The Mysterious Prince

29. Could it be the end?

29.

𝕬𝖉𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝕯𝖑𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖎

I wake up feeling thirsty. It's the middle of the night, and there's no jar of water by the nightstand. Qhawe has slept in his room tonight because his mother forced us to separate. Why? Beat me. I'm pregnant with the man's child. There's nothing I don't know about him, so i think the separate rooms trick is old-fashioned.

I get out of bed and wear my morning sleepers before walking downstairs to the kitchen. The house lights are just dim so that those waking up in the middle of the night like me can see where they are going. The silence is eerie, but this is London. What's the worst thing that could happen?

I find myself inside the kitchen. I open the refrigerator and take out two bottles of water. I open one and drink straight from it, then stop to take a break before I finish the rest.

"Baby,I can't wait for you to get out of there." I talk to my belly. I wish it was a little bigger, but I guess this is an advantage because it's not heavy.

I proceed back upstairs with the other bottle of water in my hand just in case I feel thirsty again. As I approach my room,I realize that Qhawe's room, which is right beside mine, is illuminated. Isn't he asleep?

Well, mother-in-law dearest is asleep, so why not sneak in? That's what I do. I open the door and walk right in. I'm surprised not to find Qhawe on his bed, so I walk to the bathroom, but he's also not there. As I'm about to leave, I see a silhouette on the balcony and walk to it.

"Babe,you couldn't sleep?" I tap his shoulder a little bit, but he doesn't turn around or respond.

"Qhawe?" I call out to him, and he finally turns to me.

The water bottle in my hand slips and falls down as I take the appearance of the man in front of me. The gasp leaves my lips unexpectedly, and my heart almost stops beating as I take slowly retrieve back.

"Qh..." His name can't even get out of my mouth. Without thinking twice, I run out of the room to mine and lock it when I get in. My hands are shaking. What did I just see? No,this has to be a dream. It has to. But why is it feeling so real?

I quickly take out my luggage bag and quickly pack up my belongings. I pick up my phone with shaky hands and book the next flight, which is in three hours to South Africa.

I dial my brother's as I pack up my belongings. He never got back to me about Angie anyway.

"Before you could say anything,I found them. They are safe for now." That's the first thing he says when he answers.

"I'm coming home, Chrisy." I quickly change out of my clothes and look at the room one more time before unlocking the door and walking out.

><><><

I've been waiting at the airport for an hour now. My flight is an hour, and I'm just feeling so anxious. What I've seen today will always haunt me for the rest of my life.

My phone rings again, and it's my brother. I sit down to answer it.

"Hey, sis. I'm sorry for my impulsive decision. You don't have to come now." It's Angie. I need a distraction before I break down.

"I need to come, Angie. Did Nathan contact you?"

"I left my phone at your house. I'm at Chrisy's apartment, so I don't know."

"Don't worry, sis,I've found help for -" I can't let him anywhere near me, let alone my family. "We'll figure this out. Have you tried telling our parents?"

"I'm going to." She sounds tired.

"Where are the kids?" I talk to Angie on the phone till my flight is ready for departure. I submit all the necessary paperwork before finding myself inside the plane sitting close by the window. My eyes start to tear up. The reality of what I've seen is weighing heavily on me. What did I just see?

I don't know when I fell asleep but when I wake up I realize that the sun is already out and it's been seven hours on the air. That means I have about five hours before we land.

"Are you okay?" The lady sitting next to me asks. She's a beautiful white woman playing with her son, who's sitting between us.

"I'm fine. How old is he?" I point at the cute toddler next to me. I didn't even see them when I sat, but given that I came first and slept, it could mean they came after.

"Oh Ethan? He's four in a week." She brushes his hair. The little boy is just staring at me.

"He's adorable." I make a conversation.

"Wait till we reach home. He's the naughtiest boy ever." His mother chuckles before offering me her hand.

"Stephanie." I shake it before introducing myself.

"Adelaide." We let go of each other's hands.

"Nice to meet you. You don't look okay, though. You were crying in your sleep." She smiles nervously.

"Something happened." I sigh.

"Want to talk about it? Strangers are good listeners sometimes."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm okay. I don't want to think about it,at least not now."

"I understand. I ran away from London because my husband was cheating on me, but I had a son, and a mother never crumbled down." She chuckles.

"I'm sorry." Both our situations are worse, I guess, but mine is worse, I think.

"Nah, I'll survive."

><><><

I've finally landed, and my mom is waiting for me. I guess Chrisy informed her. I run to her and throw myself in her arms and cry.

"Addy, you love being irresponsible. Why did you run while you're pregnant? Wait... are you crying?" She cups my face so that I can face her.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

"Addy, you were happy a few days ago. Is the baby okay?" She looks at my stomach.

"He's okay. Can we leave?" I realize that there's a crowd already gathering. I almost forgot that I've been labeled Mzansi's best mensnatcher.

"Sure." She takes my luggage and I follow her to her car. She's driving this time. Usually, she has a chauffeur. I get in at the passenger seat, and after loading the suitcase, she gets in and starts to drive.

"What has been going on in your life, Adelaide? I saw the article." She asks as she drives.

"It was all for nothing, Mom. He's not human." He's a snake. Yes,that's what I saw. Qhawe Elephant's face was turning into a snake's face. His tongue was the same as a snake's tongue and his eyes? The same eyes I admired were too green and resembled a snake. I can't believe I made out with him. Even had a baby? The baby. What if he's also a snake? Is that why my tummy is this flat because it's housing a snake?

"Mom, stop the car I want to throw up."

"What? We are on the highway." She sounds shocked, but I can't hold it in. I want to throw up.

"Mom,please..."