C3 Chapter Three

For two days, I kept wondering what was wrong with Ebere.

He had suddenly stopped calling me, and whenever I called him, he refused to pick up.

I tried to convince myself that maybe he was busy, but deep down, I knew something wasn't right.

Ebere had never behaved this way toward me before.

That afternoon, I couldn't take it anymore.

I decided to visit him at his house.

I needed to know what was really happening.

I needed to hear it from him directly.

I entered a taxi and told the driver,

“I’m going to New Gate.”

The driver nodded and started driving.

When we arrived at New Gate, he stopped in front of Ebere’s house.

I paid him, came down from the taxi, and walked toward the house.

I opened the door and stepped inside.

The moment I entered the sitting room, I froze.

I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing.

Ngozi was there.

She was standing in the sitting room, looking around and searching for something.

Then I heard her say,

“Baby, I didn't see it. Where do you keep it?”

My heart skipped.

“WHAT?”

The moment Ngozi heard my voice, she turned around.

As soon as she saw me, fear appeared on her face.

She started shaking.

“Ah! Chinyere, are you here?”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“Ngozi, what are you doing in my man's house?”

She immediately looked down.

“I just came to say hi.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

“You came to say hi?”

I stared at her.

“You came to say hi? How does that even make sense?”

I pointed toward her.

“I was the one who brought you here a few days ago. You didn't know my man before then. So how did you suddenly come to his house without even informing me?”

She said nothing.

“What is really going on, Ngozi?”

She continued looking down.

She didn't answer me.

I was becoming more confused and angry.

“Anyway, I didn't come here because of you. Let me go and meet Ebere first. I need to know why he has been refusing my calls.”

I turned toward the staircase.

But before I could take another step, Ngozi grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“And where do you think you're going?”

I turned around in surprise.

“What?”

She looked directly at me.

“This house no longer belongs to you. You have no right to come into this house.”

For a moment, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

I stared at her.

“Excuse me? Are you okay?”

She said nothing.

“Did you take something? Did you drink something? Did you smoke something? What are you talking about?”

She repeated herself.

“Yes. You heard me. You have no right in this house again.”

I couldn't believe the person standing in front of me was my best friend.

“My friend, get out of my way.”

I tried to pass her.

But she grabbed me again.

That was when I lost my temper.

I slapped her.

“What is wrong with you?”

She immediately grabbed me back.

Before I knew what was happening, we started fighting.

“Are you mad?”

“Are you stupid?”

“How dare you?”

“So this is who you really are?”

“So this is how you repay me after everything I have done for you?”

“So this is what you have been doing behind my back?”

“You have been the reason Ebere has been refusing my calls!”

Ngozi was shouting back at me.

“Yes! You are no longer welcome in this house!”

She pushed me.

“I am the owner of this house now!”

I stared at her in shock.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I am the owner of this house now! Get out and go back to your squat. I will never allow you to cross this house again!”

We continued fighting and shouting until suddenly, we heard a very loud voice.

“What is going on here? Will you two stop?”

We both stopped immediately.

I turned around.

Ebere was coming downstairs.

I rushed toward him.

“Ebere, what is going on here?”

I was already crying.

“What is this cheap slut doing in our house?”

I pointed toward Ngozi.

“And why haven't you been picking my calls? Why haven't you called me back? Why have you been rejecting my calls?”

My voice was shaking.

“Ebere, please explain to me. What is really happening?”

I wiped my tears.

“I don't even know if I'm dreaming or if this is real. Can you please explain to me what is going on?”

Ebere looked at me coldly.

“Is that why you came here causing a scene?”

I was shocked.

“Is that all you have to say?”

He pointed toward the door.

“Get out of this house immediately. I don't want to see you here.”

I shook my head.

“I am not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what is going on.”

I looked at him through my tears.

“Right now, I'm confused. I don't understand what is happening.”

Ebere stared at me.

“Oh, you don't want to go?”

I said nothing.

“So you want me to touch you, right?”

He turned around.

“Okay. Wait. Let me come.”

He rushed into the sitting room.

A moment later, he came back holding his belt.

But before that, he had already slapped me once.

I stood there crying, touching my face.

“This is not you, Ebere.”

My voice broke.

“This is not the man I used to know.”

I looked at him.

“Since we started dating, you have never laid your hand on me. Not even once.”

“What happened?”

“What went wrong?”

“Why are you treating me like this?”

Ebere raised the belt.

“Okay. You don't want to go, right? Fine. Wait. Let me come.”

The moment I saw him coming toward me with the belt, fear took over.

I ran.

I rushed outside as fast as I could.

Behind me, I heard Ebere shout,

“If you know what is good for you, never step into this house again! Idiot!”

I didn't look back.

As I ran away, I could still hear Ngozi laughing.

I couldn't understand what was happening.

I rushed home.

The moment I entered my room, I locked the door and broke down in tears.

I couldn't believe what had just happened.

“Why, Ngozi?”

I covered my face with my hands.

“Ngozi, why you?”

“What have I done to deserve this from you?”

I cried harder.

“I don't even believe that you can do this to me.”

“Ngozi, what have you done to my man?”

“Ngozi, I trusted you.”

“After everything I did for you...”

Memories of the past suddenly came rushing back.

“Ngozi, do you remember?”

I remembered the day I first met her.

That very afternoon, I found her under a mango tree inside the school compound, crying while other students walked past her.

But I stopped.

I approached her and asked,

“What is wrong?”

She told me everything that was happening in her family.

She told me that her father was very sick and had been in the hospital for some time.

She told me that her mother was the one struggling to take care of everything, but her mother's small business had already collapsed.

She told me that sometimes they went to bed without food.

She told me that her hostel fee had expired and that she didn't even know where she would sleep that night.

That was when I asked her to come and stay with me.

She was surprised because she didn't really know me.

But I told her,

“It’s okay. It only takes a little time for two people to know each other.”

I promised her that she would become the sister I never had.

And from that day, I never treated her like a stranger.

I treated her like my own sister.

I wiped my tears.

“Ngozi, do you remember?”

“Many times when we were getting ready for school, I gave you my clothes to wear.”

“You wore my clothes.”

“You wore my shoes.”

“You carried my handbags.”

“I made sure you looked good.”

“Ngozi, do you remember when you didn't even have money for your school projects?”

“I gave you money to do them.”

“I took responsibility for things your parents were supposed to take care of.”

“I stood by you when you had nobody.”

“And today...”

My voice broke.

“Today, this is how you paid me back.”

I cried bitterly.

“Ngozi, for making me shed these tears, you will cry more than this.”

“You will regret what you have done.”

“You will never have peace in your life.”

Just then, I heard a knock on my door.

I froze.

Then I heard someone call my name.

“Chinyere.”

My heart started beating faster.

I stared at the door.

Could that be Ngozi?

Could Ngozi be the one knocking on my door?

I slowly got up from my bed and walked toward the door.

TO BE CONTINUED...