Episode 10: Beyond the Bloodline
Her words hit me like a thúnderclap. I staggered backward, my breath hitching as my mind struggled to process what I had just heard.
“You what?” Jide’s voice was barely above a whisper, his tone sharp with disbelief.
“Mama said it was the only way,” Judith continued hurriedly, her voice desperate. “She said you would understand once I was pregnant, that you would see it as a sign to move on, to build a new life with me.”
Jide looked like he’d been struck by lightning. He stumbled back, his face pale, his eyes wide with shock. “You… forced this on me?” he whispered, his voice trembling with anger.
Mama, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up, her voice as cold as steel. “Enough of this drama. Jide, it’s done. What’s important now is that a child is on the way—a child this family desperately needs. You should be thanking me, not questioning my methods!”
“Thanking you?” Jide roared, his voice shaking the walls. “You bétrayed me! You bétrayed Kemi! Do you even hear yourself? You plotted to destroy my marriage, to ruin everything I’ve built with my wife!”
Mama’s expression darkened. “Your so-called marriage has brought nothing but embàrrassment to this family. Six years, Jide. Six years and not a single child! I had to take matters into my own hands because you were too blind to see the truth!”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. “The truth?” I spat, my voice trembling with anger. “The truth is that you are a manípulative woman who doesn’t care about anyone but yourself! You broke your own son’s trust. You bètrayed me, your daughter-in-law, in the worst way possible. And for what? A child? At what cost, Mama? At what cost?”
Judith buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, while Jide paced the room, his anger barely contained.
“Kemi, we need to leave,” Jide finally said, his voice low and steady. He turned to Mama, his gaze icy. “Both of you. Get out of my sight before I do something we’ll all regret.”
Mama scoffed, her defiance faltering for the first time. “You’ll regret this, Jide. Mark my words. You’ll come back when you realize I was right all along.”
But Jide didn’t respond. He simply headed to the door, his jaw clenched, his body shaking with anger.
Judith stood shakily, avoiding my gaze as she followed Mama into the room. As the door slammed shut behind them, the silence that followed was deafening.
As soon as we got home, I sank onto the couch, my hands trembling as tears streamed down my face. Jide sat beside me, his head in his hands, his body heavy with guilt and frustration.
“Kemi,” he said softly, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t know…”
I turned to him, my heart aching with a mix of love and pain. “Things are happening so fast, Jide. If you had at least listened to me the day I tried explaining my hospital ordeal, we wouldn’t be here right now. You know what? Now is not the time to apportion blame. You’re my husband, and I have always loved you. They tried to destroy us. But we can’t let them win. We need to fight this together.”
He looked at me, his eyes glistening with tears. “We will, Kemi. I promise you, we will. But first, we need to find out the whole truth. If they lied about this, who knows what else they’re hiding?”
I nodded, my resolve strengthening. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, Jide. No matter what it takes. We also need to question the hospital to know what they have done with our samples.”
“You’re right, hunie,” said Jide. “We will get to the bottom of this.”
But as I sat there, clutching his hand, a sinking feeling settled in my chest. This battle was far from over. I had a terrible feeling that the worst was yet to come.
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