Chapter Two

Ada's POV:

Lost in an unfamiliar desert, Ada tried to remain composed, holding Sarah's hand tightly amidst the passengers who formed a small circle around the pilot. "I know we are all panicking," the pilot said. "But we all need to calm down and think of a way out."

"Do you know where we are?" someone asked.

"Before landing, I was able to get the location of this place. We are in the Borno state desert, very close to the Chad borders."

"How do we leave here? This is a very far distance from Abuja," another person inquired.

"I already made a distress call; we just have to wait," the pilot replied.

"I hope they will come for us," Ada whispered to Sarah.

"They will," Sarah reassured her.

Four hours later, they heard a sound in the air and rushed out to see a black helicopter landing in the desert. A man in his late 30s emerged. "Listen," the man named Bola said. "My name is Bola, I am the head of the information division of the DSS. Help is on the way, but I am here to pick up Mrs. Joy Nnenna."

This announcement sparked anger among the passengers. Ada asked Sarah about Mrs. Joy Nnenna amid the commotion. "She is the wife of the House of Reps speaker," Sarah explained.

"Lucky her," Ada thought. "Is she here? Have you met her before?"

"Yes, I've met her. I've been on the plane attending to her several times," Sarah said, looking around. "I can't see her anywhere here."

"Oh, my God," she said. "What?"

"Now that I think of it, you look exactly like her," Sarah revealed.

Ada, a light-skinned lady in her late twenties, was of average height with a glass hour shape. "You look exactly like her," Sarah repeated. "Her skin glows more than yours, but who will notice after what we have been through here?" she added, smiling suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?" Ada asked, confused.

"Mr. Bola, she is right here," Sarah shouted, pointing to Ada.

"What are you doing?" a confused Ada whispered.

"Can't you see? You look exactly like her. I know you don't want to go back to your family, so why don't you live as Joy for now?"

"I don't like this, but I will only agree to do this because I don't want to go back home," Ada concluded. "I will only spend the night there; tomorrow I am leaving."

"Suit yourself."

"Mrs. Nnenna," Bola said as he approached Ada. "Your husband is very worried about you; you will have to come with me. I will take you home, but let me first call your husband."

Ike's POV:

Ike rushed downstairs, relieved that his wife was waiting in the living room. He pushed away the thought of her being dead after receiving a call from Bola. Despite her arrogance, she was still his wife, and he loved her. He hoped to make her change her perspective on people. As he entered the living room, his heart stopped when he came face to face with a seemingly changed Joy. After staring at each other, he decided to break the ice. "How are you?" he asked. "Hope you are not hurt?"

"No, I'm okay," she answered.

She seemed a little different, but she looked the same, apart from her skin appearing a bit rough. Given what she had gone through, it was understandable. Waving away the thought, he asked again, "How are you feeling?"

"I am okay. All I want to do right now is to sleep. I’m tired; can we talk tomorrow?"

"Okay," he replied. "Olu!" he called.

"Yes, sir," Olu came running. "Help her to her room."

"Okay, sir," Olu replied. Ike watched as she weakly walked upstairs. "When are you going to come back to our room? Are you planning to have me sleep alone for the rest of my life?" he found himself asking but was surprised to see her panic.

"I just escaped a plane crash; maybe you could help me out by letting me be for now," she replied.

"If you say so, good night then," he said. Ike sat on a chair lost in his thoughts. His mind flashed back to the afternoon he came home and saw Joy packing her clothes into a bag. "You are home early," she said. "I thought you would still be in your office looking through files with a cup of coffee in your hand."

"Well, those are the things feeding you and funding your lifestyle," he said. "What are you doing with those clothes, Joy? I just changed your wardrobe last week."

She laughed before saying, "I am taking these clothes to my new room, where I can be out of your reach or, should I say, touch."

"Why are you doing this? Don’t you want children?"

"What? Do you want to know why I am doing this? Is it not obvious? It’s because I hate you, and I certainly don’t want to have kids with you."

"But I love you. Does that not mean anything to you?" Ike asked with a shaky voice. He was so heartbroken to hear the words coming out of her mouth.

Ike could feel the tears on his cheeks as he remembered the pain of that afternoon. He sighed and walked upstairs to his bedroom, pulling off his clothes. Stepping into the shower, he thought about Joy's odd behavior that day. He came out of the bathroom, went to his drawer, and pulled out his nightwear. Laying down on the bed, he

remembered the last time he had a conversation about love making with his wife—it was on their wedding night, and that day she wouldn’t let him touch her. She was not like this when he first met her; she was innocent and had several conversations with him. She had only changed after they got married, he shockingly discovered that she only married him for his money; she told him that out of her mouth. All those times she said she loved him were all lies; they started a relationship based on lies. He wept on his bed and wished that she could become nice like the way she pretended to be before. Finally, sleep found him, and only his soft snores were heard.