Caught In between

Chapter 13: Suspicions

"I would deal with that man! does he know who I am?" Levi fumed as he dusted the dirt from his clothes after the two men had literally thrown him out like a bag of discarded clothes to the ground. His loud angry voice disappeared into the darkness as Elad and Marlise had long driven off.

Cherish just watched his theatrics from the side with arms folded and tears running down her eyes.
"You just look for every opportunity to disgrace me not so? how can you openly say she is your woman in front of me?" she shouted, her voice reaching a high pitch.
"She lied to me that our baby died!" Levi said, ignoring her.

***
Oh no! this can't be happening. Levi had found her out and that meant everyone would know!
Marlise paced back and forth the bedroom, trying to control her breathing. An awkward silence sat between she and Elad as they drove back home. From time to time she would meet his eyes in the front view mirror and her heart would skip. His eyes held a thousand questions she wasn't ready to answer.
She could not hide forever so she stepped out of the room to face him and answer any questions he had for her. Walking through the corridor, she heard voices coming from the living room. For no reason in particular, she paused and listened.

"The baby can't come now," she recognised Christy's voice. Elad had already reported that she'd been cramping.
"Yeah but maybe coming sooner would be good for us because of what happened today." She heard Elad respond. What were they talking about? Why were these people so concerned about her baby? They're just being caring, stop being unnecessarily suspicious.
Dismissing her wondering thoughts, she moved the curtain leading to the living room, revealing herself.
"Marlise! I thought you were resting," Christy jumped in surprise. Only Elad's raised eyebrows showed surprised.
"I'm sorry for today," She began, preparing to explain when a cramp in her lower abdomen stopped caused her to moan for a few seconds.

"That's it! We're going to the hospital!" Elad said firmly and Christy nodded. She too agreed so they drove to the hospital.

"I cannot be in labour. its too early," she cried as Christy explained that early signs of labour didn't mean she would have the baby the same day.
However, she found herself lying flat on her back on a hospital bed with a drip attached to her arm and doctors standing all around her.
"You will have to undergo an emergency CS. Your baby is in distress and so are you," the doctor said. To Marlise, it felt like jargon the doctor was making up to pressure her into a CS that's why she hoped Elad would contradict. Instead he and Christy were nodding in agreement.
"Please no, tell them no!" she pleaded as a tear ran down her eyes.
"Your life is important and so is the baby's. I think the doctors have your best interest," Elad said soothingly, rubbing her arm.
She had never felt such paralyzing fear in her life, like something serious was about to be taken for her and she was powerless. While she was still protesting, the nurse injected something into her drip making her drowsy. She tried to scream but her voice sounded faraway.
"Everything will be okay" Elad's words faded.

***
"I took my time to spy on your mother and you don't appreciate me. You don't deserve the information I have," Cherish yelled. She threw her hand bag on the bed and proceeded to pull off her accessories as if they were the cause of her problems. They had just driven for 2hours from the restaurant back to their house. She didn't understand why he choose to take her so far out of town for dinner. If they'd not gone, he won't have seen Marlise!
Just when she thought she and Levi were getting along, her twin sister appeared, pregnant!!!
"What do you mean?" He asked, sitting up in bed.
"I mean you're useless and you deserve whatever your mother is doing to you," She snapped.

******

"So what are you saying, that you think I am adopted?" Levi asked with so much anger in his voice Cherish was afraid to continue.
"I'm asking you a question, what did you see that made you conclude?" He asked.
"The text message exchanges between my mother and yours and mobile money transactions. It seems my mother is blackmailing yours. My mother sent her a message asking for money or else she would spill the secrets." Cherish continued.
"We need to get these women together and do everything to squeeze this information out of them." Levi said.
"I have an idea. Let's tell her we found Marlise" She concluded knowing it would work. In spite of everything, Ma Mado had been desperately searching for her daughter eventhough she acted like she didn't care.

***

Marlise drifted in and out of consciousness. She couldn't see what was happening as there was a screen in front of her yet she felt tugging with no pain. Was she in surgery or it was a dream? She could feel people walking back and forth in green robes and surgery mask. At some point, she heard the sharp cry of a baby.

Her baby! Was she hallucinating?

Its a girl!

Awww! She even has a heart shaped birthmark

A familiar female voice said then she drifted back. When she awoke, she  was alone in the hospital ward then a woman walked in with a clipboard.

"Oh, you're awake, " The lady said.

"My baby?" Marlise asked, touching her less protruded belly.

"We're sorry ma. She was born still," The woman replied.

"No! Its not true. I heard her cry!" Marlise screamed, causing her lower abdomen to flare up with pain.

"Where's Elad?" She groaned.

"Who?" The nurse looked genuinely confused.

"He brought me here. Where's he?" She cried as panic was taking over her.

"Please calm down, let me find out," The nurse said, walking out of the room.

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