Chapter 8

"I need utmost precision in this task. Leave no stone unturned, no trace for the authorities to follow back to us. Failure is not an option. Retrieve him and his mother swiftly, without a single slip-up. While his father may not be with us, should he have any offspring, they too would be within our grasp. And if his estranged wife were to return, we'd extend our reach to her as well. But for now, our focus remains solely on him and his mother. I suspect their collusion, and I aim to illuminate the disparity between 'egbe and egbe'. When you apprehend them, deliver them straight to our designated location. I intend to personally interrogate Madu and his mother, to discern their motives and the rationale behind their treatment of me. I must understand why they regarded me with such disdain," the new spouse declared, tears welling in her eyes.

"Madu led me on. He ought to have been forthright about his intentions instead of orchestrating this spectacle to humiliate me. I never pursued him; it was his mother who propositioned me. I never sought relocation to the city; it was at his mother's behest that I accompanied them. He accepted me willingly upon our arrival. The magnitude of the humiliation inflicted upon me last night is incomprehensible. It was the nadir of my existence," she lamented, her sorrow palpable. Recollecting the events of the previous night, she felt on the verge of collapse once more, consumed by shame.

"Madu proposed to me under false pretenses. I believed his affection genuine, oblivious to his scheme to make me a laughingstock. To what lengths he went to publicize my alleged infidelity! Is it a crime to conceive? Moreover, his wife has been barren for years. I sought only to aid him, offering a child on a silver platter. Never did I anticipate such malevolence. But now, I shall wield it against him," the new spouse vowed, her fury stoked since regaining consciousness after her collapse. She was orchestrating her vengeance.

She had enlisted cohorts to abduct Madu and his mother. Madu lingered in the village post-"wedding," planning his return to the city under cover of night. Yet, the new spouse was resolute in thwarting his departure. Equipping the kidnappers adequately, she dispatched them with explicit instructions.

"Madam Betty, our lack of transportation poses a logistical hurdle. How shall we convey Madu and his mother from their residence to our remote hideout?" queried the gang's leader, addressing the new spouse by her given name, Betty. Native to the village, the kidnappers were motivated solely by remuneration.

"He possesses a vehicle, or rather, several. We traversed from the city in his automobile, now parked at his residence. Seize it forcibly and transport them hither. Precision is paramount," Betty instructed, having scouted the hideout with the kidnappers to ensure its seclusion. Content with their preparations, she departed for her father's compound, eagerly awaiting the kidnapping.

"Why did you debase me? Was I complicit in your proposal?" Betty confronted Madu, delivering a stinging slap.

"Your wife is barren. Would you not rejoice at the prospect of progeny in your household? A decade has elapsed since your home last echoed with a child's laughter. Yet, upon encountering fertility, your sole intent was to subject her to ridicule. What manner of man are you?" Betty demanded.

"You orchestrated this abduction, did you not? You presume to coerce my hand in matrimony?" Madu retorted, undaunted. Observing their armed captors brandishing only cutlasses, he exercised caution, surveying his surroundings as he spoke.

"I am a man of integrity; treachery finds no sanctuary within my abode. I entertained the notion of union to satisfy my mother's wishes, but your duplicity betrays my trust," he rebuked.

"An honorable man bereft of offspring. Upon your demise, who shall inherit your legacy?" Betty jeered.

"You forfeited a rare opportunity for progeny. I shall impart a lesson, ensuring you refrain from such mistreatment in your next incarnation," Betty vowed. Standing tall, she addressed Madu and his mother, bound and seated upon the dusty terrain.

"And you, wretched crone, conspired with your son to orchestrate my humiliation. You shall remain until I decree otherwise, sustenance withheld until I see fit," she declared, impervious to the old woman's pleas for clemency.

Five days elapsed, Titi, still in the city, grew anxious at her husband's absence. All communication ceased, his devices dormant. Alarmed, she reached out to Betty.

"Titi, our husband's well-being is precarious; he languishes in the village infirmary," Betty fabricated, seizing the opportunity to lure Titi into her trap.

"I depart for the village forthwith," Titi resolved.