Beckoned Through The Dark

49 // Abigail // Secret Ties

"What happened out there?" The old lady asked.

I glared at her, and she kept quiet. I did not mean to be rude, but I was also asking myself the same question. If Cecilia and I hadn't intervened, Lesego would have been dead.

Lwandle was possessed by an evil spirit that I suspect had everything to do with the cottage back in the woods.

Karabelo had sent an evil spirit to kill Lesego, and it would not go away until she was dead.

A shiver ran down my spine as I took her in, she was sitting on my couch with her hand running over her neck. She was bruised, and there was no way she could hide that from Clay.

I could tell from the worry in her eyes earlier that she wished she had never suggested going back to that place, now she was even more worried about going back home.

Her phone had been ringing for the past two hours, until eventually she decided to put it on silent.

Lwandle was nowhere to be found, she was not in her apartment and she had run away from away before we left that old building in the woods.

"I'm sorry," Lesego said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I put all our lives in danger, and–"

I shook my head. "It was not your fault. What happened out there was bound to happen at any time, Les," I said truthfully.

She looked at me, uncertainty in her eyes. "What happened out there? Your friend..."

I sat down opposite her with a tired sigh. "Lwandle is my best friend, the only friend I have. She's very talkative around me, but very shy in general." I smiled. "A few years ago, after her parents died, she told me that she had the gift to bring the dead back to life through her body. I didn't believe her, and we did not talk about it until recently," I said, and the look on Lesego's face told me that she was trying to connect the dots.

"If what you are saying is true, what did she mean when she said you betrayed her?"

I should have known she was going to bring that up. The old lady and I shared a brief look, and I turned to Lesego with a grim look on my face.

"Lesego, the last time I asked you to leave the warehouse–" the sound of someone inserting keys on the door paused me as I stared in panic.

I looked at the clock on the wall and frowned.

It was after 4p.m., Ryan never came back at this time.

His voice bought me back to life as he cussed. Lesego looked at me with panicked eyes.

Shit!

At this point, I had to think on my feet; Ryan thought Lesego was dead, and Lesego did not know Ryan was my husband.

"Come this way, I'll get rid of him," I said, gesturing them to the guestroom.

"Abigail, what if he sees me? You can't let him in."

"Just get in there, close the bloody door, and remain quiet!" I almost yelled before closing the door behind me.

A knock came from the apartment door. "Abigail, open this door before I break it down!" Ryan yelled from outside.

I quickly removed the plates my two guests were eating from and made sure that everything was in place before opening the door.

My husband looked pissed.

One thing we always agreed on was keeping the apartment locked at all times, but we had to make sure no one leaves the key on the door, more especially when we switched shifts.

He walked past me, his face tense.

"Hey," I greeted, but he ignored me. "I'm sorry about that, I just got back, and I needed to use the bathroom urgently."

He gave me a tight-lipped smile and said, "It's okay, love."

I don't know why that hurt me so much, but it did. I wished he could stop pretending like he was okay with everything and just yelled out his frustrations.

He was mad, I could see his jaw ticking, but he was not saying anything.

"What are you still doing here?"

"I just got here."

"No, I mean why are you still in this marriage when you clearly don't want to be anymore?" This got his attention, and the look in his eyes made me wish I had asked this much earlier.

It was as if something in him snapped. He looked so hurt and confused.

"W-what?" He croaked out.

"I'm tired, Ryan. I'm tired of all this," I said, exasperated. "Do you even love me anymore?"

He placed the TV remote on the table and stood up, approaching me in slow uncertain steps.

"Are you even listening to yourself, how could you ask me that?" He asked in a calculated voice. "I should have known this was going to happen the moment you started spending time with that Martins boy!"

"I told you, Clay and I are just friends!"

"Do you kiss all your friends?" He yelled.

"It only happened once, and it was a mistake. I can't say the same for you and your mistress."

"So, you kissed him for revenge?"

What? What happened between Clay and I was a mistake, and it was only a kiss!

It was during the time Lesego was in hospital, he came to check on her every single day even though he never really went to her room.

He asked for updates on her recovery, and eventually we got close. One thing led to another and we ended up kissing, we both agreed that it was a mistake, and it would never happen again.

I admit, I kinda liked Clay at the time, but it was only because I was lonely.

I wish Ryan would just understand that I love him, but all he ever does is hurt me.

"I think it's best if you leave," I said wistfully.

There would come a time where I will have enough strength to fight for our marriage, but not now.

I didn't want to lose him, but I didn't want to be stuck in this circle of constant pain either. It would hurt less if we were apart than having to face each other every day and be reminded of what our lives had turned into.

He scoffed, almost sounding between a chortle and a choke. "With pleasure," he said coldly and picked his phone and keys. He gave me a long look before walking past me without a word.

My blood ran cold when the guestroom door opened and a tear struck Lesego stepped out.

Shit! I'd completely forgotten about her, and she heard everything.

"Lesego, I–" an ear-splitting sound filled the room as my hand flew to my burning cheek.

I stared in shock as Lesego left without a word.

Great! Just what I needed.