The streets were well-lit and tranquil, exuding a sense of security and elegance. Streetlights bathed the wide roads in a warm glow, while the buildings and residences adorned with exterior lighting added to the ambience. The area remained relatively quiet, with only occasional traffic from residents and visitors. Well-maintained greenery and trees lined the streets, casting a pleasant and serene atmosphere, even after dark. The night was young.

A couple of passersby chatted softly along the silent streets of Maitama, Abuja. Ore located the place he was looking for and walked through the door. As he entered, a couple of guests stepped out, and he made his way directly to the receptionist, who wore a purple apron over black leggings and a purple polo shirt. Her hair was braided in long brown extensions, and she was cleaning the table when he approached.

“Good evening,” he began.

“Good evening. How can I help you?” she greeted politely. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, Ore guessed.

“Hello, madam. I’m looking for a lady called Christabelle Balogun.”

“That’s my boss. Are you Mr. Oreoluwa Clifford?”

“Yes,” he nodded, and she smiled.

“My boss is waiting for you over there,” she pointed eastward.

“Thanks.” Ore bowed slightly and walked into the office. The cream-leather sofa was neatly arranged. On her marble table were an Apple laptop, two food magazines, and a cup of hot coffee.

“Stupid game! Everything is already programmed. Like, seriously, who made this app?” Cryst yelled out in frustration while playing.

“Why are you so frustrated with that game?” Ore asked as he walked into her office without knocking. He shut the door behind him and strode up to Cryst, but she didn’t spare him a glance. Despite her irritation, she continued playing.

Game over. The bold text displayed on her phone. Then she slammed the phone down on her table. Ore took her phone and checked. “Candy Crush Saga? This is a childish game. It teaches you nothing. Why waste your time on it?” He sat on the sofa opposite hers.

“Ore, you are late, you know.”

“I didn’t expect you to have a legitimate job. I mean, when you sent me an address, I was expecting something else.” He smiled and sat upright. “I thought a blessed girl like you had no worries and was mostly idle."

“Blessed girl? What does that mean?” Cryst’s eyes narrowed.

“It means you are wealthy. You can get whatever you want, whenever you want it, just like you have me here.”

“I am a very busy person, Ore. You have no idea. Besides, you should properly apologize and let bygones be bygones. But instead, you keep hiding, avoiding me. Postponing our dates, you are too rude.”

“What if I help you win this game and take you to the 11th level? Then we’ll have dinner and go our separate ways. Would that do?” Ore suggested.

Cryst blushed and jerked off from her seat. She walked up to Ore and stood right behind him as he played the game from the 9th level. His finger smashed the coloured balls in quick clicks.

“Wow, you are good at this! Do you miss me that much?” Ore asked as he completed the 9th level and moved to the 10th. “You run an eatery as good as this and you still sit at 9 pm playing this childish game? That’s sad.”

“I wanted to go out, but my car is faulty. I need your assistance to rectify it.” Cryst shrugged, laughed, and stole a glance at her braided hair that fell over her lean shoulders. “Should we go out in my car later tonight?”

“Why do you want to go out with me?”

“Because you owe me. You must help me till you complete your payment.” Cryst nodded sadly. “We can also have breakfast tomorrow if you accompany me tonight. You’ll have to spend the night here with me.”

“We haven’t had dinner. You are planning for tomorrow? I’ll be going home once it’s 10:00 p.m.” Ore handed Cryst her phone as he completed the 10th level.

“Wow, you passed this again! You are so amazing! I must take a screenshot and post it on my Discord account.” She giggled over her phone in amazement.

“Okay, give me the car keys. Let me check on your car.” Ore requested.

She grabbed a bunch of keys from a shelf and politely handed them to him. “Thanks for tonight. I haven’t even checked on it yet!” He softly chuckled as she smiled back in reply. ‘You are such a sweetheart,’ Cryst pondered as she walked right behind him.

‘Grin-Grin!’ The phone rang.

Susanne picked up the call, thinking it was Grace. “Yes, Grace.”

“Who’s Grace?” Kingsley asked.

“What’s up?” She rolled her eyes upward and exhaled.

“Do you have time? Let’s meet up at Betty’s Shoprite. The one at Wuse 2.”

“We have nothing to discuss,” Susanne said to Kingsley.

“But we haven’t concluded yet. It’s not over, Susanne. Especially when we’re having a child between us. At least, don’t sin for my sake. I can be a dog for you all my life. Let’s meet.”

“Not now, darling. I can’t come out.”

“I’m outside your house. Inside the compound.”

“What?” Susanne panicked. “The security guards let you in?”

“Yeah, I just told them we are friends, and I blessed their pockets. Open the curtains of your room. You’ll be able to see me from upstairs. I won’t leave if you don’t assure me that you’ll keep the baby.” Susanne hurried towards the curtains and checked. Kingsley’s white SUV was parked right behind the building. He stood with a hand in his pocket, waiting for her.

“What if Micheal sees you? Are you crazy, Kingsley?” She yelled out, cursing at him.

“You know that I’m only crazy about you. This pregnancy is not only yours and I want your assurance. It won’t take long.”

“Just calm down and listen to me, okay? We have broken up. This baby means nothing to you, so forget it. It has nothing to do with me, too.”

Kingsley’s thick voice and brows heightened as his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten rid of the pregnancy. Susanne, you can’t do this to me.”

“Yes, I aborted it three days ago. That is why I don’t go for adverts. You know I am a married woman. I can’t keep a baby. Keeping a baby is a grave sin and I can’t face the shame and criticism. Micheal will throw me out if he finds out. So why would I risk having your child? It’s over, Kingsley. Let this be the last time you contact me in any way. If you call me again, I might call the police on you for stalking me.”

“What? Babe...” the phone vibrated loudly to his ears as she ended the call. Tears gathered in Kingsley’s eyes, but he held back his emotion. Susanne closed the window.

Kingsley’s fingers trembled as he squashed his head like he was going nuts. “Damn bitch, you know how to use people, uh? Trust me, you have no right to take my child away from me.” Kingsley ranted with heavy breaths like a whizzing dog. In a fit of anger, he ripped off two buttons from his shirt, his mind a storm of confusion. That night, he slid into his car and sped away, tormented by the pain of Susanne secretly aborting their child without his knowledge.

Thoughts from the previous night disturbed Grace. “You have to help me. You can take my place in the Balogun family. At most, I will stay for a week. Micheal will not find out. He avoids me like a plague.” Susanne’s pleading voice rang in her ears. She recalled how Susanne helped her through the rain and heartbreak of being without Ore. “No matter what happens, you can tell me. You have a sister now. Both of us can support each other.”

The thoughts of last night came through again. “They will kick me out if they know that I have been barren all these years. That I am the reason Micheal had never had a child. Micheal can even divorce me and marry Camilla. I will be left with nothing. Mum’s medical bills are so expensive. What should I do?” Grace mentally cried.

Grace scrolled through her phone and dialled Susanne’s contact. “Grace!”

“Yes, Susanne, how are you feeling now?”

“Better, thanks for yesterday.” Her dry voice replied with a sigh. “You said that you’ll think about it. What’s your answer?”

“I’ll do it, but please... It shouldn’t pass seven days.”

“Thank you, dearest sis!” Her voice heightened over the phone as if it excited her. Grace cut the call, feeling guilty.

‘Grace, brace up,’ a voice muttered in her mind. ‘You’re doing this to save your sister’s marriage. Just act till her surgery is completed in seven days.’

When morning came, Susanne went to Grace and told her about the important things like her favourite food, her favourite colour, which was black and white, her favourite drinks, how she usually sits and spends her time, and the date of her wedding anniversary. Then she showed her a photograph on her phone.

"This is the Balogun's family photo. This old man is my father-in-law. You don't have to meet him, and you might not even meet him. In his mid-thirties, he suffered from a stroke. After he healed, he moved to a farmhouse in Gwarimpa. He is the only one in the Balogun's family that truly loves me. If not for his approval, Micheal and I wouldn't have married.

"Then your husband's dad seems to be a nice man. I'd love to meet him one day." Susan smiled.

"I will be back in a week, so there might be no need for all that. I love cleanliness and good fragrance, so don't forget to use them. All of them." She said, pointing to her lotions and perfumes. "If you need anything, just ask me." She handed her phone over to Grace. "Take this. It's your phone now, at least till when I come back. I have backed up my phone number so, no one knows. If you need me, just call this number. I saved it for emergencies. So, just in case."

"Susanne," Grace muttered with a long face. Tears clouded in her eyes as her breathing heightened. "I am too scared. What if I say the wrong word or act unexpectedly and get exposed?" she sighed again. A tear rolled down her eyes and she wiped it off before Susanne caught a glance of it. "I want your marriage with Michael to work, but isn't this too much?"

"You are not going to quit now, are you?" Susanne queried with Grace. "Sis, I was just saying I will try my best."

Susanne noted with a fake smile. "By the way, this is my passport and ID card. Keep it carefully. You will only use it if necessary."

Grace went through her visa card which had many stamps. "Wow, you have visited many countries."

"Whenever I come back and things go well, we will go to a country of your choice for vacation," Susanne told Grace while she giggled.

"Okay then, I should take my leave. I have taken my luggage outside to the security post so there's no need for you to to accompany me to the gate. I will take a taxi to the airport and I promise to be in touch with you every single day."

"Okay," Grace smiled. "By the way." Susanne halted her step facing Grace, her twin sister. "If Cryst disturbs you, no matter what she does, just ignore her."

"Don't worry, I am a good actress." Grace gave a wide smile even though her eyes were almost teary. Susanne exhaled and held Grace in a loose hug. "I am leaving you, Grace."

Without words, she turned back and walked out, shutting the door behind her. A feeling of going after her struck in Grace's thoughts. It made her speechless. A single tear rolled down her eyes as she wiped it off again.  Fear shimmers throughout Grace, it is hard to breathe. Panic shot through me and thrummed and she took a sharp breath in.

Getting her luggage from the security post, Susanne looked up at Micheal's huge mansion. Since when they had married, she never left it for once like this, except for short vacations in other countries. Susanne picked up her phone from her handbag and placed it by her ear as her eyes focused on the route for available taxis going towards the airport.

"Mum, hurry up and meet me at the Gwagwalada junction in Kuje in an hour! I would have asked the driver to take me, but that would be obvious."

Just then, a taxi stopped behind her. His head slanted towards her direction. Where are you going?"

"Drop to kuje," she muttered.

"Five thousand naira only," he replied to her.

"Okay, bye now. Mum, don't keep me waiting." she ended the conversation with Nike and stepped into the taxi. 'Grace, it's up to you now,' Susanne thought as the taxi zoomed into the busy road.

Grace took a warm shower and started putting on her make-up. On the phone was a video tutorial from Flakeskills, Susanne's favourite make-up artist on YouTube. She played it while applying the make-up in front of the tall standing mirror. Elated, Grace applied false lashes, remembering Susanne's instructions.

"You must wear make-up at Micheal's house. Don't let anyone see you without make-up, especially my husband, because even Micheal has never seen me completely without make-up."

"That is awful." Grace thought, but she didn't say it out, not to vex her sister.

"And for the lipstick, always apply red."

"Why red?"

"Red is the most attractive colour."

About to apply it, she paused and went through the drawer for a red lipstick, but she had none. Grace used a little finger to apply just a touch of the red lipstick and applied lip gloss so it shone. Then she dusted an amount of compact powder and put on fragrance.

As Grace stood before the mirror, her reflection revealed a radiant smile and eyes that sparkled with anticipation. Her outfit, elegantly chosen, draped perfectly over her figure. She picked up a glittering purse that caught the light, casting tiny reflections around the room. With a final, confident glance at her reflection, she turned and gracefully stepped out of the house, ready to make her first act.

***

Don't forget to vote and comment on this chapter. Have a blessed weekend ahead.