My fammmmm.🥺♥️

I hope this meets you well.♥️

No long talks, let's get to it. I had to divide this chapter, btw.

The song for this chapter is SMA by Nasty C.

          ______________𖧷_____________

                "𝐹𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒
                        𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛
                            𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛."

         ________________𖧷______________

         ~𝙾𝙼𝙾𝙳𝚄𝙽𝙼𝙰𝙳𝙴 𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙰 𝙶𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚉~

I hit the send button, slamming my laptop shut afterwards. I heaved a sigh of relief, knowing I was done for the day, at least. I had the rest of the night to myself and I could do whatever I wanted with it. In this case, spend time with Riven and Raquel. My schedule has been a little tight for a while now and I had Meg to thank for that. I knew I was paying her and it was her job but it doesn't dispute the fact that she took proper care of the twins like they were her own, even in my absence. 

Nannies like her were very hard to come by in the world we live in now, filled with wolves in sheep's clothing that were waiting for the slightest opportunity to burn everything down to the ground. The thought of someone maltreating Riven and Raquel made me frown, causing me to shudder heavily. I peeled my bonnet off my head, freeing my curls in the process. I pushed my chair backwards, causing it to sound like a screech, and then I made my way to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

I didn't take long in the bathroom and I was out in no time, changing into a pair of strawberry-imprinted pink satin shorts and a matching white tank top that barely covered my belly button. I plugged my hair dryer and did a quick blow drying of my hair before tucking it in a messy high bun. I proceeded into my room, my phone sounding with a soft chime, the minute I dropped with a soft thud on my bed. I retrieved the phone from the surface of the nightstand, threw myself on the bed and proceeded to check the new message I had.

The notification from my bank had my blood drying up in my system, my heartbeat picking up an erratic pace, thudding furiously against my chest and hurting me with every beat it made. I could hear the loud beating of my heart in my ears, leaving goosebumps to sprout on my skin. I shot up from the bed, my fingers hanging on the screen of my phone. 

Every nerve in me screamed at me to shut my phone and just stuff under my covers, allowing my legs to lead me out of the room, away from this alert. But of course, my curiosity got the better part of me. I tapped on the screen, a shaky breath eluding me. My breath felt as though it was punched right out of me as I stared back at the credit alert of one million nairas, casting me a mocking glance and messing with my senses in the process. 

It started as a stinging sensation from my fingertips, coursing through my veins, then it morphed into something more sizzling, emotions altering every ounce of emotion I had been feeling earlier. It was something else that took over, consuming the entirety of my being. I clenched my shaky fingers, anger simmering through my veins. I puffed out a hot breath through my cheeks, squeezing my eyes shut and imploring myself to seize control of my fucking emotions. I had the power over them! Not the other way around.

I didn't see it coming, the breathy laughter that rolled off my tongue, sounding like harsh wheezing to my ears. My shoulders quaked heavily, going on for as long as I couldn't keep track. I laughed so hard, my lungs closing up against me until I felt tears spilling out of my eyes. That was all it took for me to pause, chuckling softly. 

This? Was a fucking joke.

The biggest joke of the century.

That was all it was and that was all it had to fucking be. And with that thought in mind, I picked up my phone and sauntered over to my dresser, where I did a quick fix of my face, engaging in my skincare routine for the night. Once I was done, I pranced out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

"Oh come on, you two!" 

The frustration laced in Meg's tone had my brows knitting together in worry and confusion, willing me to quicken my steps in descending the staircase to feed myself the awareness of what was going on and the reason Meg sounded like that.

"You bad, bad boy!" Raquel screeched, her voice hoarse like she had been crying. I raced to the living room, horror descending upon me at the sight of the hysteric girl clutching her broken doll to her chest. She was sobbing profusely, hurt about what was done to her doll.

"Raquel! Sweetheart, what's going on?" I asked, approaching her. I crouched to her level and she threw herself in my arms, breaking down in tears. Through my peripheral vision, I could see an unbothered Riven sprawled on the sofa with a bored look on his face.

I needed no soothsayer to tell me that they were at it again but I knew I had to hear from both sides first.

"What's wrong? Talk to me," I urged the crying girl and she hiccuped, pulling away from my arms. Her teary brown eyes made my heart clench in pain, sadness seeping into me.

"I hate him so much! I don't want to be his sister anymore! He's so mean!" She whined to me, fury flashing in her eyes. I squinted my eyes at her, my mouth ajar and my eyes darted to Riven in the process.

"He's a brute!"

"Come on, Raquel. What did I tell you about saying mean things to your brother? People you love in general. It's not a nice thing to do. Whatever it is he did to you, I am sure we can settle it. He is your family." I pacified her, keeping my voice calm and assuring but she looked like she was way past being reasoned with. She shook her head vehemently, clutching her doll to her chest.

"He's a bad family! I hate him!" She countered me, yelling so loudly.

"Raqu__"

"He hurt Skylar! Look what he did to her! He broke her neck! I don't want to see him anymore. He's not my twin anymore! I hate him. He hurt her. He hurt my baby." She screamed at me and I could have sworn I didn't see that coming. It caught me off guard. She burst into a fresh round of tears afterwards, dropping to the floor and bunching her knees up to her chest.

I heaved a sigh. 

Of course, I understood her.

"Raquel, honey, can I see her?" I asked quietly and she sniffed but didn't respond to me. I moved over to where she crouched, settling on the floor beside her. I tried to pry the doll out of her surprisingly strong grip but she wouldn't give it away easily. It took a while before she let it go and God, Riven did the doll dirty.

The porcelain doll dressed in a pink onesie had its head detached from the doll, her hand twisted to the side. The doll, however, still had her radiant smile plastered on its face. It was still fixable. All I had to was attach the head back to the neck and straighten its arm. But I wasn't going to do it. He was. He had to learn!

My head shot up from the broken doll, my eyes anchoring on Riven's frame. He gazed at me beneath his lashes and when he saw me arch my brow at him, displeased, he sat up, tugging at the hem of his shirt. Yeah, he was cute but he wasn't getting away with this. I marched over to where he sat and watched him shift where he sat.

"Why did you hurt Skylar?" I frowned, wagging the broken doll in his face and he blinked, tears filling his eyes. His eyes were filled with remorse in no time but I wasn't even done.

"You know how much Raquel loves Skylar, yet you hurt her!" My voice rose a notch and he released a shaky breath.

"I am sorry,"

"I am so sorry," He mumbled.

"I didn't mean to. I just wanted Raquel to play with me but she wouldn't. She said she wanted to play with Skylar and I thought hurting Skylar would make her play with me. I didn't mean to hurt her." He divulged, fiddling with his fingers, loud hiccups exiting his lips now and then.

I exhaled, settling on the seat beside him.

"Raquel won't be with you all the time and that's okay, Riven. It doesn't mean she loves you any less and it doesn't mean you are not one of her favourite people in the world. Sheesh, you are her other half. It's called socialising. I agree that Skylar is a non-living thing but it's still socialising. It means, she's trying to be friends with other people and that's completely fine," I paused, pulling him to my side. 

He looked up to face me, his eyes shimmering with tears.

"You shouldn't be mad at her for wanting to have other friends. Instead, you should be supportive of what she wants. You know, you two could have played with Skylar together and it would have been so much fun but you allowed your anger to ruin everything." I elaborated, admonishing him. I exhaled softly when he started crying again.

"I am so sorry. I don't want Raquel to hate me." He sobbed.

Awww…

"She doesn't hate you. She's just mad at you. Now, what do you do when she's mad at you?" I asked him, cocking one of my brows. A smile broke out on his face and I grinned, unable to resist the urge to press a kiss to his forehead. He was so adorable.

"Apologise," He answered and skipped off the sofa, sauntering over to where Raquel sat, crying.

"I am sorry for hurting Skylar, Raquel. I did a very bad thing and I am sorry." He mumbled an apology to her.

"We can fix her and play with her together. Dunms can help us with it." He revealed, reaching out to touch her. Raquel lifted her head off her knees, sniffing and she turned to him, a glimmer of hope flickering in her eyes. Her lips twitched, a bright smile lighting up her face.

"Promise?"

"I promise." He grinned at her and the duo giggled, hugging each other. My heart swelled with pride and on G, I felt like a proud mom. I didn't realise I had been crying until I felt a warm liquid drop on my lips. I brought my palms to my face and wiped them off, hurriedly. I got off the sofa, enveloping the duo in a warm hug. I caught sight of Meg, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Now, who's hungry?" Meg asked, clapping hands together, her voice echoing through the living room.

"Me!" The twins squealed, getting on their feet and skipping to the dining table, their loud giggles filling the room.

I chuckled, sauntering over to where Meg stood, watching me with a smile on her face, her eyes twinkling with pride and amusement. She brought her hand to her shoulder, pulling me to her side, and then she pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"I am so proud of you," She remarked and I blushed in return, my grin growing uncontrollably.

"Thank you for making dinner," I told her, my voice thick with gratitude.

"You don't have to thank me. I am happy to do it. Come on, let's go have dinner." She patted my shoulder, a smile playing on her lips as she led me to the table. I took my seat across from Riven and Raquel, who looked like they had already finished eating the whole meal. 

Meg opened the steaming dish of white rice and the two foodies across where I sat squealed in excitement. I was guilty too and boy, was I salivating when the dish that contained turkey sauce followed. I clasped my hands in anticipation, resisting the urge to grab a spoon and just dig into the meal. But I hadn't completely let go of my manners, so I waited for her to dish the food. I offered to help out but she refused and when she wanted to dish mine, I insisted she dished the twins first and she dished mine afterwards.

"Riven, Raquel, hand over your plates, let me help you shred your turkey." I offered and they grinned at me, pushing their plates towards me. I took my time to shred it into small chunks and passed it to them before digging into my food but I was halfway into my meal when my phone began ringing. I rolled my eyes, digging my fingers into my curls. I flipped the phone and placed the screen on the surface of the table, ignoring the call.

"You are not going to pick up your call?" Meg asked, confused. I shook my head in response, dipping a forkful of turkey in my mouth. I just wanted to enjoy the fucking meal in peace but the caller had other plans. My phone wouldn't stop ringing incessantly and at some point, it began disturbing the twins, even though Meg didn't say anything after she asked me if I was going to pick it up, I could see the bemusement written all over her face.

My face scrunched in a frown, irritation seizing me in its hold. I dropped my fork gently, picking up the phone to check the caller and I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.

It was Khalil.

My heart lurched to my throat, worry engulfing me. Seeing his call felt like a sudden jolt to my memory, causing my mind to relive what happened this afternoon. I had been so numb, shoving that event into the deepest part of my mind. I had gladly sought distractions in several places and it worked, taking my mind off it completely until his call came in. 

Somehow, I knew that whatever that guy did warrant Khalil beating him up but seeing him that way terrified me. I wasn't going to lie. I was not mad at him, instead, I was…concerned.

I blinked, my taste bud growing sour as I looked down at the ringing phone in my hands. I knew that if I didn't pick up, he would probably blow my phone off with his incessant calls.

So, I picked up.

The first thing akin to sound that filtered through my speakers, seeping into my ears was a long drag of breath, followed by a deafening silence. 

"Khalil?" That one word I uttered came out as a question. Well, yeah. I was confused. I didn't know what to say to him.

"Dunmade…" His voice trailed off, striking me as hoarse and there was something about it that just made me feel like my heart was being pricked by tons of needles, a shaky sigh evading me.

"Can you…" He paused, sucking in some breath.

"I am at the rooftop at the scho__" I swear, I didn't allow him to finish what he was saying when I hung up on him. My heart struck my chest with a loud bang. The worry just came from nowhere, overwhelming me and I shot up from my seat, my eyes snapping to Meg's confused ones. I knew I shouldn't do this to her. I knew it was a lot. I knew I was asking for too much but I did it anyway.

"Can you watch the twins for a while? I will be back soon, I promise. I…I am sorry…I swear…I am so___" My voice was quivering but I didn't know why.

Because he is all alone by himself in that place.

"Of course. You can go. I will watch them." She cut me off, her tone coming off as understanding.

"Uh…pumpkins, I am just going to go pick up something down the street. I will be back soon, okay? Meg will watch you two." I announced to the duo, who nodded their heads in return. And with that, I practically bolted away from the dining, grabbing my keys from the key tray. I pranced to the door, pushing it open but Meg's puzzled voice stopped me from setting foot outside.

"You are wearing that? She asked me and I swung my head in her direction, nodding absent-mindedly.

"Of course,"

That was my answer.

And with that, I set off into the night.

To go find him.

HIM.

A/N

I am too tired to say anything. I will probably edit this author's note tomorrow. Right now? I want to sleep.😩 Goodnight!