What if Cinderella didn't want prince charming?
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When Emily Odita was forced to visit her father and his new family in Lagos, she thought things couldn't get any worse until sh...
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CHIDINMA’S POV
Speaking had never been more difficult for me. It felt like there was something heavy in my throat, making any slight movement in my vocal tract hurt.
I took in a deep breath. “We met at the end of my sophomore year and by the beginning of junior year, we started dating. It was beautiful. He loved me, I knew he did, and I loved him too.”
I smiled at the thought of the beautiful memories I had with him. If not for what happened, we would still be together. At that realization, my smile turned to a frown. Our end was tragic.
“So much that we were careless and I got pregnant. I didn’t want to keep the baby because I didn’t think I was ready, I wasn’t ready.” I shook my head. “He wanted to keep the baby.
“This caused a major fight between us. I asked for space from him but space wasn’t something Eric understood, at least not when it came to a woman carrying his child. No matter how much I thought about it, I knew I wasn’t ready and I didn’t want to be a bad mother. So I called him on the phone and told him that I was going to abort the baby the next day. It was twelve midnight. By the break of dawn, the baby was gone.”
He gasped but didn’t say anything to interrupt me.
I swallowed, gathering the courage to talk about what happened next. “My best friend found me that morning sitting in a pool of blood and she rushed me to the hospital. I was in so much shock that I couldn’t speak to anyone for about 24 hours. My best friend hadn’t told anyone what happened until the next day. And when he heard he rushed over and after I was discharged, he took me to his place. We didn’t talk about it until about a month after, at this point I was practically living at his place. I only went over to my dorm room to pick a few things once in a while.”
“One night, I was so tired but he wanted to have sex. When I refused him, he began saying a lot of hurtful things. He blamed me for killing the baby, he called me a murderer and said to atone for my sins of killing his child, I should fall pregnant for him again and he would forgive me. I tried explaining to him that it was a miscarriage and that after I spoke to him on the phone, I had a rethink and decided to keep the baby but the miscarriage happened. He wouldn’t listen to me so he tried to force himself on me. Luckily a friend stopped anything from happening when they knocked asking for something. After his friend left, he apologized and said he wasn’t thinking properly. Of course I forgave him and life went on. Another month after, I caught him poking a hole in his condom and he confessed to trying to get me pregnant again. That was the last straw for me.
“I packed my things that night and left. But he wouldn’t stop. He followed me almost everywhere, asking for the same thing, to carry his child. I had to file a restraining order and that kept him away up until yesterday when I saw him at the mall.”
“And the ball last night?”
I nodded.
He scooted closer to me and wrapped me in his arms. I let myself relax in his hold. With every second, breathing got even harder.
“Hey,” He held my face, making me look at him. “You’re okay,’ he reassured.
I nodded frantically, doing my best to believe the words coming out of his mouth. I wasn’t okay. It’d been two years and I was yet to be over it, I likely never will.
No one but my best friend Joan knew what happened and I did everything in my power to keep it that way. It was too traumatizing to tell anyone and it was probably why I suppressed it to the far depths of my mind, so far that it took only the orchestrator of the tragic event to bring it back up.
It was one of my many reasons for my hesitance to date someone new. Dating meant sex and I wouldn’t be able to handle getting pregnant once again. I wasn’t ready for that.
“I can’t do this Chima,” I shook my head, my lack of faith in the possible future flying out the window. “I can’t.”
“Yes you can. You’ve survived the last two years, carrying such a heavy weight all alone. Now that you have me, you’re not alone, you don’t have to fight your demons alone. I’ve got you.” He kissed my forehead. “You’re not alone Chidinma.”
I melted down in tears, my entire being crumpling into a puddle in his arms. Chima kept whispering words of encouragement in my ears, repeating that I was going to be okay and I wasn’t alone.
“What’s his full name?” Chima asked when I’d finally calmed down.
“Eric Marshall.” I answered. “Why?”
“I have to make sure he never comes close to you again.” He stroked my hair. “I’d do anything to protect you Chidinma.”
I sat up. “Chima.”
“I’m not going to kill him,” he chuckled.
“What then are you going to do?” I questioned.
“Like I said, make sure he never comes close to you again.” He pecked my lips. “Are your parents aware of what happened?”
I shook my head. “No, just my best friend, Joan.”
“Why?”
“Talking about it is hard, it took a lot of courage to talk to you about it.”
He sighed and took my hands. “I know and that’s why I’m proud of you. It’s takes a lot of courage and trust in someone and to talk about things that hurt us. Thank you for telling me.”
“Talking about it doesn’t take back what happened.’ I scoffed.
“But ultimately you’ll feel better.” He kissed the back of my hands. “Lighter even. Are you ever going to tell your parents?”
“Maybe some time in the future.” I shrugged, unsure of if I actually could tell them.
“Okay, no pressure.” He smiled. “You have to get ready. We can’t meet Mr. Black waiting.”
I kissed him, shocking him. I let my lips linger for longer than usual. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention.”
I got up and took a long warm shower, almost as if I was washing away all my pains.
