“Ayo, we need to talk.”
“Sup?” Ayoola’s voice was absent as he went through his messages. He just came back into town and was eager to see Evelyn. There was no message from her. They needed to talk. Even though they had been in regular communication , mostly through chatting, they hadn’t discussed what happened between them. She had carried on as if nothing happened and he decided to wait till they saw each other in person before bringing it up. Why did she run away in the morning before he woke up? The question was top-most in his mind and he needed her to answer in person. His messages were delivered but she hadn’t read it yet.
“Are you listening?” Kemisola stepped forward and snatched his phone, effectively snatching his attention.
“What is the meaning of that?” His voice was cold as he stared. He hadn’t invited her over but she visited last night and refused to leave.
“I am sorry.” She held out the phone and he snatched it from her hand. “I am pregnant.”
“What?” The phone dropped on the tiled floor and its screen shattered into pieces. He didn’t look at the phone as he stared at her in horror. He felt as if the gate to the jail just snapped shut, effectively trapping him in. “What did you just say?”
“I said I am pregnant.” Her voice was low as she took several steps back.
“How? How did you do it?” Struggling to keep his voice down because he wanted to throw something. His fists clenched and clenched by his side and he held it by his side with great effort.
“You mean how did we do it?” She retorted, glaring at him.
“Whatever. How did it happen?” Racking his brain desperately, he came up blank. When? How? He was careful not to allow such a thing to happen between them because he wasn’t ready to settle down. Not with Kemisola. At least not at the moment.
“That night at the Car park when we went clubbing. We were both drunk and you took me against the Car.” A little smile lifted her lips but died immediately when he gave her a cold expressionless look.
He remembered the outing. It was after the wedding they both attended weeks ago and they had gone to the club afterwards. He remembered the clubs, the drinks but he didn’t remember having sex with her. What kind of problem was this for God’s sake?
“And you got pregnant from that?” His voice was sceptical.
“What are you trying to insinuate? It takes just once.” She glared at him.
“And it didn’t occur to you to take a pill afterwards?” If truly he slept with her, and without protection, they were both responsible and he shouldn’t put the blame on her. His father had abandoned his mother with two kids and he never looked back. He didn’t want to be that kind of man. He had vowed not to be an absent father to any child who belonged to him. “I am sorry. I took that back.”
Before he could respond, there was a knock on the door and they both turned towards the door.
“Who is it?” He moved towards the door.
“Oko mi, my son, come and open the door.” It was his mother.
He wasn’t expecting her but her visits were almost always impromptu. It usually amused him but instinctively, he knew why she was visiting tonight. He turned to face Kemisola but she was looking at the floor.
“You told my mother?”
“No.” But he didn’t believe her. “I swear I didn’t tell her anything.” She finally looked at him, her eyes swimming with tears.
“Did you plan this?” His voice was low.
“Ayo!” It was his mother’s warning call and he hurriedly opened the door. “Sweetheart, how are you?” Her smile was for Kemisola while she glared at him.
As he turned to lock the door, he felt the key on the lock of the jail being turned and the key thrown into a deep abyss of darkness.
******
“Congratulations Eve. Plush Plus Line is going global. I saw the news last night. How did you and Tiaraoluwa do it?” Titilola was gushing as Evelyn dragged her tired self into the office.
“Thank you, Titi. I barely made it through the movie premiere last night. Too many celebrities. My face nearly froze in place from too much smiling.” Grimacing as she dropped her bag on the table, she sank into her black leather swivelling seat.
“Are you alright? You look pale. Is it because of the rigours of last night’s event? You look gorgeous on that red carpet.” Titilola’s concerned look swept over her.
“ That was just a mask you are seeing , Titi. I am drained.” To her chagrin, tears filled her eyes and she buried her face in her arm, weeping softly.
“What is wrong? What is going on with you?” Titilola rushed to her side, patting her back.
“Every night, my husband raped me brutally and violently and in the morning , I won’t remember a thing.” Raising her head, she stared at Titilola through eyes, red with tears.
“What!” Titilola stumbled backward , her mouth wide open in shock. “Why is he doing that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I am probably to blame and I deserve it.” Her shoulders drooped in defeat as she stared at her entwined hands, folded on her laps. “He stopped touching me after we got married and I lost interest in the physical aspect of our marriage. I couldn’t just bear his touch any longer.”
“So the next thing he should do is to rape his wife? Is he crazy?” Titilola’s eyes flashed with temper and it filled her belle with warmth. At least she had someone on her side. “What did you do every morning when you found out? Why can’t you even remember?”
“He always begged for forgiveness. He will kneel down and plead with me not to be angry with him. It is the devil’s work.” The irony of it made her shake her head in self pity. What kind of narcissist was she married to? Her body was covered with bruises and she had gone back to wearing her blazers except last night when she had to cover them with makeup.
Every morning in the past few weeks, she would wake up to find her vagina and anus on fire, nicks and bruises on her inner thighs and bites all over her nipples and breasts. Before she even opened her mouth to confront him, he would start begging and pleading. He would even go as far as bringing her breakfast while she was still in bed, nursing her bruises. She felt too ashamed to go to the hospital to treat herself. What exactly was he doing to her body while she was dead to the world?
“Oh my god! Have you been to the police? Have you gone to the hospital to treat yourself? This man needs to be arrested and detained.”
She burst into laughter after staring at her friend as if she had grown two heads, “What exactly should I tell the police? That my husband is having sex with me every night, even though it was while I was unconscious? Even my parents will not believe me.” Her laughter turned bitter and she sat back with her head on the head rest.
“I get it. The Nigerian legal system doesn’t even support a woman.” An hiss escaped Titilola’s lips as she paced the room. “Why are you unconscious though? Is he drugging you?” Her voice was puzzled as she stared at her.
“Obviously. I am not sure how he is doing it. I have started buying my pack of water to lock up with the key in my purse and stopped eating whatever food the chef is cooking. Who knows? They may be working together. Unfortunately, nothing is working.” There was confusion on her face as she sat up. “Once I hit the bed, I am literally dead to the world and when I woke up in the morning, it was to find semen all over my body with my body and muscles aching in a way I can’t even describe.” It was almost as if he was punishing her for a sin she committed. Did he know about her rendezvous with Ayoola? Was that why he was punishing her? Should she come out and confess to him? Would it even solve her problem?
“This man is an animal. What the hell! Are you not thinking of leaving his ass? How long do you want to continue doing this?” Titilola was livid with rage.
“I can’t.” A sob escaped her lips and her hands shook violently.
“Why?” Titilola came to sit in front of her and held her shaking hands in hers.
“I am … pregnant.” Her voice came out in a whisper. Her menstrual period had ceased twice consecutively. At first she didn’t notice as she attributed malaria symptoms and early morning sickness to the effect of whatever drugs he was feeding her with and the atrocities he was committing with her body. After almost fainting from a dizzying spell one early morning, a notification from her menstrual tracker had popped up on her phone, prompting her to enter her last menstrual date and it was then it occurred to her that it had been missing. A home pregnancy kit had confirmed her worst fear.
“Oh lord of mercy! What kind of mess is this? Come here, you deserve a hug.” Drawing her reluctantly to her feet, Titilola enveloped her in a warm bear hug. It felt good and she promptly burst into tears again. “Is that a pregnancy hormone at work or you just feel like being a cry baby this morning?” Her voice was teasing.
“Get out,” She was smiling through the tears as she sniffled and dropped on her seat. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome. We still need to …” Titilola broke off as her deskphone rang sharply.
It was Ebere, the Receptionist at the front desk. A woman named Kemisola wanted to see her and it was urgent and personal.
“Who is she? A client?” Titilola was curious.
“I don’t know. The name doesn’t sound familiar and she says it is personal. Please make up my face a little bit. I don’t want to go and see a stranger, looking like a rat that was dragged through the gutter.” Evelyn muttered as she pulled off the blazers and brought out her make-up bag. There was a hollow feeling in her belle and she knew instinctively that she wasn’t going to like anything about the meeting. Should she ignore the woman? No she wasn’t a coward. Sitting up straight in her seat, she glanced up to see Titilola staring at the slightly reddish print on her upper arms with a horrific expression on her face. “Is it very bad?”
“Your husband deserves to be beaten to a pulp and I am not going to apologize for that.” Hissing viciously, she picked up the make up bag and unzipped it. “I will cover it. Don’t worry about your appearance. I gat you.”
“Thank you, Titi. You are always my number one cheerleader.” Her voice was husky with emotion as she squeezed her arm in gratitude.
Finding Solace is available for your reading pleasure on the blog shop.
The Blurb
Araire Falade, a beautiful, wealthy, and single woman in her 40s, is trying to slow down her ticking biological clock, and her boyfriend, Bamidele, has said he will only propose if she gets pregnant.
Seeking help, she approaches the sexy, handsome but married fertility doctor, Chibuike Azuke, and they soon become great friends.
Glowing and pregnant, her happiness doubles or so it seems when Bamidele finally proposes.
All hell breaks loose when Araire discovers she has been duped, not only by the man she was engaged to, but also by the man she had come to trust and love with her whole heart.
Will love find her again or she is destined to remain single and alone forever?
The Chapter Sixteen of Hidden Desires will be posted next week Sunday, 18th May, 2025.
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