Emilia’s loud screaming woke Maya up from her deep and sound sleep,
With a smile, she woke up and carried her child who had been sleeping just right next to her.
Mother and child had slept in the bed close to each other as it was just them.
Victor Maya’s husband and Emilia’s father was off on a business trip.
Maya sat calmly and watched her baby as she ate.
Emilia’s eyes were wide open and fixed to her mother’s face as she sucked from her breast; and that gave Maya pleasure to see her child look at her with joy and trust as she tossed her little leg.

After she was done feeding Emilia, she removed her diaper, powdered her and then got her into a new one after which she tucked her into a fresh dress and laid her back to sleep.

After Emilia went back to sleep,
Maya felt her stomach making some dramatic sound as she yawn.
She was hungry.
breast feeding was really dealing with her,
She needed to get something to eat she thought as she decided to go down stair to the kitchen and get something to eat.

It was already 11pm, every one must be been sleep by now,  she thought as she got up from the bed.

Maya’s husband victor and his family where all living together in a big and nighty house.
Victor’s father has never bought the idea of his children leaving separately; he wanted to have his children, their wife and his grand children to live together close to him.

Victor was the eldest and the only one who was married Nelson his younger brother was still single and not searching yet.

At first Maya had been the only woman in the house among three men until God had gave them Emilia,
Victor’s dad Mr. Mike had wished and prayed for a baby girl while Maya was pregnant and God had answered his prayer.
Mike had been the happiest man when the doctor had told them Maya had given birth to a baby girl.
at that point, Mike had filled the whole place with praises and had instantly named the child Emilia when the nurse had let him held her. 

Maya put on her white rob and carried her baby’s feeding bottle along with her as she headed for the kitchen downstairs.
She opened the door of her bedroom and began to walk down from the stair when she slipped and fell with her head down.
Immediately she fell, she had her baby frantic cry pealed through her head but she was already helpless she couldn’t get to her baby to comfort her, she knew she was dying as she lay on the floor with her head bleeding.
She tried to shout out for Nelson and her father in-law but she couldn’t call out to any of them to help her and her baby.
Her precious baby was crying, her wonderful baby her world...

The last thing she had was the voice of her crying baby from the bedroom, the last thing she thought about was victor and her baby Emilia.  

Nelson could not stand the cry of Emilia anymore.
Where is Maya?
Where did she go to leaving the child alone, he thought as he got up from his bed to check on his brother’s wife and his niece.

On getting out from his door, he noticed his father’s door opening also.
“What’s going on” mike asked looking confused as Emilia’s voice increased to its highest pitch.
“I don’t know”
Nelson answered as both of them went to victor’s door to confirm for themselves.
When they got to the door,
they knock at the door at the same time, but there were no response and the baby was crying harder and screaming as if someone was cutting her into pieces.

Mike was running out of patience as he pushed and opened the door then saw his grandchild crying and sweating but the mother was nowhere to be found.
Mike and Nelson were both surprise as they turned and looked at each other without saying a word.
Immediately, Nelson decided to go out and check around the house for Maya.
When he got down from the stair he shouted and began to scream for his father as he couldn’t believe what he saw.
When Mike heard the shout he quickly ran out with his grandchild leaning on his chest.
When he got to the stair, he saw Maya lying lifeless on the floor with blood gushing out from her head.

Mike quickly got the car keys while Nelson carried Maya to the car and then they rushed her to the hospital.
on their way Nelson called Victor to inform him about what had happen.
Victor asked his brother which hospital they were taking his wife to and immediately get to the road that night and drove in the speed he had never driven on.

When Mike and Nelson finally got to the hospital Maya was confirmed to be dead by the doctor.

They next day,
When Victor got to the hospital and discovered his wife was already dead.
He sat outside with his hands on his head as he cried.
He was crying and shouting that other patients and people were looking at him as they passed but he didn’t care, all he cared for was having his wife back but that was impossible.
He had asked God for just one wish, as he was on his way to the hospital.
He had asked that he find his wife still alife but God has denied him that, he had denied him the one thing he wanted desperately and had left him to be an amusement to some people and to others pitying stuff.

Mike and Nelson tried to comfort him, but he was in no need of their comfort.
Emilia kept her head rested in her grandfather’s chest, she was looking at her dad who was trying to be a man but couldn’t just help been the way he was.
Finally they went back home and Maya was buried, everyone mourned for Maya her friend’s, her in-laws her step mother and her father.
Maya’s mother was late; Maya had grown up with her father and her step mother who was childless.
she had come to live with her father when she was Six years and her mother on the other hand who was married to another man with another daughter that was Maya’s half sister.
She had passed away before Maya and victor got married.
Maya never went to see her mother after her father had taken her away, even the news of her death was passed across to her by her father and she never even witnessed the Burial her mother.

Eight month later, Everyone had gone back to their life,
But Victor was unable to. each day felt as though it was the day of Mayas death his wound was getting fresher as the days went bye instead of healing.                             
Victor had always thought there could never be a thing he couldn’t handle in his entire life.
But the past eight month had proven him wrong, he had finally found something he couldn’t handle and that was the death of his wife Maya.
Victor’s mother just as his wife Maya, had died while they were still young, Victor had been fourteen and Nelson nine.

When victor’s mother had died, Mike their father took it upon himself to take care of his children by himself, remarrying was never a thing he was ever going to consider.
Mike had loved his wife Ann with all he had and that was why after he lost her he didn’t get married he always wanted his dead wife to continue been his half part he never wanted any other woman  to occupy her space in his heart.
With that love, and dedication he Had had toward his dead wife, he decided to spend all he had and all his love to the child of the woman he was never going to see again.

Even at fifty-five, victor could tell his father has never for once forgotten, he had never stopped loving his wife, their mother.
And now he feel the same pains his father had felt, he had only imagine it when he had became an adult
But now, he could feel the pain of losing someone so dear to you, the half part of you.
The woman whom you loved and who also loved you in returned with dedication support and trust the only woman you had wished to share your dreams and future with.
Death was indeed wicked and heartless.
Oh, how was he ever going to survive this great pain?
How was he ever going to put all that had happened to him behind him?

How was ever going to live again?
He though as he felt tears gathering in his eyes
The more he tried to forget the harder and tougher it becomes nothing was ever going to make life the same; his life was never going to be the same.
Victor knew he was never going to get over the death of his wife, he didn’t think he would, he was going to be a full time mourner.
He had grown up praying hard every day that nothing truly bad as this should happen to him that would make him have to spend his life drinking, mourning and crying.
Oh, how he wanted to see his Maya, how he longed to see her so badly even if it was just for a second.
Every morning when he wakes up, he would be hoping to find his wife next to him, or in the bathroom, or even in the kitchen,
But that never come through the side of her bed was always empty and so was the kitchen and the bathroom he was indeed feeling lonely.
In the brief two years he had spent with his wife, he had given her very little of his time.
And now he was yearning for her.
How he wish he had spent all the time he had with her and not even think of any other thing.
If only he could rewind time but that was impossible.
Maya had left him without even saying good bye, she left him, without allowing him to see her smiles just for the last time he wish he had told her just how much he had loved her before going on that trip.

He couldn’t see himself falling in love again nor remarrying.
He couldn’t see himself becoming normal again for the hole inside of him was so deep that no one could feel.
He promise himself to do just as his father had done, stay single and take care of his Emilia, she was his and his alone to look after and protect.   
  
Why on earth was he not able to stop his lovely wife from dying?
He should have done something to keep her from dying, he shouldn’t have travel with that he would have been the one to go and feel his child feeding bottle that had lead to his wife death as all of them had believed.
She was such a beauty to behold; she was beautiful in every aspect, and also a woman of great virtue.

He remembered when he had first met her,
It was in his childhood friend’s wedding where he was the occupying the office of the best man and Maya the chief bride maid that was were he had seen her first.
When he had seen her march in alongside with the bridemaids in her beautiful and professional sewed peach gown
Victor had lost control of himself and most importantly he lost the control over the navigation of his eyes because he couldn’t force it away from her side he had known at that moment that she was the one for him.

After the minister was done with the sermon and everyone had all departed to the reception ground,
Victor had met Maya and sat close to her where he had started by introducing himself as victor and she as Maya and then the chemistry had flow.
He had discover she wasn’t just beautiful in the outside but also inside which had gotten him more in love with her they had exchange numbers and began communication he had told his father about her and invited her over to the house.
The moment she was together with his family.
Mr. Mike his father instantly develop likeness for her.
She was friendly, always smiling and kind and after a year and half they get married.

Victor slowly inhaled and then exhaled.  
Why had death done this terrible thing to him? He thought bitterly as he looked at his one year old smallish beautiful daughter who was crying for what only the creator of heaven and earth knew.
Emilia was a beautiful and wonderful little creature just like her mother had been.
He didn’t know what to do to her that would stop her from crying, he wasn’t really good at caring for a child like his father was.
Mike his dad had a doctorate degree in caring for children and that was why he was not happy when Victor had told him he wanted to move out from the house for a while with his daughter.
He knew the old man was not happy even though he had tried to understand with his him.

He needed to help himself,
At least he was hoping if he leaves the house for sometime the memories of his wife that was hunting him would subside
And now Emilia was crying he didn’t even know how to stop her from crying what a mistake he had made he had taking the innocent girl from the family she knew and love and the nanny Mike had promise to look for was not yet available.
Victor held his daughter and patted her gently;
Without being able to speak a word because of the lump that had formed in his throat.
He was walking around with her for like an hour before she finally slept of peacefully and soundly in his shoulders.

                             ***
Joelle, sat on the chair her father had always loved to sit on, it was three month now since her father had passed away, and the house rent had expired two weeks before he had died and there was no money left for her to pay for the rent.
the little they had left had been spent on the hospital bills and burial of her father and the little money people had given to her when they came to sympathize with her, was what she used to pay her final exams fees her father was owing.

And now she didn’t know how she would survive in all these.
She didn’t know how she was going to cope.
those little jobs she was doing was not helping at all, how was she going to cope with paying her school fees in the university if she eventually gets admission and how was she going to afford materials and the rest of school requirement.
The only option that was left for her was to locate her half sister Maya and ask her for help if she could accommodate her or help her financially, since she was from a rich family.

Joelle had been surprise when Maya had called her a year ago and told her she was her sister and misses her so much and she had also told her to feel free to call her anytime she needed her help or when she feels like talking to someone.
She had told her how she had looked for her contact for a long time before she had finally got it.

when Maya came to visit her, that was the first time Joelle was seeing her half sister,
Maya had also sent a huge sum of money to her the next day after her visit and the money was of great use to her and her father.
She had also promised she was going to come and get her from the school to show where she was staying with that she could be coming for visiting and spend time with her.
But after that visit and a call from her a week after.
She didn’t know what had happened Maya had not called again and her number was no longer reach able.

Joelle late mother Mata when she was still alive, was always tall her about Maya when Joelle was still a little girl but Joelle never see her till that day when she got a surprise call and a visit, those times when her mum was still around, she only saw Maya on picture’s that was all.
Joelle’s mom Mata was so close to her second and only daughter that was available to her; she had told her how she had conceived Maya while she was working as a house maid in a wealthy man house.

Maya’s father was a rich man but his wife was childless, she was such a good and sweet woman her mother had told her.
Mata their mother had been suffering when Maya’s step mother had help her that was why she had to run away when she made the mistake of sleeping with her madam’s husband.
After Mata had discovered she was pregnant, she ran away because she didn’t want to create any problem for the woman who had help her in time of her need.

When she ran away, she was lucky to find a man who had loved and accepted her with her pregnancy and also agree to be a father to the child.
But it was not possible because Maya’s Dad who was a doctor already knew Mata was pregnant so he traced her and later found her years after. he took Maya away and at that time Joelle was just two year old.

Joelle inhaled and then exhaled as she concluded on what to do.
She was going to look for Maya; she had to do just that.
Maya was the only family she had left that could help her.
She and Maya had gone along well when they had met, they looked alike because they both had the look of their mother, she was sure if they had grown up together they would have been very close.
She couldn’t help but remember how beautiful Maya had been in her beautiful ride and her gorgeous dress.
Joelle had felt like melting in her body when she had hug her tightly as if she never wanted to let her go.
But how comes she didn't keep to her promise.
What if she doesn’t want anything to do with her again, rich people could be so funny sometimes Joelle thought but she quickly waved the thought away.

Maya smiles were too genuine, maybe she lost her contact and maybe she had been busy she kept singing that to herself in other for her not to get discourage about looking for Maya.

Maya had told her where she was staying,
though she don’t know the exact house. but she was  sure when gets to the place Maya had told her she would be able to find her way at least she knew the name of the place and street.

Hi... I hope you enjoyed this chapter?
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