Tania||"Why are you sitting here by yourself?" I asked Nana as I approached her sitting on a rocking chair in the garden.She was sitting right in front of the patch of land where she had cultivated some crops.It was her little pet project and she had spent almost her entire days on this patch on land, her knees on the dirt, digging and planting."Is that nurse not supposed to be here with you? Is that not what we are paying her to do?" I spat distastefully as I spoke about Debbie."Ah... it's fine. I'm okay by myself." Nana said weakly.She was gradually becoming a shadow of herself and it hurt to see her this way."She said she had to go to the hospital to get me some medication. She'll be back soon." Nana added."Medication? For you?" I asked as I sat on the bench next to Nana."That is weird. I thought we already bought all the drugs the doctor administered for you," I said, thinking hard."Maybe, I needed some more." Nana said but my mind was elsewhere.Ever since Debbie's beha
Tania||I sat quietly in the dark— right where I had been when I spoke to Marcus.I did not know why I was pissed, but I was. Ivan was fucking Debbie?Were they in a relationship or just fuck buddies? Did he love her? Did he love me?All these questions rallied around in my head and I could not find a single answer for any of them and I could not stop myself from thinking about them.It did not help at all that I had suspected the possibility of this.The way they heaved around each other; his aversion to her staying in the house. It all made sense now.I wondered if they spoke about me.Did he tell her the truth about who I really was or did he tell her the new and improved story of my life?It also explained why she was so hostile towards me. She was just marking her territory.What confused me the most than all the unanswered questions was the big question I failed to answer: why was this revelation bothering me so much?It was not as if I had any feelings for Ivan. Everything I w
Tania||Slowly, I turned around to face him."Expose what secret?" My voice came out as a whisper, barely carrying across the room to where he sat with his head down, avoiding my eyes.I took a couple of steps forward towards him before stopping. Clearing my throat, I asked again; "Expose what secret Ivan?" "The entire thing. From the very beginning." He said, still avoiding my eyes."Look at me Ivan." I commanded and he reluctantly rose his head up to look at me. "How did she find out what she intends to expose?""That I don't know.""That is not an answer Ivan," I said angrily."See Tania, all I know is that she came into my office earlier and dropped a file on my desk. It had evidence of what happened; the death certificate, the accident report, the reconstruction, everything!" He spoke agitatedly."I did not ask her how she had found out as that was the least of my worries at the time." He added.I took further steps, moving closer to where he was. "What does she want?" I asked.
Tania||"Let go of me!" I yelled at Ivan when we entered the room, ripping the grip of his fingers away from my arm and finally freeing myself.He had managed to drag me out of Debbie's room and back to our room despite the way I had kicked and attacked him."You should not have done that, Tania!" He said strongly but with his voice under control."You have no right to tell me what I should or shouldn't do!" I lashed out at him. "Your stupidity is the reason we are here, and I would appreciate it if you shut your damn mouth up!"He clenched his fists and tightened his jaw. His eyes turned so dark that they looked almost grey. Like the clouds over the sea during a great storm.He was angry. Very angry. But he was trying to keep himself in order, which didn't work for me because I wanted him to be angry.I wanted him to be so angry that he would do something irrational to the whore downstairs."Tania?" I could hear the fight to suppress his anger and keep himself under control in his v
Ivan||"I don't understand what you mean by saying we need to take care of her," I said, my heart beating wildly.I was scared because when I told her Debbie wanted her to leave the house and my life. She had looked so content with the term and was ready to take it.If she could not see that I was not ready to let her go, then she was the first blind woman with her eyes perfectly working.But telling her the other term, I had seen fear flit across her eyes.She was scared I was going to take the term and expose her, saving my ass.There was no way in heaven or in hell I was ever going to do that.All I was going to do was find a way to solve this mess so that we could go back to our perfect little world.But her saying we needed to take care of Debbie was making my desire to go back to our "perfect little world" look like a facade.She did not respond to my question about what she meant and it was starting to dawn on me."Wait." I said gently, taking a shirt cautionary step towards he
Debbie||"You would need to eat a lot more than that for you to be able to take your drugs," I advised the old woman as I gently poked a needle into the vein in her arms.She had barely touched her breakfast this morning, and the bowl of pudding sat practically untouched on the dining table.A breakfast that had only had me and her in attendance, unlike yesterday.I had not set my eyes on Ivan nor his bitch since the altercation yesterday and it was all for good because I had promised to get my revenge on her for what she had done to me."When will I stop taking these I.V's?" The old woman asked."This is the last time ma'am."Even though her son and his partner in crime were total asses, I still had a soft spot for the old woman."It's so odd. Tania has not come down to say hello," The old woman said and I frowned.It was obvious the old woman was fond of Tania and it pissed me off.I bet, if she knew her true identity and knew the crimes she had forced Ivan to commit, she would not
Debbie||I stomped my foot agitatedly as the telephone buzzed in my ear. I clutched the pay phone so tightly. I would have likened it to my savior but then, it indeed was my savior.It was the only means I would be able to secure my release from this hell.The line clicked as there was no answer.I stole a glance at the policeman who was hovering nearby and then I dialed the number again."839–629," I muttered under my breath, reciting the number I had memorized a long time ago.The phone started to buzz again and I closed my eyes, saying a prayer in my heart.A click from the other side of the phone made me fling my eyes open as I gasped with joy."Hello? Ivan?!" I said into the phone, happy that he had finally answered my call.I had been given the opportunity to call someone and I had been advised to call my lawyer. But I did not care for their advice. I already knew whom I wanted to call."Who is this?" He growled over the phone in his usual grumpy tone. "Ivan? It is me! Debbie!
Debbie||"Do you think the hospital would want to have the reputation that its staff go to patients' houses as caregivers and then steal their properties? There was a board meeting as soon as the case was reported to them, and it was a unanimous decision to let you go," He said."And you didn't do anything about it?" I asked."I am the victim here, Debbie. You stole from my house." He sounded so condescending as if he was talking to a moron.Just as I had thought in the house, the odds were against me. She had outnumbered me, and I had lost the battle even before it had begun."Okay, Ivan! Tell her I'm sorry. That I did not mean to threaten her, and if she drops the charges, it will be like it never ever happened." I surrendered."I'm sorry, Debbie, but it's too late for that," Ivan said."No, please! You have to help me! I can't stay here! Please, Ivan!" I begged."I have to go, Debbie. Take care.""No, Ivan! Don't do this! Don't abandon me again! Please, Ivan! Don't abandon me!" I c
Ivan|| The hospital room was filled with the soft beeping of machines and the gentle hum of fluorescent lights. It had been three days since the incident that had happened but it felt very fresh in my memory. The television that was mounted to the side, was showing news about what had happened. The caption read, "Family Feud: A tale of love, deceit and betrayal." I had been disgusted at the various titles news reporters had been using just to trend with this story. It would have been funny to me if I had not been involved and my loved ones nearly killed in the process. Tania lay unconscious, giant tubes running in and out of various parts of her body. Her sister was in the adjoining room. She had also suffered a bullet wound, but hers was not as fatal as Tania's, and she was already awake and doing fine. We were lucky the ambulance came in time she would have been lost. I remembered how shocked the medics were when we brought her to her state. How did it even happen? How
Tania|| "Well, well, well. If it isn't the two loves of my life. My sister wives, literally." He mocked us sarcastically as he approached. He clapped loudly as if he had just won the lottery. Eyeing me, he said, "I can't believe you are Tania! You look nothing like before." He scanned me up and down. "I should have known it was you when you gave me that sloppy kiss. You know you were never a good kisser. Unlike my lovely second wife here." He addressed Eloise. The fear in the room from the three of us was so palpable, filling the room. I bet we even stank of fear. "Get away from her!" He commanded, but we did not move. "I said get away from her, or else her brain matter would decorate your bodies in a second!" He shouted. Not needing another graphic threat, Eloise and I jumped away from Nana. "Good girls." He complimented us with a leery smile, and I felt like throwing up. "Let her go! You said you would let her go if we came!" I yelled at him. He chuckled. "What do you t
Tania|| The siren of a police car trailed behind us as we sped to the location Eloise had discovered. Eloise sat at the back of the car. She had insisted on following us even though we had begged her to stay behind. "This would be traumatizing for you. Moreover, your body needs rest to fully recover." I had tried to reason with her. "I can't keep running from Nicholas. I need to face him and face my fear and if he goes down today, I want to be there to witness the moment." She had insisted. "I will not let you!" I stood my ground. "Then I won't tell you where the place is." She said cockily. "Good luck finding where the penthouse is, and even if you are lucky, it would be too late then," She said, folding her hands. Ivan wasn't too pleased with her. With fallen shoulders, he conceded. "She is coming with us!" Ivan had declared and she smiled triumphantly. She had played on Ivan's fear of running out of time and losing his grandma and had won. As we waited for Eloise to g
Ivan||I grunted awake, my hand heading straight to the throbbing pain at the back of my head. "Ouch!" I cried out as a sharp pain shot through my head when my hand touched the wound.My hands felt wet, and I brought my hand to my eyes to inspect it, and I saw blood.Struggling to my feet, I tried to remember what had happened but when my eyes fell on the chair in the middle of the room, it flashed in my mind instantly. Nana had been kidnapped and Tania and Eloise were the ransom to get her back.This realization sent a surge of energy through me and I regained a tremendous amount of strength. There was also a tinge of fear developing deep within me. A paper on the floor caught my attention and I picked it up.YOU HAVE UNTIL 8.00 P.M TODAY OR ELSE SHE DIES, the note read.I squeezed the note in my hand as anger overcame me.From recent events, I knew not to take Nicholas' threats lightly.Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and checked the time.It was 8.00 am.This mean
Ivan|| I could feel the exhaustion in my bones as I drove home from the hospital in the pitch-black darkness. It took a great deal of effort to keep my eyes open as I drove. It had been quite some time since I had a good night's rest ever since this entire situation had escalated. I was driving home alone; Tania had insisted on spending the night with her sister, and I had left them consoling themselves and planning their wrath on Nicholas, whom Tania had just found out had been the cause of her parents' death. That one was a big eye-opener; I never even saw that coming. I knew surprises were coming, but damn. I knew Nicholas was ruthless but I had never thought it was as bad as this was. He had killed and would have continued killing till he had wiped their family off the face of the earth until he was the only one left alive so he could take the company. I had never seen such callousness before in a man except my father. Nicholas reminded me a lot about my father. They could
Tania|| I held Eloise's hands tight in mine as I ran alongside the stretcher that was rolling her into the hospital. After she had collapsed by the roadside, we put her in the car and drove back to the hospital. I sat with her in the back of the car, her head resting on my thighs and my hands clasping hers as Ivan raced to the hospital. It was thanks to Ivan's connection that a team was already waiting for us when we arrived at the hospital. "Ma'am you need to let go now. We are taking her in to run some tests." A male nurse held my arm, holding me back from following the stretcher. "No! I can't leave her!" I cried out. "Madam, you have to allow us to do our jobs properly. Please calm down." His words were strong, but his expression was very soft. He was acting very professional. "Please, I won't disturb you. I will just stand in a corner, she needs me now more than ever!" I begged. My hands stretched out reaching for her hand that was retreating fast from me as she was p
Eloise|| I was shocked to hear my name, more so coming from the lady standing in front of me. My trembling reduced, and I raised my head. She had come out from the car that had almost taken my life alongside the handsome and gentle man who was leading me back to the car with them. I continued to stare at her as I tried to get my wits together after nearly facing death. It was as if I had been predestined to die with the way I was having a lot of experiences that brought me close to death. The situation was starting to get weird as her excitement of seeing me grew, and she started to jump and cry in one place. She acted as if she was very familiar with me. Who was she? How did I know her? And then it clicked in my head. I did know this lady. My eyes furrowed, and a deep rage started to brew inside my belly as my mind brought back the pain of the past. "You!" I spat out, pointing at her, my brown eyes heavy with hate. Nicholas whore! I had once threatened to kill her, and
Tania|| "The result will be put in five days." The doctor who had drawn my blood for the DNA testing said. "Five days is too far! Can't it be done tomorrow?" I could not wait five days to be able to take my inheritance back. "A day is not feasible, especially since your records do not exist to compare it to. We would have to search through the database to track your father's DNA." He explained. "Five days is too much, Sir!" I refused to give up. Figuring there was no way to continue arguing with me with any prospect of winning, he conceded. "Fine. I'll try to get it ready in two days. That's the best I can." He said. "Two days is fine. I can work for two days." I agreed, and the doctor looked visibly relieved. Ivan and I had headed straight to Ivan's hospital for the DNA test the board members had asked for to prove to them I was Tania White–Angel. I had suggested we go today as I could not wait another day. Today had been the best day of my life, and I could not hi
Eloise|| My eyes flickered open, and I was greeted by a bright light. It was hard for my swollen eyes to adjust to the light but I tried my best. I lay on the floor, my body aching all over. I looked at my body but I could not find my night dress on me, instead the shreds of what used to be my night dress were scattered on the floor. Hugging my naked breasts, I slowly sat up, wincing as pain shot through every part of my body. I assessed my surroundings. The room was quiet, and Nicholas was nowhere to be seen. Knowing that was a relief to me but I knew that I needed to act fast. Nicholas would be coming back to inflict more pain on me. I pushed myself up, trying to get on my feet but I ended up just stumbling back to the ground and hurting my injured body. I was weak, my body suffering from Nicholas' attacks, thirst, and lack of food. I could barely move an inch, but I knew if I lay there, I would die, and I did not want to die, especially in the hands of the devil spawn