Episode 11: Beyond the Bloodline
Kemi’s POV
The next morning, I woke up with a strange mix of determination and dread. The weight of the previous day’s revelations pressed heavily on my chest, but I knew we couldn’t delay any longer. If there was even a sliver of truth in Judith’s claim or Mama’s schemes, Jide and I needed to uncover it quickly.
Jide sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his phone. His face was a mask of focus, but I could see the turmoil brewing underneath.
“Have you called the hospital yet?” I asked softly, breaking the silence.
He nodded without looking up. “I spoke with their admin team earlier. They asked us to come in this afternoon to review the procedure records. They claim there’s no room for error, but we’ll see about that.”
I could sense his frustration simmering beneath the surface. Jide was a man of action, someone who prided himself on being in control. But this situation had blindsided him, leaving him vulnerable in ways I’d never seen before.
By the time we arrived at the hospital, my nerves were frayed. The bright, sterile hallways seemed to stretch endlessly as we made our way to the office of the patient care coordinator. Jide’s grip on my hand was firm, grounding me as we entered the room.
The coordinator, a composed woman in her forties, greeted us with a polite smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Olajide, please have a seat.”
“Thank you,” Jide said curtly, his tone formal.
The coordinator folded her hands on the desk, her expression professional. “You mentioned a concern about your procedure. I’ve reviewed the records, and everything appears to be in order. However, I’m here to address any questions you might have.”
I leaned forward, my voice steady despite the knot in my stomach. “Our embryo may have been compromised or used without our consent. Can you confirm if this is true?”
The woman’s calm demeanor faltered slightly, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. “That would be highly irregular, Mrs. Olajide. Our processes are stringent, and such an error would be nearly impossible.”
“Nearly impossible,” Jide repeated, his tone sharp. “But not entirely? Are you saying there’s a chance something went wrong?”
She hesitated, glancing at her computer screen. “Let me double-check the logs. One moment.”
The silence in the room was deafening as she typed away. I could hear the faint click of the keyboard, each sound amplifying my anxiety.
After a few tense moments, she looked up, her face pale. “There’s a record of your procedure, but… there’s also an unusual entry. It seems a different name was logged under your names on the same day. That shouldn’t have happened.”
“What does that mean?” Jide demanded, his voice tight with anger.
“It means,” the coordinator said carefully, “there may have been an unauthorized use of your embryo. I’ll need to escalate this to the medical director for further investigation.”
My heart sank. “Unauthorized use? Are you saying someone stole our embryo?”
The coordinator sighed, her professionalism cracking under the weight of the situation. “I can’t confirm that yet, but it’s a possibility. Please, give us a day to investigate this fully. I assure you, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
As we left the hospital, Jide’s face was a storm of emotions—anger, frustration, and disbelief. I reached for his hand, but he pulled away, his mind clearly racing.
“How could this happen?” he muttered, almost to himself. “How could they let something so important slip through their fingers?”
I placed a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Jide, we’ll figure this out. Together. But we need to stay calm. We need to be smart about this.”
He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “You’re right. I’m just… I’m so angry, Kemi. They violated our trust, and now Mama and Judith are using this against us. How do we even begin to fight something like this?”
“We take it one step at a time,” I said firmly. “We’ll wait for the hospital’s findings, and we’ll confront Mama and Judith again if we have to. But no matter what, we won’t let them win.”
Jide nodded, his determination returning. “You’re right. We’ll fight this. But Kemi…”
“Yes?”
He hesitated, his eyes filled with guilt. “If… if what they said about that night is true, if Mama really set me up, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive her.”
I placed my hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at me. “One battle at a time, Jide. Let’s focus on the truth first. Then we’ll figure out the rest.”
That night, as we lay in bed, sleep eluded me. My mind replayed the events of the day, each revelation adding to the weight on my chest. Jide’s steady breathing beside me was the only comfort in the storm of my thoughts. “He didn’t really mean to chéat on me”.
But deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The truth was out there, waiting to be uncovered. But at what cost?
As I drifted into a restless sleep, one thought lingered in my mind: We were fighting for more than just answers. We were fighting for our future, our family, and everything we had built together.
Episode 11….