****
Electra stared at the girl she got arrested a month ago. She did not know how to feel after the story she was told. The story that was told to her two days before. Her story felt straight out of a melodrama. She could not wrap her head behind such sinister work. She just found it so hard to comprehend. The other girl had been moved to a morgue, it was tragic news but she did not know the girl, except for the fact that the girl was too young to be dead.
Life has a funny way of showing us a new dimension to a situation. She thought she knew it all. Accusing the girl of being an imposter, and sending her to prison, now she realized that all of it was much. Now she added to the abuse the girl faced. She wanted to puke, just thinking about everything Sheila told her. It must have been hard for a sixteen-year-old to deal with it and the adults in her life were no better. Electra spear-headed her arrest and made sure she and her dead sister spent a week in jail. That was much even if she was an imposter.
"Sheila, you should eat something, it is unhealthy to stay for this long and not eat," Electra said, taking her eyes off the girl.
"I am fine," Sheila waves off. Sheila might not say it to her face but she did not forget how she treated Denise, all this could have been solved a month before she had not tried to play God. Now she regretted everything that she did which led up to that.
"No," Electra asserted, "you are not. You look way too thin and stressed. You look like you have barely gotten enough sleep for the last few days. I am not sure you have eaten today."
"I am going to br fine. I will just tell Eddie to bring me something from the hospital canteen."
"That is not enough. Sheila, I understand what it must be like to find her after years of missing her for that long but you have to take care of yourself too, you can not fall sick and land here." Electra waved dramatically at the hospital.
"Electra let it be, I have enough rest for twelve years, as it is," Sheila muttered, she looked up at Denise and closed her eyes. The pain was visible in her eyes. Electra sighed watching her face, she took a seat next to her.
"When did the doctor say she would wake?" she asked, taking a so of her tea. "No."
"The other girl? What are the police stains about the funeral."
"Shettima is not telling me about the other girl. I am just too tired to think about all that is going on. Then there is Daniella, she is supposed to resume in two weeks but she doesn't look like she wants to come back home."
"Everything will be fine, you know that right?" She placed her hand on her shoulder.
"I... Don't even know if it would." Sheila said.
Suddenly, a groan erupted from behind them. Sheila looked up and blinked, "Denise?" she called.
"Denise..." Sheila walked toward the bed. She pressed the room button.
Denise tried to sit up, but she stared around. The doctor walked in, and the nurse asked them both to step out. Denise frowned, she glanced at her, it felt heavy and painful. She swallowed.
"What..."
"Miss Denise... It would be better if you do not move around so, you will not strain yourself."
****
"Mr Arabowale," the DPO nodded. Shettima wiped his face with a clean handkerchief. He hated coming to the police station. It stunk and it was usually because of one trouble or the other.
"Let's go," he walked toward the investigation room. "We had to handcuff her, she is quite violent." the DPO said.
Shettima walked toward the room, where she was sitting behind the table. Grace looked up and frowned, why was he here? What the hell did he want? She was already behind bars. Shettima pulled the chair and sat. He stared the woman right in the face and she started to look at him in the face.
"Grace," Shettima said. Grace did not say anything, she stared at him. "Why did you do it?" Shettima asked.
"Shettima, are you here to ask me that or how I pulled it off or who helped me?" she said, with amusement.
"Since you already know why I am here, why not tell me what I want to know?" Shettima said with conviction.
"You are so rich now! Everybody bows to you now," Grace said, observing. "You were supposed to be mine remember! I was supposed to her in Sheila's place! Every time I see you on TV with that woman and that girl, I think of what I could have had. All the plans my father thought of."
"I love Sheila, Grace. I always did." I said. "You were my best friend and you took my child away from me. You took the opportunity, I could have had with my child."
"Why do you enjoy yourself in luxury, I was stuck in Lagos slumps. My father is stuck in jail because of that woman!"
"I offered you accommodation after the bank closed down everything Grace! I offered you a place to stay, I offered you work. Everything."
"I did not want to work some measly work, while that woman enjoyed the luxury of being your wife! The luxury I am supposed to enjoy."
"Sheila is my wife, I never thought I would come face to face with my best friend sitting on the other side of the law."
"I guess apples do not fall far from the tree. You put my father in jail now you are going to put me in jail."
"I saw what you did to Denise and Dunni. I saw everything! How could you do that to children? How?" Shettima asked, frustrated and upset.
"You want to know a little secret? Every time I see you on TV, every time I see Sheila or that brat you call a daughter, I decide to take out all my pain and anger on your precious daughter. You know what? She loves me! She will always see me as her daughter while you will grovel and beg for the love she gave me for free. That is the biggest joke of all isn't it?"
"You shot her Grace! You almost killed her, do you think she would forget that?" Shettima asked. "I have done worse than that!"
"I am just tired of all of this Grace, I can not still believe that you did this. All of this." Shettima stood, "I have heard enough."
"You ruined my life Shettima, my father's life could have been with you if you had not arrested him, if you did not marry Sheila. Now I will at nothing to see all of you ruined. I will start with Denise! And I will make sure I destroy everything you ever loved Shettima."
****
The words kept ringing in Shettima's ears. Maybe not sleeping was affecting, me so much. His phone suddenly rang, and he looked down at us. Danielle was calling on a video call.
"Daddy!" Daniella said excitedly. I smiled at her, tiredly. "What are you doing princess?" he asked. She moved the camera to a stable position.
"Mide and I are going skiing!" Mide pushed her head into the camera. Mide was Daniella's cousin. He smiled and waved at her.
"Uncle Shetty!" Mide said in excitement. She was wearing ski glasses and was covered in pullovers.
"How are you Mide?"
"I am fine Uncle Shetty, it's been a while."
"It has, I hope you are well. You do look bright and happy."
"I am! We are on break in college and decided to take my favourite cousin skiing!" she glanced at Daniella. "I am your only cousin," Daniella said with amusement. Shettima stiffened, upon hearing this. He did not want to catch Daniella's break short. She deserved the break she was getting and it would give him time to break the news to her.
"What's wrong uncle? Why do you look suddenly down?" Mide asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I am fine, I am fine, do not worry about me. I am only stressed due to work and stuff." he waved them off.
"Daddy, I told you to rest more. Mummy would not be happy if she knew you were getting yourself worked up. I am sure the company will be fine, you had agreed to take the break with me."
"Oh no, Ella. I am fine. You needed the break more. You are glowing."
"Really?! I bought some skincare! I did not know it would be working this fast?"
"Uncle Shetty stop deceiving her! I told her not to buy that shitty thing. They are super expensive and they don't work."
"I don't care! The sales lady said they do work."
"So you would rather believe some sales lady over your cousin?" she asked Daniella, who rolled her eyes.
"Guys, I will call you later." Shettima's daughter their attention again. They smiled at him and said their goodbyes. Good! At least someone was enjoying her break. He wondered how she would react if she found out they found her twin sister. Daniella had always been passive about the topic of her missing sister. She had nothing much to say about it. Shettima stopped asking when she was uncomfortable with the topic.
"Sir," his driver said. "We are here, sir." Shettima looked up from his phone. They were packed in the hospital's parking lot. His wife was still in there, and she had texted with that Electra came by.
He was a little assured about her eating, she refused to go home or get any rest. Things were not going really well for him. The discovery of Grace's sinister plans was not the only thing occupying his mind. Who was Dunni's biological parents was another question. They were performing an autopsy at the moment. They were going to get their answer soon. Processing it was not giving him many answers.
The doctor advised for psychological help and Grace's words bothered him. There was still something she had not figured out yet. His life felt like a mess that he could not just clean up. Sheila was there by his side but the pain was not subsiding.
"Sir... Sir?" his driver called again. He looked up, remembering that he had to leave the car. He nodded at him before getting down from the Range Rover. He bottomed his suit jacket and walked into the hospital while his security followed closely behind him.
The media would be a field day if any question ever got out about his presence in the hospital so he had to be careful with who he interacted with. Nobody except Sheila, Electra and a few trusted people knew about the girl's existence.
He was going to have to call his lawyer and set a meeting to get all the legal documents ready. Also, his family and Sheila's family would have to know. Then there is Daniella, he still does not know how would relay the news to her. How would she take it?
He blinked, Sheila was outside the room, pacing about. He walked toward her and called her name. She ran into his arms with fear and worry, evident on her face.
"What it is, Sheila? Why do you look worried? Did something happen to Denise?" Shettima asked.
"She is awake Shettima, the doctor is in there, accessing her," Sheila answered. Electra walked back from the bathroom. She blinked when we saw Shettima, it had been a while.
"Mr Arabowale." Electra nodded. "Electra," he nodded in greeting and looked back at his wife.
"You need to take a seat, Love, you are worrying yourself too much." Sheila sighed. "I cannot just be fine after what we saw. I cannot imagine what that poor girl must have been through." Sheila murmured, looking down.
"I am sure that Denise will be okay. The doctor told us she was not in danger. You told me yourself that she is awake. You do not need to worry."
"That is not enough. You saw those marks yourself Shettima. Do you think that one can br normal after that? And we are parents tailored her arrest." Shettima stiffened. He glanced at Electra, who was watching their interactions.
"Shettima I do not even know how we would make up for everything she has been through. She doesn't even know we are her parents."
"Then we would tell her, Sheila there is nothing we can do. You know if I can then back the hands of time I would. I would never have gone out that day. I would never have put our daughter's life in danger but alas we are here, unable to change the past. All we can do is make up for it."
Sheila hugged Shettima tightly, "I love you," Shettima smiled softly and cradled her into his arms. "I love you too, sweets. You do not need to worry Sheila, we will figure it out."
"With you here, I know we will."
***