𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈

22| ʀᴏᴛɪᴍɪ

ᴀᴅᴇᴅᴀʏᴏ ᴄʜᴀꜱᴇ ᴀʏᴏᴅᴇʟᴇ.

"I do very bad things and I do them well"

"Brother Dayo!"

The little boy came running down the stairs so fast I was scared he would trip and fall. But fortunately, he didn't and he flew into my arms with laughter.

"Hey baby boy, what's up? How are you?" I asked, smiling at him happily. He grinned and touched my cheek.

"I'm fine brother Dayo. 'ow are you too?"

Awww

Meet my seven year old brother, Rotimi Chance Ayodele. We were not really pure blood brothers. I was the only son of my parents but after my mum passed away, my dad began to sleep around. It was in on of this sleeping around, one of the women git pregnant and had Rotimi. But she didn't want him so I took him under my wing.

I wanted to hate him honestly, but I couldn't. He was so cute, so pure, so innocent....I grew to love him because he loved me. He saw me as his dad, mum and everything and made sure I was always happy.

How could I dislike him?

"Brother Dayo is fine too. What did you do in school today?" Immediately I asked that question, his smile died.

"I don't like school. They hate me. Nobody wants to play with me." He sniffed. I bit my inner cheek and sat beside him on the floor.

"Why?"

"They said I'm bad , they said daddy is bad. Is daddy bad?" He asked. Looking into his pretty eyes, I didn't have the heart to lie. But there was no way in heaven or hell I was telling Rotimi his father was a mafia business man. To be blunt, a killer.

"You are not bad Tee, they are just jealous of you"

"But teachers flog me too much. They don't flog others but the flog me" he muttered. His lower lip trembled as if he wanted to cry. I held him to myself and gave him a big kiss on his baby cheeks.

"I will talk to them so they won't flog you anymore okay? Now don't cry, or else you won't eat ice-cream" his eyes brightened immediately I said that.

"Ice cream!!!! I want ice cream!!" He screamed. I laughed and stood up.

"Let's go upstairs and bath first" I said.

"Brother Dayo don't scrub my back oo" he said softly.

"Hmm? Why?" I replied.

"I don't like it"

"Come on and bath joor"

I carried him on my back and enjoyed his squeals of delight when I 'flew' upstairs in a superman manner. When I got to my room, I unbuttoned his shirt.

"Oya turn let me unbutton your trousers" I said. He nodded and turned. I unbuttoned his trousers only for my eyes to catch sight of something on his back.

What was that?

I stopped what I was doing and peered at them.

Then I gasped.

They were marks. Cane marks.

Some made serious injuries while some were faint, obviously they've healed off.

Was this why he didn't want me to wash his back?

What the fuck was this?!

"Timi, what happened to your back?" I asked calmly. Anger was already filling me to the brim.