Episode 9: Beyond the Bloodline
Kemi’s POV
The silence in the house after Mama and Judith left was deafening. Jide sat motionless on the couch, staring blankly at the floor, while I lingered in the bedroom, trying to compose myself. My heart was a storm of emotions, anger, betrayal, sadness, and confusion.
But deep down, one question kept gnawing at me: What was the truth behind Judith’s pregnancy?
After what felt like hours, I stepped out of the bedroom. Jide looked up, his face weary, his eyes pleading.
“Kemi,” he began, his voice hoarse.
I raised my hand to stop him. “Jide, I need to know the truth. Did you have an affair with Judith? Is the child really yours?”
He stood up, running a hand through his hair. “Kemi, I swear to you, I didn’t have an affair. Judith was… she was my childhood friend. Mama initially wanted us to get married but I was not feeling emotionally attached to her. I never entertained the idea, and I haven’t been in contact with her intimately. We just sat down a few times.”
“Then how?” I demanded, my voice breaking. “How is she claiming to be carrying your child and she also has my perfume collection?”
“Babe I can explain. The last time I saw her visit our house in the morning, I noticed she had a quite unpleasànt smell for a lady.. she was my old time friend remember. I just decided to help her since mama told me her birthday was coming up.” Since I couldn’t tell her myself to avoid making her feel embarrassed, I ordered it as a birthday gift.
I don’t know how it resulted to this. Jide exclaimed, his frustration evident. “This is as much of a shock to me as it is to you. Mama must have orchestrated something, but I don’t know what.”
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “Jide, I want to believe you, but this isn’t just about us anymore. If she’s truly pregnant with your child, what does that mean for us?”
He stepped closer, taking my hands in his. “Kemi, you are my wife. You are the woman I love. Whatever is happening, we’ll face it together. But first, we need to get to the bottom of this.”
The next morning, we decided to confront Mama and Judith. If there was any truth to her claim, we needed to hear it directly from them.
Jide placed a call to Mama, asking her to meet us at her house. She sounded hesitant but agreed after much persuasion.
“Kemi, are you ready for this?” Jide asked as we got into the car.
I nodded, my resolve firm. “I have to be. This is our fight, Jide. Not just yours or mine.”
When we arrived at Mama’s house, Judith was already there, seated beside her with an air of triumph. Mama’s expression was cold, her arms crossed as she waited for us to speak.
“So, you’ve finally come to your senses,” Mama said, her tone laced with sarcasm. “What do you want now?”
“Mama,” Jide began calmly, “we need to talk. Judith claims she’s carrying my child, but I need the truth. How did this happen?”
Mama scoffed. “How? You’re asking how? Jide, this is what happens when you finally listen to your mother. Judith is a real woman, capable of giving you what that barren wife of yours never could.”
“Mama, stop,” Jide said, his voice firm. “This isn’t about insults. This is about the truth. Did you have anything to do with this?”
Judith shifted uncomfortably, her confidence faltering. “Jide, I… I didn’t mean for things to happen this way. Your mother said it was for the best.”
“For the best?” I repeated, my voice rising. “You think it’s for the best to déstroy someone else’s marriage?”
“Enough!” Mama snapped. “Kemi, you’ve had your time. It’s over. Judith is pregnant, and that’s all that matters now.”
A Revelation
Jide turned to Judith, his eyes narrowing. “why are you doing this”?
Judith looked down, tears welling up in her eyes. “Mama told me it was the only way to secure your future together. She said… she said the procedure would work.”
My heart stopped. “The Procedure?”
Jide froze, realization dawning on him. “Mama, what did you do?”
Mama remained silent, her expression defiant.
I stepped forward, my voice trembling. “Mama, did you tamper with our IVF procedure? Did you steal our embryo and give it to Judith?”
The room fell silent for a while, the weight of the accusation hanging heavily in the air.
“We don’t know what you are talking about”. Judith’s voice finally broke the silence. “I can be anything but not a thíef”.
The last time Jide visited the village, he seemed emotionally down. We seized the opportunity to achieve our plans. Mama got Jide drúnk while I sneaked in later that night to be with him. That was how this pregnancy came about.
Jide eyes widened with surprise and shóck written all over his face!
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