Chapter 29

Candace's ransom was paid but she

wasn't released until the next day.

She came back home on her own

and was looking dreadful. Her mom

ran and hugged her daughter as

tears of joy streamed down her

cheeks. "I'm very happy to have you

back in my arms baby, I was so

scared that I thought that I had lost

you. I hope those savages didn't hurt

you? Come with me inside, you need

to rest." Everyone was welcoming her

but Candace looked lifeless and sad.

Nobody took note of her attitude

because they felt she was still

traumatized by the incident. It was

a normal thing for anybody who has

gone through a near-death experience

to look that way.

 The police also arrived and the

officer was very angry at Candace's

dad for paying the ransom. "I thought

I told you not to pay the ransom. We

have been tailing those guys for a

while now, and just when they were

within our grasp, you paid the ransom

and let them escape." Candace's

father flared up after hearing what

the police officer just said. "Are you

stupid or out of your mind? If you

are that competent at your job, why

not get those guys on your own? You

wanted to use my daughter's life

as bait to catch your criminals.

Even if those men had demanded

my life, I would have given it to

them so that my daughter will be

back home. I hope your child gets

kidnapped someday then when

someone wants you to use that

child's life as bait, you will

understand how I'm feeling right

now. My daughter is back home,

so please, leave my house." As the

officer and his men were about to

leave the house, Candace saw

them and asked them to wait.

"Please wait. These men duped

my family of seventy-eight million

Naira last year and I don't want

them to get away with the eight

hundred million dollars that they

have collected from my father. If

you know how you can catch them,

please do it. You can ask me any

questions. I am willing to answer

them at any time." Candace looked

at her parents and said "Mum, Dad,

I'm sorry for the pain I've caused

you. Dad if only I had listened to

you and not married Richard, all

these wouldn't have happened and

my life wouldn't have been this

ruined." Everyone was confused

after hearing her mentioning her

husband's name and that was

when everyone noticed that Richard

has not been around. Her father

looked around and said "where is

your husband? Where is Richard?

I just noticed that he is not in this

house. Candace, I was wrong for

trying to stop you from marrying

him because he is beneath our

financial status. You don't need

to apologize to me because I saw

how worried he was about you."

Candace shook her head as more

tears poured down her face and

she said, "No Dad, he wasn't worried

about me. He was worried about

the eight hundred million dollars

that you were supposed to pay.

Richard is a con artist and a cheat."

Her father looked at her and said

"what are you talking about

sweetheart? The Richard that I

know cannot hurt a fly, so which

one are you talking about?" Candace

laughed sadly and said "I also

thought the same and even though

I know the truth, I am still finding

it difficult to believe that Richard

could do this. This family took him

as a son and not a son-in-law. I am

glad that you did not hand your

company over to him before we

discovered what kind of person he

is and I'm also glad that I never

told him the surprise we had for

his birthday else we would have

been destroyed. I started suspecting

him a few weeks ago when I walked

in on one of his phone calls. He

was telling the person at the other

end of the phone that the person

should trust him because he has

not changed. I heard him tell the

person that he has not been blinded

by any stupid love because he's in

love with no one, but when I walked

in, he changed the conversation and

said my beautiful wife just came in

would you like to talk to her? After he

said that, he laughed and ended the

call. When I asked him who he was

speaking with,  he told me that it was

his mother and she would have loved

to speak with me but she was just

called in for her appointment at the

hospital. I thought nothing about it

because I felt he was trying to annoy

me before my birthday as that is

what he does almost every year

so that he will surprise me on my

birthday. I got more suspicious

when my birthday came this year

and there were no surprises. Later,

I discovered that he was cheating

on me. I didn't know how to confront

him about it and I just wanted to

know who he was cheating on me

with."

She looked towards her friend Jade

and apologized for keeping her in

the dark all those times that Jade

tried asking her what was happening.

"Jade I couldn't tell you anything

because it wasn't easy for me to

admit that my marriage was failing.

On the morning of the day that I

was kidnapped, I heard him talking

on the phone and telling the person

at the other end that his wife will be

leaving home soon and that she

could come because his wife will

not be back early. I pretended not

to hear anything and left as usual

for my checkups but this time, I did

not get to the hospital before turning

around. I came in quietly and I found

my husband right on top of a lady

and they were both naked."

After saying those words, Candace

broke down in tears again as her

mum hugged her and told her that

all will be well but Candace shook

her head and replied with a shaky

voice. "Mum you don't understand.

All cannot be well again. Nothing

can go back as they used to be

anymore. The lady Richard was

cheating on me with has been his

longtime girlfriend. They were

together even before he married

me and he named our daughter

after her. Every damn gift that

Richard has ever given to me from

the first time we met, has been

used by his girlfriend Mica.

Mica was our roommate in the

university and we were very kind to

her but I don't know why she decided

to do this to me. The worst part is,

Mica is not the only one involved

in this. Mica, Richard, Rita, and Mark,

Jade's ex-boyfriend.

We've been robbed clean by these

bandits whom we once considered

friends and family. Richard has

ruined my life beyond repair because

every time I look at our daughter, I

will see Richard and every time I

hear her name, I will remember Mica.

Jade, you can see that my punishment

is worse than yours. I wish Richard

has dumped me the way Mark, did

you. I would have only cried and

regretted that moment which

would have been a hundred times

better than what I'm feeling right now.

Jade held her friend's shoulders and

said "Candace, I won't tell you not to

cry and I want to tell you to pull

yourself together because you

deserve a good cry and a good

falling apart but what you don't

deserve, is what they have done to

you. We will make sure that they

pay for all the disruptions that they

have caused in our lives. Candace

looked at her friend and said "it

would have made more sense if

they are suffering would wipe away

the memory they left behind but

it can't." 

Finally, Candace and her daughter

left with her parents to their house

because they couldn't leave her

behind after everything that has

happened. Candace felt sorry for

her daughter as her daughter kept

hugging her but she didn't want to

touch the girl because the girl

reminds her of betrayal. It was not

her daughter's fault but she couldn't

bring herself to look at the girl right

now because the girl looks like

Richard and has his girlfriend's

name. What other punishment

could be worse than that? Her

parents understood her attitude

towards their granddaughter, so

they tried holding on to the girl so

that she doesn't go to her mother

often.

Before Candace got home, the

criminal crew was already in Dubai.

They purposely left her where she

was, so that they can have enough

time to escape before she goes

home. Richard was being

congratulated by the team for his

patience and effort. Mark stood

as he said, "guys let's make a toast

to Richard, the most productive

member of this crew. He kept

changing like the tides. Every

time those assholes try getting

smarter, Richard ups his game

also and meets them in the middle.

I can't believe that he even ripped

off seventy-eight million Naira from

them which was not in our original

plan." They kept drinking and laughing

while Richard stayed in his room with

his girlfriend as they have missed

each other for too long.

When Jade got home, she looked

at Cody with suspicion in her eyes

and he noticed it. He walked up to

her and said, "I never named our

children, you did. So stop looking

at me like I gave our children the

names of my exes. You know my

family and almost everything about

me. Even if I dump you and escape,

my family is always here for you to

hold. So don't look at me like I'm a

bad person. I went through a lot to

have you back after what happened

between us and you still gave me

the kind of joy that I could have

never found anywhere, in our kids,

so what more could a man ask for?

I am not Richard and I am not Mark

neither am I Doja. I am Cody your

husband and the father of our

adorable triplet."

Jade smiled sadly and said, "forgive

me for thinking that way. It's just

that a lot has been happening lately

that I no longer know who to trust or

turn to. I don't know why fate has

decided to treat us this way.

Sometimes, I feel like I am the one

jinxing the rest of us because the

whole problem started with me first.

Maybe if I had stopped being friends

with them, their lives would have

been better than it is now. I just

feel bad for Chris and Candace.

Especially, Candace. I can't imagine

what she is going through right

now. Candace is a very strong lady

because if what has happened to

her happens to me, Cody I swear, I

will kill myself. Cody if you ever leave

me with our kids or you cheat on

me and run away, I will kill myself."

Cody laughed and held his wife "Jade

you are talking rubbish because you

are very sad for your friend. You are

not a jinx. You have successfully

raised a family which is something a

jinx cannot do and when it comes to

dying, I know that you are a coward.

My wife can never take her own life

because she will put our children first.

Don't you ever think about dying and

leaving me because I will wreck our

children's lives as I know nothing

about a child's upbringing. I love you

and I will never cheat on you or

abandon you." 

Chris has been in a brooding mood

for days since she discovered that

she was pregnant. She flashed back

to the day that the doctor told her

about her pregnancy at the hospital.

"You must be joking right? I had my

period early last month. I kept track

of it because I was scared about

pregnancy issues, so you just can't

walk up to me and say I'm pregnant

and expect me to believe it." The

doctor laughed and said, "young

lady, I am not the one who is just

walking up to you and saying you

are pregnant. Your test results tell

us that you are pregnant and why are

you arguing like you've not been having

sex? If you feel that the result we

have given you here is wrong, you are

free to try another hospital." Chris

buried her face in her palms as

tears almost dropped from her eyes.

She looked at the doctor and asked.

"What if I don't want to keep the

child?" The doctor looked towards

Doja first before he said, "if you do

not want to have the child, we will

schedule an appointment with a

psychologist who will help you with

certain explanations that can aid

your decision." She looked up at the

doctor and said you don't understand.

I don't have such luxury of time to

see a psychologist. I just want this

thing out of my womb before it

disrupts my life and career. Doctor,

I have had many scenarios before

this day and I have decided what I

would do if it happens that I am

pregnant. I can't be a parent because

I will wreck the child's life. I do not

even know the first thing about being

a parent and I am not ready for that

now because my career is just on

the rise again after being disrupted

for some time. I can't put my life on

hold because of a child and I am

sorry that I  sound so selfish right

now but it's not my fault. If I dare to

have this child, some people will

think they were right about me. I

must succeed at all means. I have

no choice but to succeed, else I

will be put down forever and will

never be seen as someone worth

anything. I need to prove myself

and I feel bad for this child that

chose to come through me, a

mother who doesn't want it. There

are many women out there looking

for children and I wonder why this

child did not go to one of those women.

She sat on her hospital bed quietly

and looking into space when Doja

approached her and went on his

knees before her. "Chris, I know

that you are not a selfish person, no

matter how you tend to see yourself

right now. I don't know what it is

that you have gone through in the

past that makes you want to succeed

by all means. But there is one thing

I know about you Chris, which is,

you have a beautiful soul. I will

never force you to have this child.

I only want you to picture your life

ten years from now and ask yourself

truthfully if you will regret killing your

own child. If you can probably look

back to this day and thank God that

you ended the life of this child, you

are free to go ahead but if you know

that you can't, please have the child

and I will be here with you every step

of the way.