AFTER THE ENGAGEMENT

Nineteen

"What?"
She asked, looking shocked. And at the same time, feeling curious to know whom it was.

"Who is it? Who did it?"

Caroline sighed. "Let's go inside, Sunshine."
She said, leading the way to Janelle's bedroom. Janelle followed slowly behind her mother, thinking if this was something she probably didn't want to hear.

"Mum? Is it something I shouldn't hear about? If it is. . ."

"Calm down, Janelle. The whole evidences led to Tope. The model you have been having issues with."

"What?"

Caroline nodded. "I knew she could be the one. I suspected it. I just. . ."

"You just what? Is this what you've been keeping away from me? Why do I have the feeling that you know more than you're telling me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The night daddy was murdered. What happened? If Tope should be the culprit then, I'm confused. What connection does she have with daddy? What do you know about it? Why would she kill him? Tope doesn't look to me like a murderer. Though she's a bitch."

"Are you saying the police made a mistake then?"

Janelle stared at her mother for a while, turned around and walked into the room. Caroline, as confused as she was about her daughter's attitude tonight, followed her into the bedroom. Janelle threw her purse on the bed, walked straight to the window and turned to Caroline.
"I'm saying that there's something you know about daddy's death that I don't, mum."

Caroline scoffed. "Okay, I don't know what happened to you outside before you came back, but you have to stop with that nasty attitude, young lady. I'm still your mother, I hope you know that?"

"And I'm your daughter, mum. Why can't you be honest with me? What's the matter? What happened that night that I shouldn't know about?"

"You want me to go down memory lane to the night your father was shipped to our doorstep in pieces?!" Caroline snapped. "Is that how selfish you want to get tonight? To open old wounds that are still healing?"

"Selfish?! I'm being selfish? Mum, if there's anyone who's being selfish here, it is you."

"I'm warning you for the last time, Janelle! One more rudeness from you and your eardrums will burst open!"

Janelle sighed, rubbed against her forehead with her palms, inhaled and exhaled. "Okay, mum. Who murdered daddy? How is Tope connected to this in anyway?"

"Tope. . .Is your father's mistress."

Janelle paused, blinked and felt like gagging. The same bitch who slept with her fiancé? "What?"

Caroline nodded, lowered her gaze and sighed. "I didn't want to believe it either. But. . ."

"Hold on. You didn't know?"

"No. Well, not exactly. Listen, Tope sleeps with wealthy men for fame and money. She's a model. But one of those who would do anything to get to the height they want to be. Your father was having a mistress before he died. And she had a child for him."

"Oh my God."
She felt dizzy all of a sudden and held onto the wall for support. "A child?"

Caroline nodded. "You want to hear the truth, right? Well, your father and I. . .Our marriage was already hanging by a thread. We weren't as happy as we used to be and that was after you were born."

"Why?"

"Because he. . .had an affair with his personal assistant and she had a child for him few months after you were born. But we decided that we would stay because of you. At least until you got married then we can get a divorce. But when he travelled to France, I found out that it wasn't just the child of the mistress he was in contact with, but he also had another mistress."