Chapter 48


    Maya turned herself away from the sun rays that were so much prating the curtains in the room


    that had be hers for the past one week. Another night of her not sleeping at all. To even think that


    it was one week and still she didn''t get any sleep at all.


    She drew the duvet on the over her head and tried to close her eyes. She did try and she had been


    doing that for those past days but the image of the Kimberly and her husband didn''t let her close them


    for that long.


    They were there. In front of her. Shouting at each other on things that she didn''t even understand


    herself and then the revolution. The truthing into light. That''s when her world turned upside down.


    When she realized that she, she had not been the only victim in this rtionship alone.


    Maya pushed the covers away and walked to the bathroom. Her tears wouldn''t let her be for the past


    one week. She thought that maybe she would cry for a day or two but they never stopped running


    down her cheeks.


    She turned the shower on and stripped naked. Maybe the shower would help her in calming down.


    Help her understand why things had taken that direction. Why she wasn''t the one who was pregnant.


    Instead, it was her ex husband lover who was.


    Those were the answers she was seeking. The answers to why she couldn''t never be happy with in her


    life. It''s like the universe was against her happiness since the day she was born. Like she was never


    born to be happy but watch others get their happiness.


    It hurt. It hurt that every single time that she got just a little bit of happiness something came her way.


    And how could it not hurt? She had a bother before who was her happiness but he walked away. He


    left her to pursue his dreams of bing a soldier.


    Then she met Chris. Her teenager crush who loved her for only few months. Maya had dreams and


    hopes. She had nned their future together. Their ups and downs and yet, her happiness was taken


    away from her by an innocent child. A child that knew no mistake of its parents. And who was she


    supposed to me for her misfortune? Who?


    She had no one. No one to me but her badck. She was a bad omen as her father had grown


    calling her. She was even a murder as he used to call her. Wait, used to? He still called her that and


    now, if she used to wonder why, she had the answers now. She had them and it still hurt her. Wasn''t


    she supposed to be happy to finally understand why her dad called her a murder? She was right?


    But she was not. Instead it brought more sorrows to her than it did before. The cold water run down her


    body and the tears did. They still flowed despite the cold water that run down her. How could they stop


    if she still kept on thinking about her misfortune.


    It wasn''t fair that she had so many of them. But again the world itself isn''t fair. Just as they say if you


    want fairness in these life, then you''ve to make it yourself. Like if you don''t want to be poor, work hard


    for you not to be. That''s how life is. You need to be a shark in the ocean and not a fish.


    But how could she be shark when she was always the fish. The one that was eaten by the sharks.


    Kimberly was the shark. She hade back to survive and her survival was swallowing the fish which


    was her. Then how can a fish turn into being a shark? Her happy time was over and it was hard to


    believe it. Very hard.


    Hard as it was with the night that everything changed. How do you ept that the man that you love


    was raped and he never told you that. Not even once did he see that you could handle such news. He


    didn''t believe in her. Chris didn''t trust her that much as to tell her shit.


    And could she me him? Of course not. Maybe she hadn''t given him the reason to. She had not


    given him a chance to prove that he could trust her and that''s why he suffered in silence. He made love


    to her pretending it didn''t bring bad memories to him.


    He fulfilled all her happiness and not ones did she think of asking if he was okay. She was selfish.


    Selfish enough to think of only herself and no one else. Selfish to let her husband down in such a way.


    And how does one make it up to that? How does one correct such mistakes? How?


    Maya walked out of the bathroom with her shaking body. She didn''t know if it''s because of the cold


    shower or her crying body. Yes, her body was crying in more than one way. Maya pulled a grey


    sweatpants and a ck sweater on her body before sitting on her bed.


    She had nothing to do or she wasn''t allowed to do anything in this house. Maya pulled her knees up


    andid her chin on them. Her thoughts weren''t giving her a chance to stop thinking. Her mind just


    wanted to run wild on its on and she had no energy in stopping it. How she she anyway when it was


    her reality. Or it''s what had be of her. For crying out loud, she hadn''t even showed herself in the


    hospital or even bothered to call.


    It''s like she even didn''t care about her responsibility. Those patience were her responsibility and she


    didn''t bother to as someone to take care of them? Again who was going to be her responsibility? Who


    was going to go about her anyway?


    Was Chris even looking for her? Of course she didn''t leave home for her to be searched. She didn''t


    want to get attention of any one by leaving. She just wanted to think. To digest what had tranted that


    evening. The revtion to sink in and she even didn''t know she had left the mansion until a cab stood


    before her.


    She was still dressed in her booty shorts. And when the cab stood of the big gate, she realized that she


    had asked the driver to bring her here. She was still crying and the cab driver being so kind enough he


    run the door bell and waited till it was opened.


    He helped her out of his cab and when he was asked to wait for his cash, he said he helped a person


    in need and that was more than enough to him. Maya remembered him telling that everything will be


    alright and all she did was nod her head. And that night she exined her situation to her....


    Maya''s thoughts were cut short by the knock on the door.


    "May Ie in?" Bernice asked as her head came to view at the door.


    Maya smiled at her and sat up well as she told her mother inw toe in. Yes, she hade to her


    when ever thing went to south. She run to her or her mind knew she was the only one who would


    understand her pain. And it was right.


    Bernice had treated more than she was supposed to. I mean, what kinda mother inw would chose to


    heal her daughter inw''s pain instead of her hurting son? Apparently it was Bernice. And all she had


    to do was be there for Maya. Show her love and affection that Maya had failed to show Chris.


    "I''ll not get tired of telling you this dear," Bernice said to Maya as she took her hands into hers. "Let


    God fight your battles dear. He has a reason why somethings have to happen the way they do."


    Of course He had ns for every reason and that''s why He took her happiness away from her when


    she got one. He never wanted her happy. That''s even why He never gave her a chance to meet her


    mother. To experience motherly love. And He had ns for her? He had His reasons for putting her in


    such a spot? He sure did have ns for her. He sure did. And they weren''t happy ones. But miserable


    once.


    But she wasn''t going to say that to her mother inw. She wasn''t going to say, ''hey mother, guess what,


    I stopped believing in Him a week a go,'' she wasn''t going to do that.


    "I think this battle I''ll fight on my own." Maya said smiling sadly at her mother inw. That was better


    than saying I no longer believe. "I think He has fought so many of mine that I think its time I fought this


    one."


    Bernice rubbed her daughter inw''s back. "He never gets tired of fighting for us Maya. He will never


    do that. God is faithful and I think you''ve learned or seen His faithfulness in your patience. He never


    forsakes and He won''t start now, dear." She said looking into those swollen green eyes that no longer


    had life in them. It''s like they''re giving up when they weren''t supposed to do that.


    "The reasons why we face more challenges in our lives is because we fight our on battles. We never let


    God fight for us. And I think it''s time we gave God His battles back. God wants His battle Maya. He


    wants to fight for you and not you to fight for yourself. Do you get me?"


    She did but how to do that she had no idea do she just nodded her head. Bernice was a mother that


    Maya never got to meet. She was always there for her from the word go. And Maya would never regret


    ever meeting her. She has regretted so much in her life but Bernice will never be one of them.


    Bernice pulled Maya into a hug and rubbed her back as Maya took deep breaths.


    "Someone came inte yesterday to see you but I didn''t let disturb your sleep." Bernice said when she


    pulled away from the embrace. "That''s why I came to fetch you."


    Maya thought it was Alma but Alma never waited downstairs for her. In fact when she came, she came


    with a tray of food to her to room just to force it down her throat. So who would be looking for her? She


    turned away from Bernice to think of the possible someone but none came in the picture.


    It wasn''t Chris. He must be mad a her for being selfish. For her not seeing his pain for all those months.


    For months and she saw nothing. What does that make of her? What does that tell of her? He must


    hate her so much. Hate her for sharing three good intimate months together yet she saw nothing at all.


    She didn''t even have a hint of anything.


    And yet she had the guts to fight with him over him firing Kimberly? Hell she was so stupid and stupid


    people like her didn''t deserve anyone''s love. They didn''t even deserve to leave because what''s the


    reason when you see no shit around you? She didn''t deserve his love and it was good that he didn''t


    Maya looked at Bernice and smiled her but she was sure it never reached her eyes. It didn''t matter how


    hard she wanted it to reach because it didn''t. She got up and walked after Bernice down the corridors


    of her long hallway.


    Maybe one of her friends had figured it out of her where about and they were her to see if she was


    okay.


    "Momma, can I see her now?" Chris asked turning around to look at them only then did he realise that


    she was there with his mother.


    Maya swallowed hard. Why did hee to her? Why was he there? Yes it was his house but still. She


    had hoped, she had prayed that it wasn''t him. Wait a minute, did she just pray? Thest time she


    prayed was in an operation room. That''s when she prayed. And that was eight days ago. Yes, that long.


    Maya didn''t move from where she had stopped. It''s funny that her legs didn''t move when she wanted


    them to. Few days ago they moved when she didn''t want them to and now when she wants them to


    they aren''t. What do we call that? She also had no idea.


    With her legs glued on the ground, her eyes scanned her husband. He had changed in a week. She


    could notice his loose of weight but not that much. He hadn''t shaved also. And his eyes. Those


    beautiful eyes that she loved to watch while they united were swollen.


    They looked like they has not slept for the past few days and it hurt her. Her heart was bleeding for him.


    It was beating for him also. And in a way she was happy to see that he was okay. That he still breathed


    despite everything.


    Chris smiled at her and unlike her, his smiled reached his swollen eyes. It was genuine and if her heart


    didn''t bleed before, it sure did now.


    "Cupcake." He called taking slow measurable steps towards her.


    "I''ll leave you two to talk." Bernice said walking away from the room. She didn''t miss the pleading eyes


    of Maya but they had to whatever they had gotten themselves in. Alone.


    "Cupcake." Chris called again drawing Maya away from her pleading eyes which looked where Bernice


    had disappeared into. He was now in front of her.


    And before Maya could do anything, Chris pulled her into his embrace. God, he smelled good as


    always. A smell that she had missed for those eight days. She missed the warmth that even radiated


    from his body to hers. She missed her husband so much. She missed her fiancee more than she


    thought she could ever miss anyone. She missed him more than anything in this world.


    "Kitten." Chris called pulling away from her. "Are you okay? Why did you leave me like that. I was going


    crazy without you. I couldn''t even sleep worrying to death about your where abouts. I went to hospitals


    and police stations to even check you there in more than five time a day. Please never do that because


    I know I won''t survive without you. Okay?"


    Maya pulled away letting his hands fall on his side. "What are you doing here Chris?"


    That''s not what she wanted to ask. It was never going to be a question when she thought of the day


    she will meet with him. She wanted to tell his not to worry about her. Not to ever give up in leaving for


    his unborn kid. To never worry about her safety but his. That''s what she wanted to tell him. That''s all


    she did want to say all this past days.


    "What do you mean, Maya?" Chris asked with hurt. "I came to take me wife home with me Maya and


    don''t think for a second that I''m leaving without you."


    "Wife?" Again her mouth was the one talking and not her. You know, like it had its own mind. "What


    kinda wife do you think you''ve Chris? The one who doesn''t see her husband''s pain? The one who


    doesn''t even..."


    "Maya, what are you talking about? I never told you no shit." He took her hand into his. "I''m sorry Maya.


    I''m really sorry."


    "You shouldn''t be Chris. I am so selfish that I only thought of myself and myself alone. I should have


    seen your pain. I should have done something to help you."


    "Maya, how could you''ve known that I was raped when I never told you anything. I mean, it happened


    four months ago and I had those months to tell you. One month earlier we''re friends and I chose to


    keep it to myself. That even proves that I never trusted you enough to tell you my pain."


    "That maybe true Chris but I still failed you. You didn''t trust me enough to tell me what happened to you


    because I never made you feel like you can trust me. I mean we''re a couple. We should fight this pain


    together and yet you fought on your own."


    "I never fought on my own Maya. I had a psychologist whom I visited every Wednesday afternoon." He


    let go of her hand andped his hair with his hands. "Maya, I had your love to keep me going and


    never once did I remember of that horrible day with you. I admit that I did remember it but not with you.


    Please believe. You''re always there for me in more ways than you think you''ve Maya. So please let''s


    go home."


    "I can''t Chris. I''m sorry."


    Chris looked at her and she saw the shock on his face. How could she exin it to him? Exin that


    there life''s will never be the same. That she had failed him in more ways than one. That it wasn''t him


    who called the shots anymore and neither was she.


    "What do you mean you can''t, cupcake." He asked his slowly trying so hard not to shout and she could


    tell that because it was almost a year since she began to leave with him. "I''m not mad at you and I


    hope you''re not."


    "You should hate me, Chris."


    "And what right do I''ve got that?"


    "Aren''t you listening to me? I''m your wife for crying out loud. I''m supposed to feel your pain and I didn''t.


    You''re supposed to hate me."


    "I thought we''re passed that Maya?" He was now mad.


    "Well, we''re not Chris. We can''t move on from where we left from." She tried to reason. "We can''t


    pretend nothing happened."


    "I''m not saying we should pretend. You said that we''re man and wife and we should fight together. And


    yes nothing will be the same again but we''ve to stick together. I love you Maya. You''re my life and I


    can''t leave without you. Or don''t you love me anymore?"


    "Chris." Maya called him. "I love you but..."


    "But what Maya?" He couldn''t hold it anymore. He was shouting at her. "I''m a lesser man for you? I''m a


    weakling who got raped? I mean what kinda strong man gets raped, right? Is that why you no longer


    want me as your husband? Do I disgust you now? Tell me Maya. Do I mak..."


    p. And another. That''s what stopped him from going on. He was shooting red when he looked up at


    her but she didn''t care. He was talking nonsense and she wasn''t going to stand there and listen. If


    hitting him was what was going to keep him quite, then she will do it again and again.


    "What right do you''ve to judge me? Uhh..." If he could get mad she also could get mad. "How selfish of


    you to think of yourself Mr. Just a wake up call, the world doesn''t revolve around anymore and neither


    does it revolve around us. I don''t even know if there is anymore Chris. Do you think that it''s easy.


    "Easy for me to always know at the back of my mind that your have an innocent child out of wedlock?


    That that kid may grow up thinking that I''m the reason it grew up without aplete family? Do you


    think I''ll just follow you because you came looking for me? It''s high time you thinking of your child first


    before anything else."


    "What are you talking about Maya? I never nned for this to happen. Hell I''m not even sure if that kid


    is mine and if it is why did Kim take four months to show up? Why did she show at our door step


    shaking like a leaf the way she did? I won''t thing of that kid until I''m sure it''s mine."


    "Don''t be ridiculous Chris, she even can with the prove herself. Remember the pregnant results which


    show that the baby is yours, remember? Don''t tell me you need DNA test to be sure."


    The look in his face told her the answer before he even spoke up.


    "Maya don''t be so naive. A woman capable of rape is also capable of passing her pregnancy to


    someone else."


    She wasn''t being naive. Or maybe she was but she saw the true in Kimberly that night. She saw it and


    her shaking at there door step was because it was called that night. What else would make her shiver if


    not coldness. Right?


    "I can''t do this Chris, I''m so sorry." She moved to walk away but he pulled her right back to him.


    Chris held her close that they breathed the same air. No space was left between the two of them and


    he missed the closeness between them.


    "I won''t let you walk away Maya." Their lips were brushing each other when he spoke and the softness


    in his lips had her thanking her mother inw for the privacy. She held felt the back door close when


    Bernice walked away meaning she wasn''t around any more.


    "Don''t do this to me Maya." He pecked her lips and she missed that. "You can''t take my happiness


    away from me because I''ll die. I love you Maya. I love you very much to let you go."


    "I also love you Chris but..."


    They were swallowed by the warm lips on hers. She even didn''t waste anytime in kissing him back.


    The kiss was pleading. Pleading for her to go back with him and it hurt. And when he slide his tongue


    with hers, it was too much for her.


    It felt like good by yet a promising one. It felt like it was going to be thest time they kissed and her


    heart bleed with the kiss. She allowed her hands to run through his hair and he held he tight like they


    were saying goodbye which scared the hell out of her.


    Before Maya knew it, they were in the room that she had so much grown used to and Chris''s hands


    where everywhere on her body. This was his room when he came to stay with his mother and that was


    before they got married because not ones did hee over when they were married.


    Instead it was Bernice who visited them but thest she did was even her first when Maya had just


    gotten married to her son. Chris pulled her sweater over her head and looked at her. She missed those


    hazel eyes which were now turning blue lusting over her. He whispered beautiful before taking her lips


    in his and kissing her like there was no tomorrow.


    And they loved each other before they fell asleep in each others arms.


    *******


    "Are you ready?" Bernice asked when Maya took thest step of the stairs.


    She was dressed in blue sweatpants and a ck sweater. It was past two days since Chris came to the


    house and she had told him that she would think about it before he left. She didn''t know why but it felt


    like he didn''t believe her.


    But she had to keep her promise to him and for the past two days she had been thinking. Thinking of


    what was best for them and she hade up with the answers. And that''s why she was going to see


    him today.


    Maya nodded her head and took the car keys that Bernice had offered her when she had borrowed her


    phone to call uber.


    "Whatever you decide Maya, I''m always here for you."


    "Thank you, mother." She walked over and embraced her as tight as she could. "I won''t forget this. I


    promise."


    Bernice pulled away and smiled at her. "You better get moving before we start crying or think we''re not


    seeing each other again. I''m sure we''ve many years of being emotional. Right, just go and see that boy


    of mine. And please, go easy on him."


    "I''ll mother. Goodbye."


    "Not goodbye Maya, it''s see youter."


    "Sure thing." She pecked her forehead before she left.


    Maya stood in front of the mansion door. She was confused as to whether walk in or just walk away.


    And just when she was about to walk away because she couldn''t do it, the door opened reviling


    Kimberly.


    She wore a long maternity dress which had Maya regreting here. She wasn''t supposed to be here


    at all.


    "Maya? I was just about to leave." She said moving out of the door way. "Chris is in, I think I''ll give you


    guys space."


    "Actually I want you to be there." Maya saw the shock in Kimberly''s face but she chose to go on. "It''s


    about us and you''re now part of us."


    "Maya, I''m so sorry for everything that I did to you and Chris. I just hope that you guys..."


    "Can we go in Kim. To be honest I''m not ready for this."


    And they did. Kimberly walked before Maya as if understanding what she meant. Something had


    changed about her but it wasn''t time to know what. Maya stood at the sitting room and let her


    memories of the house flow on her mind.


    Both the good and the bad ones. Thest time she was here she was watching The Society and never


    even got the chance to finish it. It wasn''t fair. One moment you''re happy and the next you''re in hell


    burning in it.


    Kimberly disappeared upstairs which Maya assumed was to call Chris. This was her house and she


    was supposed to be the one calling her husband and not Kimberly. But allot of things were going to


    change when she said what she had decided.


    Maya didn''t know how long she waited but when next she knew where she was she was in her


    husband''s arms. He embraced her tight and kept saying he missed her.


    Maya wrapped her arms around him. She watched as Kimberly smile at her. That wasn''t the Kimberly


    that she knew. The Kimberly she knew would be fuming at them and spitting bitter words on her. But as


    she thought, something had changed with Kim.


    "How are you?" Chris asked taking her hands into his. "please have a seat. Did you chose toe


    back? Do you still want us to fight for our love?"


    "Chris, I''m fine and please go easy on me. I might die with your questions before I even get a chance to


    answer them."


    "Yeah, sorry about that. Please sit. I''m just anxious I guess."


    "I can understand." She watched as Chris sat on the opposite side from her and Kim sat at the other


    side.


    "I made a decision." Maya said after a long time of silence. None of the two looked away. "I think you


    should ask yourwyer to meet mine."


    It wasn''t easy saying that but she did and her eyes were filled with tears when she finished saying


    those word. She loved Chris. More than life itself but at times it''s good to let go the people that you love


    no matter how hard it is. For the sake of the child she sacrificed her love for him. She gave up on their


    love just for that kid to have a father.


    Yes, Chris could be still married to her and still be dad to that kid but she didn''t chose that. She wasn''t


    going to be selfish anymore. She was going to do the right thing and the right thing at that moment was


    for her to let go. For her to let her husband be a free man.


    "What are you talking about Maya?" Chris asked not wanting to believe what she wanted to mean.


    "I want a divorce Chris."


    Chris got up from his seat. All he could say was no.


    "Chris, stop being selfish."


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m being selfish? It''s you Maya who is the selfish one and not me. You''re the one who is thinking of


    yourself here and not me Maya."


    "I''m thinking of myself. I''m not thinking of myself here. I''m thinking of your unborn child."


    "And you think that will make me happy?" Chris rubbed the back of his neck looking at his soon to be


    ex wife if he allowed it.


    Maya looked away from him. "It''s no longer about what makes us happy anymore."


    "Is that so? Then I would rather die that loose you when I just got you."


    "Chris..."


    "Maya, I think Chris is right. You''re what makes him happy and I just wanted him to know that we''ve a


    kid together. Not for him to bring the kid up or give up his life but for him to only be aware."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Chris loves you and you love him back." Kimberly tried to exin. "I was on my way to take my


    renewed Visa when you came. I''m leaving the state."


    "What?" It was from both of them.


    "I''m leaving the state to start a new life. Motherhood life. And I wanted to tell you that before I left and


    for your forgiveness. Then you left and it contradicted things. But my flight leaves on Thursday."


    "And when were you nning to tell me this?" Chris asked.


    "Today after I took my Visa."


    "You can''t take the kid away Kim, I''ll divorce Chris."


    Kimberlyughed at Maya''s statement.


    "Maya, you''re his happiness. Chris has loved you since he first kissed you. He didn''t know that but I


    knew. I mean he had kissed so many people before and nothing has changed but when he kissed you


    everything changed. I was so much in love with him that I refused to let him go. And my obsession led


    to rape.


    "I regret what I did every single day and my punishment is Chris not reporting me to the authorities.


    And I''m sorry. Sorry for ever pping you, insulting you and baring the bad news. He loves you and


    you won''t sacrifice his happiness for his pain. I''m his pain and you won''t give him that and I won''t allow


    that."


    Maya didn''t know who was more shocked between the two of them. Chris or her. But Kimberly''s


    speech had them speechless for all she knew. Kimberly was apologizing and letting Chris go. This


    changed everything she thought.


    When Maya was about to speak up, the door bell went off. Such a bad timing when she wanted to say


    something to both of them. Chris looked at them and they did the same. Again the door bell went off


    and this time Chris moved.


    He walked to the door and opened it. Chris walked back to them with two police officer behind him.


    "Officer how may I help you?" Maya asked once they hade to stand.


    "Their was a man who was hit ten days ago and the car was caught on the street CCTV footage."


    The officer in her left tried to exin. Maya saw Kimberly take a step behind and that''s when she


    realized it. It was her who did it. She hit a man and run away and the only ce she could go was


    there. That exined why she was at their door step shaking.


    That''s even why she was leaving the state and it''s not for motherhood but to escapew. It all made


    sense to even her saying she didn''t even n on telling Chris she was pregnant. But that night forced


    her to say it so that she could stay at the mansion as she worked on her Visa.


    "The registration matched the car registered under your name, Mr. Rollins." The other cop went on to


    exin to them.


    "What registration?" Chris asked looking at them. "I was at home. What time did this ident happen?"


    "It wasn''t an ident since the one who did that run away instead of helping." The left cop answered.


    "And it took ce at around 10p.m.


    "I was at home that time."


    Maya could tell Chris had not yet put two into two to get one her so she spoke up.


    "What''s the registration number?"


    And they showed it to Chris and it''s like it registered something in him since he looked up to exin.


    "It''s registered under me but..."


    "You''re under arrested Mr. Rollins and you''ve to remain silence of whatever you say will be used


    against you in the court ofw." The cop on the right said. "You also have a right to thewyer and if


    you can''t afford the state will provide one for you."


    "I wasn''t the one driving that car."


    Chris again tried to exin. Maya saw the fear in Kimberly as she held her belly and felt sorry for her.


    At times we''ve to sacrifice our happiness for others. Maybe her mother inw was right the other day to


    say everything happens for a reason.


    There was a reason why she came her to day. At that hour in fact. It''s really true that something


    happen for a reason.


    "Please don''t waste our time here sir." The cop on the left went on to say. "Who was driving the car?"


    "It was..."


    "Me."


    And they all turned to Maya.