C9 Chapter Nine

Immediately I heard them mention my father, I became even more scared.

But then another thought came to me.

“Why am I even worried? Why am I scared? Why do I still care about Ebere and what will happen to him?”

Normally, this was the moment when I was supposed to take my revenge.

I knew my father.

If my father became involved in this matter, Ebere would not stand a chance. He would not go scot-free.

But why did I still care?

Why did I feel bad at the thought of Ebere getting hurt?

Why did I hate the idea of anything happening to him, even after everything he had done to me?

“Could this still be love?”

“Or am I just being stupid?”

I was lost in my thoughts when one of my friends called me.

“Hello, Chinyere. Are you there with us?”

I shook myself out of my thoughts.

“Hm?”

“Are you okay? What are you thinking about?”

“Sorry, guys. I'm fine.”

Precious looked at me.

“We asked if you have your father's number off hand. Give it to us so we can call your daddy to come and help you.”

Immediately, I panicked.

“No, no, no! Please, don't involve my daddy. Please!”

The three of them looked at me.

“Why?” they asked almost at the same time.

“Because if you bring my daddy into this matter, Ebere will not go scot-free. My father will not spare him. I know my daddy. If he finds out everything that has been happening, Ebere will be in serious trouble.”

They all stared at me with their mouths open.

Precious was the first to speak.

“Wait a minute. Don't tell me you're still thinking about Ebere after everything he has done to you. What is wrong with you?”

I sighed.

“Please, I don't want my father to get involved. Instead, call Chidi.”

“Chidi?” Precious asked.

“Yes. Chidi.”

I knew Chidi could handle this without making things worse for Ebere.

“If my daddy comes, things will become much worse. My father will not let Ebere go easily. But Chidi will understand. He won't do anything to hurt Ebere.”

I paused.

“Chidi's father is the Inspector-General of Police. He has a very high position in the police force. I know that with his father's influence, Chidi can get me out of here without causing more trouble.”

I begged them to call him.

At first, they refused.

Precious folded her arms.

“I'm not going anywhere. It is your father's contact that I want. If you are not ready to give us his number, then we will leave.”

“Please, Precious.”

“No,” she said angrily. “It seems like you are enjoying all this suffering. You are allowing yourself to be humiliated and treated like nobody. At least let your father come here and let Ebere and that stupid girlfriend of his know who you are and who your father is.”

“Please, Precious. I know why I don't want my father involved. Just call Chidi. Please. Go and tell him what happened.”

After a long argument and a lot of hesitation, they finally agreed.

“Fine. Let's go and look for Chidi,” Precious said.

They walked away.

I was left alone inside the cell again.

After some minutes, I started hearing another noise.

This time, it was a man's voice.

I listened carefully.

“Could that be Chidi?”

The voice became clearer.

“I want to see the lady you arrested. I want to take her out of here.”

A policeman responded.

“No. She is not allowed to be released.”

I heard Chidi's voice again, this time sounding angry.

“Why? What is her offense? What did she do?”

One of the policemen raised his voice.

“Mr. Man, stop making noise here. We have told you what it is. She cannot be released. Leave here now before we arrest you too.”

Then I heard Chidi laugh.

“Are you threatening me?”

There was a brief silence.

“So you are threatening to put me in a cell? Then try it. I can see that you don't know who you are talking to. You don't know who you are dealing with, do you?”

One of the policemen asked,

“Who are you?”

“My name is Chidi Nwankwo.”

The moment I heard his name, relief washed over me.

It was truly Chidi.

I smiled.

I felt like hope had finally entered that cell with me.

I even started moving around excitedly because I knew that my release was near.

But the policemen didn't seem impressed.

“Who cares?” one of them said. “Whatever you claim to be, get out of here. We don't need you.”

Chidi responded calmly.

“I am Chidi Nwankwo, the son of the Inspector-General of Police, Benjamin Nwankwo.”

There was another silence.

Then one of the policemen laughed.

“So you came here to claim who you are not? You think you can use some fake identity to release your woman?”

Another policeman added,

“Let me tell you something. That girl is not going anywhere. And if you continue disturbing us, we will arrest you too.”

I became worried again.

Then I heard Chidi say,

“Okay. Wait.”

A few seconds later, he made a phone call.

I couldn't hear the person on the other end, but I could hear the change in the policemen's voices.

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir.”

“Please forgive us, sir.”

“We didn't know he was your son, sir.”

“Yes, sir. We are going to bring her out immediately.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

A few seconds later, one of the policemen shouted to another officer,

“Oya, go and release that girl immediately!”

Footsteps rushed toward my cell.

The door opened.

I stepped out.

The same people who had shouted at me earlier, pushed me around, and treated me like a criminal were suddenly apologizing.

“Sorry, ma.”

“Please forgive us, ma.”

“We are very sorry.”

Some of them were even bowing as they apologized.

I couldn't believe it.

But honestly, that wasn't my problem anymore.

All I wanted was to leave that horrible place.

They brought out all my belongings—my shoes, handbag, phone, and everything else they had taken from me.

I checked everything carefully to make sure nothing was missing.

Then I walked outside.

The moment I stepped out, I saw Chidi standing with Precious, Skyla, and Blessing.

I couldn't hold back my happiness.

I rushed toward Chidi and hugged him.

It was the first time I had ever hugged Chidi.

I held him tightly and cried.

He immediately put his arms around me and consoled me.

“It's okay, Angel. Please stop crying. I promise you, nothing will happen to you again. Nobody will hurt you again. You're safe now.”

I cried even more.

Then I hugged my friends too.

They had gone through all that trouble to find me and help get me out.

After that, we all left the police station.

But the moment we stepped outside, Precious said something that was very difficult for me to accept.

“Chi, you know you can't go back to your house.”

I looked at her.

“Why? What do you mean? What is wrong with my house?”

She shook her head.

“Come on, babe. This girl is very dangerous. Ngozi is too desperate and heartless. She can do anything.”

She continued,

“Going back to that apartment and staying there alone is not safe for you.”

I looked at the others.

“But where am I supposed to go?”

“You can't come to our place either,” Precious said. “We are students, and we are all ladies. If Ngozi and Ebere can find you there, they could come and hurt all of us. We won't be able to protect ourselves.”

I became even more confused.

“If I can't stay in my house and I can't stay with you people, then where do you want me to go?”

I paused.

“Should I go back to my parents?”

They all became quiet.

“You know that's not possible. My parents are not even in Lagos. They are based in Abuja. How can I suddenly travel to Abuja when I'm still attending school here in Lagos?”

I looked at them.

“So what do you want me to do? Where do you want me to stay?”

Immediately, Chidi spoke.

“Angel, you can come and stay with me.”

I looked at him.

“No.”

I rejected the idea immediately.

Chidi became quiet.

But then I started thinking about it.

How could I go and stay in a man's house?

A man who was not my boyfriend.

A man who was not my husband.

A man who was not my brother.

A man I barely knew.

Yes, he was Ebere's best friend, and I had known him since I started dating Ebere. But that didn't mean I knew him that closely.

What if something happened?

He was a young, single man.

How could I go and stay in his house?

And what would people say?

How would it sound if Ebere heard that I had gone to stay with another man?

“No. This isn't right.”

I felt like I was walking into another temptation.

So many thoughts filled my head.

I stood there silently while everyone looked at me.

Then Skyla called my attention.

“Chinyere, are you there with us?”

“Yes.”

She looked at me seriously.

“Babe, believe me, this is the right thing to do. You can't stay with us, and you can't go back to your apartment. It is too dangerous for you to stay there alone.”

She pointed toward Chidi.

“Going to Chidi's house is the only safe option you have right now.”

She continued,

“And don't forget that Chidi's house is highly secured. There are security men everywhere, CCTV cameras, escorts, and workers around the compound. Nobody can just enter that place and harm you.”

She looked at me.

“I think you should consider Chidi's idea.”

The others immediately agreed.

“Yes, she's right.”

“Go with Chidi, babe.”

“That will be better for you.”

“You need somewhere safe to stay.”

I stood there thinking.

They were right.

I didn't have another option.

My life was already in danger, and going back to my apartment alone could put me in even more danger.

Finally, I sighed.

“Well, I don't have any other choice.”

I looked at them.

“Okay, fine. I've heard you guys. Now, can we go?”

Immediately, Chidi smiled.

He looked at me, and our eyes met.

He gave me a small smile.

I returned it with a faint smile of my own.

But deep down, I was still thinking about the decision I had just made.

I had no other choice.

And that was how we got into the car, and Chidi drove us away from the police station.

TO BE CONTINUED.