𝟑𝟎 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥

~~ 73. ~~

The lady was about to say something when the man laying on the bed fluttered his eyes open, slowly. And then his eyes locked with Mrs. Jolaoluwa.

"Jo... Jola...Ola... " He spoke weakly and inaudibly.

His face read a lot of emotions from surprise, and amazement to an apology.

"It is Jolaoluwa. You don't have any right to call me Ola." She said to him.

His eyes swelled with tears and filled with regrets.

"Ola... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.. forever.. everything." He said lowly and with a weak voice.

What surprised her was that she didn't feel an ounce of pity for him. It was one of the reasons why she had been avoiding coming to see him. She had thought it would be like the old time when his voice and a look from him can make her fall under his touch. She had thought seeing him will bring back memories that she don't want to remember. Those sweet beautiful short memories they had together. That had been her thoughts and it was going to change her mind and make her feel weak and stupid in front of him again.

But that was not the case. Right from the moment she saw him, all that she felt was pain and anger. And instead of the sweet memories, it was just the painful sad memories. Those hurtful things he had done to her. Those hurting words kept ringing in her head at the sight of him. And she realized she felt nothing for him but hatred. And she hated herself for being so stupidly blindly in love with such a person who she had more painful memories with than good. A man who had used her feelings for a game of bet. And she had wasted good years of her life loving him.

"That's just it... Sorry. That is what you are going to say after everything you did. Sorry?" She said angrily with her hands fisted on her thigh.

And she watched the tears that fell down his eyes.

"Madam, please respect yourself. He is in pain. Stop adding to it with your words." The lady who had been in the room finally spoke up, rudely. She was glaring at her.

Mrs. Jolaoluwa chuckled and shake her head.

"This conversation is between us. It would have been better if you excused us."

"I can't leave you with him. Who knows what you will do? You are already adding to his pain." She replied flatly.

"Ber... Bertha." The man called his daughter, slowly turning to her.

She looked down at her father. "Yes, Daddy."

"Just... Please... leave. She won't do anything." He pleaded with his daughter.

"No, I can't leave you, Dad." She was adamant.

Mrs. Jolaoluwa said nothing to her but turned back to the man who was the reason for coming to the house.

"Do they even know why they are suffering?" She asked the man lying on the bed.

The man turned his head slowly back in her direction. Then he closed his eyes in shame before opening them again.

"I know it won't be able to make up.... for everything I did... But..." He coughed and his daughter patted his shoulder, asking if he need water at the same time and he shook his head in disagreement.

"I am sorry... very sorry, Jola. I'm... So... so... sorry." He apologized as he tried to calm his breath. From the corner of her eyes, Mrs. Jolaoluwa could see the lines on the machines going a bit higher than before.

So she refrained from saying anything while his breathing tried to be stable.

"Please, be fast and leave. You are not making his condition any better." His daughter said coldly without sparing Mrs. Jolaoluwa a glance.