Chapter 24

Monica sat on the worn-out chair and watched her elder sister complain about her envious life rubbing it on her face and her poor wretched life with her husband Tony.

"You shouldn't be complaining about anything at all Maureen. You have money now and can afford anything you want at any cost, but look at me... I barely can fend for myself and my daughter, and my husband is wayward. sometimes I wish he was dead so I would be free to go about my life!" She sighed dejectedly.

Maureen watched her sister in wonder.

"You are your problem, Monica!" She spat.

"Excuse me?."

"Yes! I'll say it again. How many times have I advised you to leave Tony? But once you return home to him he feeds you with lies and dirty sex then you forget yourself mtchewww!!."

"He's the father to my children and I can't take care of them alone, so I considered them too" Monica lamented.

"Then why are you complaining?" Maureen asked.

"I can't bear his bad traits anymore and I think my children are old enough to live without their father. I have been feeding on hand to mouth since I married that wretch. I want to enjoy life like you, just take a look at you dear you look like a teenager now eh?."

Maureen smiled and adjusted to her seat. "Thanks, dear I'll try and send you something just to manage and once I buy a new house I'll invite you to live with me."

"Does your stepdaughter remember?!"

"No, she doesn't. I don't think she'll ever. It's been months almost getting to a year and yet nothing. That's why I hardly visit her I don't want her to see my face and get triggers. So I stay away as long as I can and also am running her account for her. She doesn't need money for anything since she is crippled, so I just pay the doctors and take care of myself with the rest. I want to open a supermarket."

"Really?... You are a genius!. I need a stepdaughter. Who would ever imagine that you will gain a lot from her predicaments or from marrying her sick father?!" She wondered.

"My dear... I had to be wise if not I would have been feeding her and paying her school fees till now, but Monica I have a problem..."

"What is it?."

"Please... I want to confide in you so much and I don't want to hear this from anyone else... Can you promise me that?."

"Of course dear trust me."

"Well... I love someone but he's not seeing me in that light. I mean I have the looks, you said so yourself right?" She asked and Monica nodded.

"But he can't seem to love me back, I've tried everything I can... It makes me feel so old that he doesn't want me. I have money and he's well to do too but... Dear, I do love him, I don't care if he's not proud of me outside I just want him to look at me as a woman inside" she lamented.

Monica swallowed hard. This was a different thing for her. She had always known her sister to be a free person who got whatever she wanted or was close to gold-digging. Maureen hardly loved for love it was always about the money. And that was why she encouraged Monica to leave Tony because he was a taxi driver.

"Who is it?..."

"Eh... Well, you don't know him" She defended.

"Well, I'll have to. Does he have a lot of cash?" She asked in scrutiny.

"What?!... Of course, he's a medical doctor."

"Stanley?!!" Shocked. Maureen hissed.

"Yes, I've lived with him and seen how different he is from the other men I've known."

"Isn't he your stepdaughter's friend, this is implicating" she added.

"How? He would never tell Sophia. I know Stanley is not stupid, I know he cares for me but still feels unsure of how Sophia would react to the news."

"Seriously? I don't think he will want you, Maureen. I don't mean to be rude but if he wants you he would have made a move even without Sophia's consent but my issue here is that you are going to ruin this our master plan if eventually, Sophia finds out. Can't you find another man at least a little bit older than him?!!... It's about the money again right?" She accused.

"What do you mean?!"

"I mean you can never get over yourself and your wants. Isn't it enough you have your stepdaughter's money as yours? Now you want to marry Stanley and his money. I know that was why you married Bernard."

"I will not have you call me a gold digger before me. You have no right at all. Am doing this for us!"

"Eh?!!" Monica stood to her full length to seem more intimidating. The truth always hurt like pepper for Maureen.

"For us? Or for yourself alone. Look at me!! Look at my house and surrounding and look at you!" She barked gesturing to her surrounding.

"And you tell me you do it for us... Please spare me Maureen its always about the money."

"I love him and I don't care what you think. This time it's different. With Bernard, I was desperate but not with Stan. Excuse me" she walks out on her sister who watches with a difficult expression.

***

She did her normal physiotherapy today and exercised her legs too. She was happy her doctor let her walk on her feet even though Stan wasn't there to help out.

Sophia hasn't been herself since the midnight incident. She had tortured herself mentally about it and worst of all Jason never came back the next night nor the ones that followed. It hurt her so much that she had spent all her time trying to forget him and the incident but it was difficult.

She noticed he now kept late nights and came home drunk, then leave the next day. They were back to purposely avoiding each other. She didn't want to think so much about it. It wasn't good for her health but even her bed at night began to haunt her mind. To always look at the empty side of her bed that was once occupied by him, irked her so much.

Now her only solace was getting life back into her legs, at least it would help her escape the confines of the house which became suffocating.

Then this calm evening came. Stan stayed over and kept her company while avoiding Maureen, his ever agony.

Jason staggered inside the living room with a drunk charlotte perched beside him holding unto his elbow for support, both dead drunk!.

Stan couldn't bear the sight at all, he was enraged.

"Is this what he's been up to Sophia?!" Stan asked in fury.

Sophia shook her head in disgust, unable to utter a word. She felt betrayed. "How could he?!" She thought bitterly.

Jason struggled with his drunk girlfriend to sit on the couch far from the dining where Stan and Sophia sat. But Stan rushed towards them and stroked Jason very hard on his right cheek the force pushing him down.

Stan dragged charlotte out of the premises and put her in a cab then returned, not minding if he gave the cab driver the right address to a hotel.

He returned and found Jason lying on the floor and rubbing his cheek from the heavy slap. Stan didn't care if he'd remember or not he was only thinking of Sophia's feelings and how much he hated Jason for being the beginning of her predicaments.

"I'm sorry you had to see that but I couldn't help myself. Is this what he does every time?" Stanley asked in horror. She just stared at her drunken husband from where she sat regretting ever agreeing to marry him.

"Sophia?" He called. "Let's get you to bed. He can sleep there on the floor if he wishes."

Stanley helped her retire to her room leaving Jason on the floor there.

It was later in the night that one of the maids helped him up to his room with him muttering incoherent words.

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