A WEB OF DECEIT

chapter 26

[Short]

Thelani

The night was an endless stretch of darkness and despair. I tossed and turned, unable to find even a moment's peace. Every time I closed my eyes, the image of the ultrasound scan flashed before me-an undeniable reminder of the reality I now faced. I cried until my eyes felt raw, each tear a mix of frustration, fear, and hopelessness. How had my life turned into this? How had I ended up in a hospital, pregnant and alone?

Morning came, and the hospital room was bathed in the harsh light of day. The doctor entered with a clinical air, informing me that I was being discharged. My heart sank. I had no way to get home. No phone to call for an Uber, no money on me to take a cab. As the doctor handed me my discharge papers, a wave of panic washed over me.

I stumbled out of the hospital, still reeling from the shock. The cool morning air did nothing to calm my racing thoughts. As I stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure out my next move, one of Lucas's guards approached me. His presence was both a relief and a reminder of the man who seemed to control so much of my life now.

"Ma'am, I'll be your driver for today, courtesy of Mr. Mkhize," he said, his tone respectful yet detached.

A flicker of relief crossed my mind. At least I wouldn't have to navigate public transportation or figure out a way to get home on my own. I nodded, following him to the car.

The drive was suffocatingly silent. I stared blankly out the window, clutching the envelope with the baby scans, my thoughts a chaotic swirl. How had I ended up here? How would I ever make sense of this mess? The city's familiar streets seemed foreign, each turn a reminder of how drastically my life had changed.

When we arrived at my apartment, the sight that greeted me was jarringly incongruous with my mood. The door was adorned with large balloons that spelled out "Welcome Back Home" and other cheerful messages. I glanced around, feeling numb as I noticed the decorations. On the floor beside the door lay a note.

I picked it up, my heart sinking further with each word I read. "Baby, I'm sorry I couldn't be at the hospital with you. I hope you're feeling better. I'll see you at lunchtime."

I crumpled the note, my frustration boiling over. How could he think that a note and some balloons would make up for his absence, for the confusion and fear I was drowning in? I threw the note in the bin with a sharp, decisive movement, then walked straight to my bedroom.

Collapsing onto the bed, I buried my face in the pillows, the weight of everything crashing down on me. I searched through my nightstand for my phone and finally found it beneath a stack of old magazines. My fingers shook as I dialed Mbali's number, my hope clinging to the chance that she might answer. The phone rang and rang, but there was no response. Each unanswered ring felt like a cruel echo of my solitude.

Defeated, I sank back into the bed, pulling the covers over me. Sleep was elusive, but I welcomed the darkness, hoping it would offer some respite from my relentless worries. The prospect of facing the future-of dealing with Lucas, finishing school, and now, being a mother-seemed too overwhelming to contemplate.

For now, all I could do was close my eyes and let the exhaustion take over, hoping that when I woke, I might find some semblance of clarity, or at least a brief escape from the storm inside my head.

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I heard faint sounds that pulled me from the depths of sleep, the kind of sleep where you forget everything—your worries, your fears, your reality. For a moment, I was somewhere else, far away from the chaos of my life. But as the sounds grew louder, I had no choice but to drag myself out of bed, the weight of the world slowly settling back onto my shoulders.

I shuffled into the dining room and found Lucas in the kitchen. The aroma of takeout filled the air, but it did nothing to lift the unease that had settled in my chest.

"Oh, I woke you up, baby. I'm so sorry. Come sit, you must be hungry," he said, his voice soft as he pulled out a chair for me.

I sat down, my eyes landing on a small envelope on the table. The baby scans. My stomach twisted.

"What's this?" Lucas asked, frowning slightly. "I thought I settled the bill."

"Look at it," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He opened the envelope and pulled out one of the scans, studying it. His face was unreadable, a mask of calm that I had seen too many times before. But beneath it, I could sense something brewing, something dark.

For what felt like an eternity, he said nothing. Just stared at the image in his hands, as if willing it to change, to disappear.

"How did this happen, Thelani?" His voice was low, controlled, but I could hear the undercurrent of anger.

I blinked at him, disbelief washing over me. "You're asking me, Lucas? I should be asking you."

His eyes flashed. "No, Thelani. You were supposed to make sure! Get Plan B if a mistake happened. Is it even mine?"

The shock that rippled through me was like a slap to the face. "What? Are you serious?" My voice trembled, the betrayal cutting deeper than I expected.

He didn’t hesitate, didn’t soften. "You need to get rid of it, Thelani. I cannot have a baby outside my marriage. I give you everything already, but you still see the need to trap me with a baby?"

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. Each one was sharp, designed to wound, to make me feel small and insignificant. I stared at him, my heart breaking with every second that passed. How could he say that? How could he think that I would do something like this on purpose?

My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t take it. I pushed back the chair and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me and locking it. My breath came in ragged gasps as I pressed my back against the cold, hard door.

This man, the one I had let into my life, into my heart, had just insulted me in the worst possible way. His words cut deeper than any knife could.

I never wanted to be a mother, not like this, not at this age. Not with someone who could so easily throw me away, discard me like I was nothing. I felt the walls closing in on me, the weight of his words crushing me from the inside out.