All the bad things {18+}

A sham |14

Sending Mikhail out for my privacy's sake, i crash onto the bed and try to sleep. I had nothing else to do, I didn't have much to read either so it was done about three days ago.

Memories of the past few hours slam me like a truck. "Ugh." I hold my head. "Someone kill me please." I curl over, hugging the nearest pillow and sleep overtakes me.

                   ...............................

"Chimamanda, ahn ahn.. Why are you running like you're being chased by a masquerade?"

The deep voice with a heavy igbo Nigerian accent slaps me to life.
I stood atop the stairs of my father's overt and extravagant mansion, clutching the gold railing. 

I feel like I've been running, the cold sweat on my skin stands as proof along with the heart that threatens to beat out my chest.

"Àsam, come and eat." He beckons as the chef puts food out for me.

"Don't put too much o!" He tells the woman. "She will not eat it and don't put beef. She has a soft stomach."

I sit by my dad, staring in confusion as he helps himself to the swallow in front of him.
"What's the matter? You stare as though you've seen a ghost."

Yeah dad, the only ghost here is you.

I blink, it seems to be getting hazy for some reason and then there's no one else but my father and i in the dining room.
"Amanda." He calls as he pulls off his glasses.
"You know that your mother and i had you very late in life." He says solemnly.

I nod. "You are the only family i have left. There's a reason I've created space between you and our extended family."

"To avoid African uncle drama concerning your assets?" I say with a mouthful of chicken.
He chuckles. "Yes," He becomes serious once more. "And i want no one to be a part of all this."

His mafia.

"A part of what?" I play my character oblivious. I knew he had a mafia but where did that information come from? I knew of it yet so far it felt like nothing of the sort had been mentioned.

"You already know, my princess." He now looks the same as he did in the hospital. His chubby face now gaunt and tired all in the space of a millisecond. His next words come out with a struggle, his coughing bout now back to torture him.

"I'll talk to him for you," He pauses to release the most gut wrenching cough. "Consider him my gift to you my love. I wouldn't have handed you to him had it been against my better judgement."

He presses a kiss to my hand. "I knew what i was doing and still went ahead, costing your mother her life and you the chance to live peacefully." His voice grows heavy as his eyes fill with tears. "He'll take care of you. If not your mother would have resurrected me only to slap me down again with those slippers of hers before going after him."

We both laugh. The tears spill down my cheeks freely. "Take care Asam ó?"

"Yes sir." I look up at him and he's gone. Like he was never there.
I was just sitting in the middle of a white room, I've never had a dream as meaningful as this one. All my dreams all felt like fever dreams, referencing things I've watched or seen in real life. Overall it felt like some sort of meaningless loop.

I was already conscious, considering that one couldn't know if they were in a dream unless they were awake.
I'm still hugging my pillow. The sun seems to have come up significantly, hinting that it was afternoon.

I stand under my shower head as i try to download whatever i could remember from my freakish dream.

Putting on a skims lounge romper, i grab my nike hoodie. I didn't want to put two hundred percent into my clothing after all, i had to go out later tonight with a certain bastard.

I bump into Mikhail on my way out.
"Are you okay?" He asks, searching my face.
I wave him off.

"Yeah. I'm good. Just a bit stressed."
"You look....you look a bit casual?" He says worried and rightfully so.
I've never been seem in anything other than a dress and formal footwear, be it sandals or heels.

"I'll be going out by seven, it's not worth it dressing up too much right now."
"Going where?" He asks as i walk past him.
"I dunno, to get dinner with his council, family...people type things I guess?"

"Can i come with? He probably won't allow me." Mikhail trails close behind.

"If he doesn't, i hope he's ready for a major temper tantrum on my end." I corner into my office. I decided to move out of the original office space that was conjoined to my closet.

I demanded a bigger one. I wasn't going to use it but i had been buying books on impulse. A whole lot of them and i wanted a library.
I power the Play Station and put on a game that i enjoyed.

Mikhail stands beside me until i offer him a place.
"Ellie?" He says as he connects his own controller.
"Yes?" I give him a short glance.
"Your wedding....did you want to get married to Lomonosov?" He pauses to look at me. I stop playing and drop my controller.

"Where'd that come from?" I pick up my water bottle.
"You, you don't seem happy. And you're a bit young to be married."

"You don't know?" I turn to look at him. "This marriage is a farce. An absolute sham."

I try not to think of it but the ring on my hand was a constant reminder that i was shackled to a man i knew nothing of.
It was heavy, just like the weight of being married to such a person.

"We could tell that, at least to a certain extent, that you hated him and the feeling was mutual." He pauses. "You guys fight all the time, you yell at him, he calls you all sorts of absurdities and even in broad day light, you guys cheat on each other."

"There's no cheating if there's no relationship." I pick up my controller and restart the game.
Mikhail doesn't play but stares at me before frowning.

"He sold it." He says solemnly.
"Sold what?" I ask, i had a lot of properties in different countries. You could say in Japan and I'd ask where exactly because they we're several.

"Your childhood home. The one in Lagos."
I grow wide eyed. He could've done anything to me, but that place was the only actual home I've ever had.

My heart constricts, as if it was trying to beat but had been covered and tightened by cling wrap.
I get up and speed walk towards his office.

I see two guards at the door. They try to stop me but i pull a gun from it's holster, pointing it at them.

"My lady, the boss is in a meeting."
With a choked up voice and eyelids heavy with tears i refuse to let fall, I force out behind gritted teeth.

"Let. Me. Pass."
They back off after i give them the gun.

I slam both doors open, they hit the concrete behind them. They were heavy, thick wooden doors.
The rage i felt made up for my weak arms.

"How could you?! You bastard!"