed the door behind her and turned around when she saw Ethan crouched, his face clouded with persistent hysteria like that of a man whose glory days had come to an end."Ethan?" she said and headed down the stairs immediately. Emily turned around and stood in her way."Aleth, go back to your room.""No, Mom,"
"Alethia, stop!" Olivia appealed, halting immediately as she got to the last step of the stairs. Apart from the obvious, that the situation was escalating beyond what Alethia might be able to handle afterward, Olivia could feel it in her bones that the danger that loomed above was only hanging loosely and waiting for either Alethia or her mom to cut the tiny rope which was barely holding it in place. But Alethia was too annoyed to stop, and her legs were too ahead of her as if their purpose at that moment was to get her out of the house, away from her mom so that she wouldn't consider going back to do what the evil voice in her head whispered the moment she felt the torrent of her mom's hand on her face. Her hair had bristled when the disaster landed on her face. She would have treated her mom like any other woman, had reality not put them in the same house. And had she not called her 'mom' even in the heat of the dissension? She jerked the door to herself and thundered out of the h
Chapter Fifty-sevenThe days didn't just roll away as they should, they dragged slower than a snail, creating longings and weariness as if to punish Ethan, and by the time it was a week, he was regretting his decision to stay away, and because he couldn't just crawl out of nowhere and appear in front of Alethia as if he hadn't made her worry for days. As if he hadn't put her through so much that he could feel would have been unbearable for her. Ethan breathed deeply on one of those beds that wouldn't stop creaking with his weight. He'd rented a room at a remote place to make it impossible for anyone to locate him. The room was small, though it contained three beds and usually gave access to three people at a time, as its purpose was only for people who needed to pass the night. Ethan had had to rent the room all to himself, and the bad condition of the room was a way to punish himself. But he'd learned to make do with the ceiling painted in white because each time he stared at it, ev
Alethia was staring blankly at the TV. She could barely make out what the presenter was saying, and what relevance the game show was supposed to have with her state of mind. But Olivia had promised that it was necessary, at least to distract Alethia's mind for a while. She looked at Olivia who was sitting opposite. Olivia eyes were fixed on the TV, and she was grinning as if she was the one who needed the moment the most. At a point, she laughed, and then she instinctively turned to look at Alethia, only to raise a brow at Alethia's indifference."Are you okay?" she asked. Alethia shrugged. "Isn't it obvious that I just about exist?""You can live a little as well."She dragged a breath. "You know I find no interest in anything these days. But I'll be fine, okay?"Olivia glimpsed at the TV and sighed wearily. Then she got to her feet and came over to sit beside Alethia. "Should we go out?" Alethia chuckled. "I don't think my mom would love that. She brought you here to babysit me,
It's been two months, five days, and eleven hours since Alethia moved in with Ethan. Two months, five days, and eleven hours of carrying more than just his love and the excitement that had known no rest.Alethia leaned on him and took a deep breath to relax her body which had begun to feel heavy just recently. They were sitting on the large couch in the living room, facing the expanse of glass that opened to the garden. The sun was setting ahead, the songbirds chirped with excitement in the garden--Alethia took a deep breath again. Then she reckoned that, while others had dreamt of a life like her own, she was living it. "Are you okay?" Ethan demanded."I'm fine, love," she said."Should I get you more water?" he asked, then he attempted to get up from the couch, but Alethia held him down."I'm fine, my love," she said. Then she picked up the glass cup of water on the ottoman upholstered in red in front of the couch. She drank and returned the cup. "See? I'm okay with this.""But I
Ethan adjusted to sit properly. "I'm sorry, Emily. I know I should have told you earlier, but-" Emily interrupted."But you didn't, Ethan. You wouldn't have told me if you hadn't mistakenly picked up your call that day, while you, Segun, and Olivia discussed it."Ethan breathed deeply. "I'm sorry."Emily chortled. "Are you? I just can't believe you had gone for my daughter while we were together.""I've loved Alethia longer than I've stayed in this house for," he said and raised his head to look at Emily. She was looking at him strangely, confused, to say the least. "Yes, I met Alethia before you introduced us."Emily scoffed. "I see you're trying to meander your way around this, heh?" "No, I'm not. It's the truth. I surmise she'd left home that night, I helped her out, we felt a connection, and though we didn't express it then. It never left."Emily swallowed. Of course, she remembered the night when Alethia packed her bags and left the house--Emily had been so devastated, more so b
...but Alethia approached him. She moved closer so that the space left between them was so small that it could pass through the eye of a needle, not caring that he was holding his breath and trying so hard not to look at her. She swallowed the saliva that suddenly welled in her mouth, then she held him by his arms stiffened like a rock, and stood on her toes as she placed her lips lightly on his.He didn't respond. He didn't even as much as lower his gaze to look at her. But Alethia knew she'd be able to break him. Firstly she settled back on her feet and took a deep breath, then she stood on her toes again and pressed her lips on his, persistently. She could feel him going numb the more he tried to hold his wit in place, but his lips twitched now, and though he held back immediately, his hands had attempted for her waist. Alethia pressed her body closely to him so that his knees broke and he slumped on the bedside table. He looked sharply into her eyes now, while she held back for
Alethia was staring blankly at the TV. She could barely make out what the presenter was saying, and what relevance the game show was supposed to have with her state of mind. But Olivia had promised that it was necessary, at least to distract Alethia's mind for a while. She looked at Olivia who was sitting opposite. Olivia eyes were fixed on the TV, and she was grinning as if she was the one who needed the moment the most. At a point, she laughed, and then she instinctively turned to look at Alethia, only to raise a brow at Alethia's indifference."Are you okay?" she asked. Alethia shrugged. "Isn't it obvious that I just about exist?""You can live a little as well."She dragged a breath. "You know I find no interest in anything these days. But I'll be fine, okay?"Olivia glimpsed at the TV and sighed wearily. Then she got to her feet and came over to sit beside Alethia. "Should we go out?" Alethia chuckled. "I don't think my mom would love that. She brought you here to babysit me,
Chapter Fifty-sevenThe days didn't just roll away as they should, they dragged slower than a snail, creating longings and weariness as if to punish Ethan, and by the time it was a week, he was regretting his decision to stay away, and because he couldn't just crawl out of nowhere and appear in front of Alethia as if he hadn't made her worry for days. As if he hadn't put her through so much that he could feel would have been unbearable for her. Ethan breathed deeply on one of those beds that wouldn't stop creaking with his weight. He'd rented a room at a remote place to make it impossible for anyone to locate him. The room was small, though it contained three beds and usually gave access to three people at a time, as its purpose was only for people who needed to pass the night. Ethan had had to rent the room all to himself, and the bad condition of the room was a way to punish himself. But he'd learned to make do with the ceiling painted in white because each time he stared at it, ev
"Alethia, stop!" Olivia appealed, halting immediately as she got to the last step of the stairs. Apart from the obvious, that the situation was escalating beyond what Alethia might be able to handle afterward, Olivia could feel it in her bones that the danger that loomed above was only hanging loosely and waiting for either Alethia or her mom to cut the tiny rope which was barely holding it in place. But Alethia was too annoyed to stop, and her legs were too ahead of her as if their purpose at that moment was to get her out of the house, away from her mom so that she wouldn't consider going back to do what the evil voice in her head whispered the moment she felt the torrent of her mom's hand on her face. Her hair had bristled when the disaster landed on her face. She would have treated her mom like any other woman, had reality not put them in the same house. And had she not called her 'mom' even in the heat of the dissension? She jerked the door to herself and thundered out of the h
Alethia heard a sharp sound, prompting her fingers away from the keyboard of her laptop as she looked at the door immediately. What was that? She thought as she hesitated to look back at what she was doing on her computer. The sound had been light to be that of thunder, but it had been loud enough to shake something in her for worries. She got out of bed and removed her glasses, then she dropped them blindly on the bedside table. She approached the door gently, taking her time should the sound come again and it was nothing. But nothing came. All she could hear when she got closer to the door was the spiteful voice of her mom. Alethia opened the door and came out. She'd just closed the door behind her and turned around when she saw Ethan crouched, his face clouded with persistent hysteria like that of a man whose glory days had come to an end."Ethan?" she said and headed down the stairs immediately. Emily turned around and stood in her way."Aleth, go back to your room.""No, Mom,"
"But first, is Alethia okay?" Segun chuckled. "Of course, that's what you're more concerned about.""She's my friend.""And she created this mess.""No! She didn't," Olivia said and sat right, facing Segun. "She didn't ask for this, okay? Ethan should have handled this better."Ethan scoffed. "Excuse me, I'm here.""No," Segun defended. "Ethan here is the victim. Do you know how hard it is to navigate your feelings for two women?"Olivia laughed. "Who asked him to fall in love with two women? A mother and daughter at that. This wouldn't have happened if he had just stuck to the mother alone."Segun chuckled in disbelief. He drank from his coffee and cleared his throat. "How about the fact that Aleth was in love with him and wanted him for herself as well?"Olivia looked sharply at Ethan. He looked back at Segun and scoffed. "That was supposed to be a secret."Segun shrugged. "You left me with no choice.""Of course, I didn't," she said and reclined in the chair, then sighed in resigna
If anything, the silence that held them in that frozen moment spoke what was more apparent--'stunned'. Alethia's impulsiveness has never been more heart-wrenching than when Emily looked at Ethan's face and saw that should she decide to press further on the allegation, he didn't seem like he was going to deny it. It was true after all--he was cheating on her. She breathed deeply and bit her lower lip. Emily reckoned that she'd have preferred that Ethan had cheated on her by sleeping with just a random woman to having fallen in love with someone else. She wouldn't have decided how they move further from there by his momentarily carnal desire, which she considered only biological for him to satisfy. But how does she move on knowing that Ethan has fallen out of love with her?She looked at his face again, this time looking for a hint of remorse, but rather she met a screaming guilt that made it impossible for him to raise his lashes and look outright at her. Ethan took in a huge gasp o