by Kiru Taye
Ebun didn’t sleep. By the time sunshine peeked through the bedroom curtains her tears ducts had emptied out.
Pain throbbed in her arm every time it chaffed on the sheets. The sticky liquid made her skin cling to the linen and there were red stains too. Fatigue meant she had no energy or inclination to crawl out of bed or treat the injury.
What was there to get out bed for? She’d lost Kamali and she’d certainly lost her job—the only two things worth living for.
Her life had always been one massive roller-coaster ride, incredible highs followed by devastating lows.
When she’d thought she’d finally crawled her way out of her destructive ups and downs, she’d found a new low.
There would be no climbing out of this pit that she’d fallen into because of stupidity.
She should never have trusted Jonah.
After her parents split up, her mother had planted this image in her head of African men as devils and not to be trusted.
Ebun had bought into the belief that the only men who treated women decently and who were worth dating were the Caucasians.
Nonetheless, every one of Ebun’s previous relationships had been doomed. She should have learned from them.
She’d always assumed the problem had been with her.
She wasn’t good enough. No one could love her.
She’d found a man who could love her.
Kamali loved her. He’d been willing to sacrifice more than she could ever ask of him, for her.
And once again, she had proven why she wasn’t worthy of love, why she would never be elevated to a place of honour in anyone else’s life.
The images from the video flashed in her mind.
How did that happen? Why did she have no memory of the event?
How could she have been so gullible, so trusting?
Oh, Lord, she whimpered, tears seeping from the corner of her eyes onto the pillow case.
Kamali had seen the footage too. Any love he had for her would’ve been killed when he saw her—what those men did to her.
She’d seen the disappointment, disgust, and disapproval in his facial expression and body language.
She would never be Mrs. Danladi. She didn’t deserve the prestigious surname.
Kamali had been quick to get out of here last night. She couldn’t blame him. He’d gone, abandoned her as soon as he’d seen those images of her. He hadn’t even asked questions or shouted at her. Nothing.
Then again, what was there to say? He’d already made it clear the kind of woman he would prefer as his wife—someone who was pure in body. No one could see those images and describe her as innocent.
She tossed and turned, the intense depressive thoughts whirled in her head. She didn’t know how much time had passed, only that there was sunlight peeping through the curtains when she staggered out of bed.
In the bathroom, she rummaged in the shelf, found her bottle of prescription sleeping pills. She opened it, tossed some tablets into her mouth and chased it down with the small bottle of water in her tote that she’d received during yesterday’s flight.
She climbed back into bed and drifted into welcomed blackness.
****
Sleep eluded Kamali for most of the night. When he did eventually drift off close to dawn, he woke up from a nightmare, covered in cold sweat.
The events of last night returned full force as soon as he opened his eyes.
With a weighted chest, he hauled his body out of bed, shoving aside the lethargy making him wish to sleep for a few more hours.
Matters needed his attention and he couldn’t waste time in bed.
After performing his dawn ritual, he grabbed his sports kit.
Although it was a public holiday, he still needed to catch up on emails and business from his week away. Not to mention the matter of Ebun’s ex and the nasty sex tape.
His knuckles cracked as he jerked on his shorts. He would work off his rage on the treadmill. He grabbed his phone and headed downstairs.
In his private gym, he pressed the remote control so he could watch the current international affairs and business broadcast on the TV hung on the wall beside the patio door leading to the garden. He also turned on the overhead air-conditioning unit so the cold air blasted downward.
The presenter on the screen spoke about government troops reclaiming areas from rebels in the Syrian War as Kamali climbed onto the running machine and adjusted it to the pace he wanted.
As per his routine, one of the servants brought a bottle of cold water along with a small towel.
Exercising gave him time and space to work through his problems.
Forty minutes later, he completed the workout, warmed down and stretched his muscles before heading upstairs.
His movements had renewed purpose, his mind cleared and focused.
Mobile phone in hand, he pressed the speed dial button number two and Ebun’s name flashed on the screen. He would’ve set her contact as number one, except that the messaging service was preset as the first.
Striding to his bedroom, he listened to her phone ring again and again on the other end. She could still be asleep. She didn’t have to be up this morning for work because of the public holiday.
His chest ached that he couldn’t reach her.
As his exec assistant, she’d signed up to be on call and available for him to reach at all times.
As his woman, he found he allowed her more leeway, especially after the distress she’d exhibited last night.
God help him, she was his.
Their affair in Katsina had unmasked the depth of his desire and affection for her. He couldn’t go back to being just her boss and watching her from a distance. He couldn’t allow another man to touch her, not after they’d shared such wonderful moments.
This morning, he’d wanted to invite her over to his place so they could talk. There were things he wanted to tell her, things about his past. She needed to know about Toyin.
He swiped to disconnect and tossed his phone onto the bed. Hopefully, Ebun would call him back when she saw the missed call.
In another ten minutes, he stepped out of the shower. The trilling sound of his phone caught his attention.
Thinking it was Ebun phoning him, his body tingled all over. He grabbed a clean blue towel from the rack, wrapped it around his hips and hurried out, still dripping with water.
He let out a heavy sigh when he saw the caller ID on the handset.
“Hello, Ethan,” he said after he connected and pressed the speaker button.
“Good morning, Mr. Danladi,” the man replied.
“Morning. Do you have news for me?” Kamali asked as he dressed.
“Yes, I do. We were able to enter the target address last night and we recovered a laptop from the apartment. We have been able to access the contents of the device as well as his cloud account. I found the offensive file and it is now permanently deleted from his account as well as the digital mailbox. But there’s still a problem.”
“What is it?”
“The video was recorded on Mr. Mills’ mobile phone. Although it syncs automatically with his cloud account, there could still be a copy on the phone.”
Kamali’s stomach clenched. Jonah would have his cell with him in South Africa which was out of reach for Ethan. But Kamali couldn’t wait more hours for Jonah to return to Nigeria. The delay gave the bastard plenty of time to cause damage with that video.
“Is there nothing you can do?” Kamali asked.
“I got in touch with one of my contacts in South Africa,” Ethan said. “He arrived at the hotel where Mr Mills is residing and has been able to access the man’s phone through the hotel Wi-Fi. He was able to delete some files from the phone but we won’t be able to confirm until we have physical custody of the device. However, he was able to upload malware which shuts the phone down every time it is turned on, making it unusable in the short term. This will buy us some time until Mr Mills returns to Lagos when we will recover the phone.
”
“Good.” The tightness in Kamali’s chest loosened a little. “But I want you to do more. I want Mr. Mills detained when he arrives at the airport.”
“On what charges?” Ethan asked, but he didn’t sound surprised.
“Use your discretion. But I don’t want it linked to my fiancée or me. The man broke her trust by making that video without her consent and worse, he blackmailed her, causing her a lot of distress. I don’t want to cause Ebun more anguish by airing what he did in a court. But I want that man to pay for his actions. He has to suffer like she has suffered. An eye for an eye. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Ethan said. “I totally understand. I will make it happen. You can trust me.”
“I do.” Some of the tension left Kamali’s shoulders. “Thank you for what you’ve done so far. I look forward to your next update.”
“No problem, sir. I will let you know as soon as we have him in custody. Have a good day, sir.”
“You too, Ethan.”
Kamali’s body felt lighter as he sat on the edge of the settee at the foot of the bed to pull his shoes on. He trusted that Ethan would handle Jonah and the man had met his expectations.
He could now focus on resolving matters with Ebun.
Why hadn’t she returned his call? This was out of character.
He redialled her phone. It rang and rang.
Hmmm. He called his security chief and spoke as soon the man replied. “Good morning, Yakubu. I told you to let me know if Miss Forson leaves her apartment.”
“Good morning, sir. I don’t have a report that she left. Let me check and get back to you.”
“Do that immediately.” He didn’t want to head to Ebun’s place only to find out she wasn’t there.
He disconnected and went downstairs to eat the breakfast already waiting.
Yakubu called back. Ebun had not left her home.
She had to be still asleep.
Kamali rushed through his meal. He was too unsettled to enjoy it anyway.
Twenty-five minutes after leaving his home, he got off the lift and strode along the corridor towards Ebun’s apartment.
He remembered last week when he’d done the same thing the day of their trip to Katsina. He hadn’t known then he would finally succumb to the attraction he’d harboured for years. Or that he would return like he’d done yesterday with the intentions of making Ebun his wife.
He still didn’t know what the future held for them.
All he knew was that he wanted her in his life.
Kamali tapped his knuckles on the wooden slab of her door several times.
When he didn’t get a response, he pulled the bunch of keys he’d taken last night from his pocket. He found the correct key and inserted it into the slot. It popped and he turned the handle.
“Ebun,” he called out as he stepped inside the shadowed apartment. The curtains obscured the daylight.
The door clicked shut behind him. He left the keys and his phone on the side board, making his way across the living room. He found the lever and retracted the blinds until sunlight flooded the room.
Everything seemed to be as he’d left it last night.
The stillness caused cold fingers to slide down his back.
“Ebun.” He couldn’t help the unease in his voice. He hurried down the hall and into her bedroom.
In the gloom, he made out her shape on the bed, covered with a sheet.
He let his head fall back in relief that she was in one piece. He walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.
As soon as the light flooded in, he saw the open plastic pill bottle on the bedside table.
An overwhelming fear rammed into his body and his chest constricted as if under a heavy load.
“Not again!” he shouted as he ran across the room.
“Ebun, wake up.” He pulled the sheet back, turned her over and checked for signs of life.
She still breathed but her pulse felt sluggish.
He didn't know how many pills she’d taken. He just needed to wake her up.
His heartbeats thrashed in his ears as he attempted to wake her a few more times but got no response from her.
His chest hurt as he ran to the living room and grabbed his phone, calling the doctor who had helped when his wife died.
“Jocelyn, I need your help,” he said through rasping breaths as soon as she answered.
“Kamali, you sound distraught. What’s happened?” Dr. Okoro replied.
“It’s my fiancée. I think she’s taken some pills. I can’t seem to wake her.”
“Do you know how many she took?”
“I don’t know. I just got here and found the opened bottle and she’s still not awake.”
“What is the name of the pill? Is she breathing? Can you feel a pulse? Are there any physical injuries you can see?”
He relayed what he’d done as he re-entered the bedroom and then he read the label on the medicine bottle. “Breathing looks heavy and pulse is slow. There are cuts on her arm but I can’t see anything else.”
“She’s taken some prescription sleeping tablets. They are relatively safe. But have a strong effect on the female body. So it might take her a lot longer to wake up.”
“So you think she’ll be okay?”
“I think so. But it’s best if I check her out. Is she close to VI?”
The weight on his chest eased a little. He wanted to believe Ebun had taken a normal dose. But seeing that pill bottle and having her unconscious was the stuff of his nightmares.
“Yes.” He rattled out Ebun’s address. “Is there anything I can do in the meantime?”
He just couldn’t sit here waiting.
“You could run a bath of cold water. Grab some ice from the freezer and add it to it. She is not far from me, so I will be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay.” He hung up and went into the bathroom do as Jocelyn asked.
He removed his shoes and placed them in the corner of the room beside the row of hers. He stared at the colourful display of shoes. She had great taste in fashion and he enjoyed seeing whatever new attire she wore to work each day, even when they made her the more irresistible.
He took his embroidered tunic off, leaving the white vest and trousers on.
Keeping an eye on Ebun who still slept, he found a small bucket, filled it with cubes from the freezer ice-making compartment and dumped then in the bath.
He was on the third trip with the ice bucket when the door buzzer sounded. He left the bucket on the floor and went to let Jocelyn in once he confirmed she’d arrived.
He opened the apartment door and waited until Jocelyn exited the lift.
“Thank you for coming as such short notice,” he said when she reached him.
“Any change?” she asked as she stepped into the apartment.
“No.” He shut the door. “She’s in the bedroom. This way.”
He led her down the hall into Ebun’s bedroom.
Jocelyn pulled a stethoscope, a small blood pressure monitor as well as another device he didn’t recognise. She placed them on the bedside table along with a notepad and pen.
“Is this what she took?” She lifted the plastic medicine container.
“Yes. I think so. I wasn’t here when she took them.” Kamali walked to the other side of the bed.
She attached the cuff to Ebun’s left arm and turned on the machine. Then she listened to her chest with the stethoscope.
Jocelyn scribbled on the notepad before placing the little device onto Ebun’s index finger.
“What’s that thing?” Kamali asked.
“It monitors her blood oxygen level,” she replied. She made some more notes and looked at him. “How are you holding up? It must have been a shock finding her unresponsive.”
Jocelyn alluded to more than what happened today. But he didn’t want to go there right now. His focus was on Ebun. He couldn’t let history repeat itself.
“It was. But I’m fine. I’m more concern
ed about her though,” he said. “Do you know what’s wrong with her?”
“I think she may have taken more than the recommended dose. It should wear off eventually. But I think we should try to wake her up. Is the cold bath ready?”
“Yes.” He pointed at the bathroom door.
“Take her in there and put her in the tub. Her whole body. But lift her head out almost immediately.”
He lifted Ebun out of bed and carried her into the bathroom. He didn’t bother taking off her black, silk chemise.
Seconds after he dunked Ebun into the tub of freezing water, he pulled her head up just as she sucked in a harsh breath and then spluttered.
“It’s so good to have you back.” He exhaled the locked breath and swiped water off her face.
Ebun eyes were wide, pupils dilated. “What’s ... going ... on?” Her teeth chattered making it difficult for her to speak.
“Shhh,” he whispered in relief as tension released from his body.
“Lift her out,” Jocelyn said as she turned on the warm shower. “I’ll be in the kitchen making hot drinks. Call me if you need me.”
He carried her out of the bath and into the shower enclosure. “Can you stand?”
“I think so,” her words were slurred and her body trembled.
He let her go so she could step under the warm spray but she swayed. So he held on and stepped in with her, holding her against his chest and getting wet in the process.
He didn’t care if he got drenched as long as she was okay.
They stood under the hot spray until her body stopped shaking. Then he helped her take the chemise off, discarding it on the floor of the shower enclosure.
“Kamali, I don’t understand why you’re here.” Her voice sounded strong, almost back to their normal tone.
“I’ll explain in a minute. Let me get you dry first.” He switched off the faucet and reached for the large towel on the rack.
When she was covered, he pulled a smaller one for her hair.
“Are you okay to walk?” he asked.
“Yes.” She still had a curious expression on her face.
“Go and sit on the bed. Let me get these clothes off.”
She gave him one last look before doing as he’d instructed.
He drained the bath and stripped off his wet clothes. With his body dry, he wrapped a towel around his waist and entered the bedroom.
