THE NDAU SISTERS

PROLOGUE

GWEN

PROLOGUE

My hands are bloody and I'm shaking. I just killed my husband in cold blood. It wasn't intentional, but he gave me no choice. I had to protect myself. I had to save myself because I was exhausted both physically, emotionally, and mentally.

I take a step back choking on my tears because of what I've done. I just stabbed my husband of 10 years to death.

How am I going to tell my children that their father is dead and I killed him and I'm the one who sent him to his early grave?

Blood seeps out underneath him painting my wooden floor red. His eyes are wide open and so is his mouth, blood coming out from it. The knife is lodged in his heart.

Next to his body are pieces of my braids that he pulled me by when he was dragging me to the kitchen. I'm sure my scalp has slashes from the pulling.

Pain shoots up on my stomach as he has poured me with scalding water. My t-shirt is sticking to my skin. I'll be left with scabs once I'm healed, sighs.

I run to the lounge and I pick up my phone from the coffee table with shaky hands.

Wiping my eyes with my left hand, the phone is in my ear.

“Gwen,” my sister Rati answers probably waking up from sleep. It's half 9 in the morning after all.

The kids have already left for school, and I didn't go to work today because I wasn't feeling well.

“I-I ki- pleas- come,” I say choking on my tears.

“Gwen. Where are you? In fact, stay put I'll be right there. I'll text Mpumi to come there since she lives close to you,” she says and hangs up.

I nod, sitting on my carpet. I put my phone down and slowly lift my t-shirt. I hiss before gritting my teeth as the pain intensifies...

••••••

The banging of the door causes me to stop pacing up & down because I couldn't sit down anymore as the pain was getting intense.

I'm also getting a headache, I can feel it come.

“Gwen, open up it's me, Mpumi!” she bangs the door like a police officer.

I hurry to the door and turn the key then I yank the door open...

“Rati sa—” she screams as she sees Tom's gory body on the floor. “What did you do! Oh my God!” she starts pacing up & down. “You killed him, Gwendolyn!”

She's telling me what I already know instead of coming up with a solution on what we are going to do about Tom's body.

“Why did yo—u,” her voice trails off as she sees the state of my body. Anger masks her face and at the same time tears well in her eyes. “He did this to you?”

I slowly nod with tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Fuck him! He deserves to die,” she says walking up to Tom's body.

She crouches before him and retrieves the knife from his heart and starts to stab him over and over again. I can't even bring myself to chastise her.

I wait for her until she's satisfied with killing the already dead Tom.

She gets up from the ground coming out with Tom's heart in her bloody hands, and she's lodged the knife in Tom's abdomen.

She spits on his face as she walks up to me.

“Okay, okay, let's wait for Rita & Aurora to get here,” she says, throwing the heart on the floor.

My hands are still shaking and still bloody. I can't bring myself to move my feet to the sink and rinse them.

“Yeah, you are right.” my voice comes out hoarse.

“Let me get you a glass of water with lots of sugar, they'll help with your hiccups,” she says, taking out a glass from the cupboard.

“Holy shit!” Rita curses as she gets inside the house. “You killed him?” she studies the situation. “And you took out his heart too? Damn, I didn't think you had it in you to kill someone.”

Didn't Mpumi close the door after her? Or maybe she did, but she didn't lock it. But asikho apho.

“We need supplies, do you have them?” Rita asks. I shake my head slowly. “Go and clean up, we'll take care of the body,” she orders and I just stare at her.

“I'll help her clean up, she's still traumatized,” Mpumi says, hurling my hand around her neck.

The loud knock on the door stops us in our tracks. All three of us look at each other, fear filling our eyes.

“I know you are in there. Open the damn door before I kick it down!” Dmitry bangs at my door!

My body goes rigid and beads of sweat start to form on my forehead.

“Shit,” I hear Rita cuss underneath her breath.

“Okay. I guess we will do this the hard way then! 1, 2.” my sisters & I look at each other, defeated. There's no escaping this. “3, 4...”

NB: This extract is in the middle of the story, don't be confused when you come across it.

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