Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 34

The couple sat in the tense atmosphere of the room observing the older brother who looked to be extremely frustrated with them and the situation at hand. He had called when they were in the US to ask for the certificate to work on the one that they would be receiving in Ghana as well. Without thinking much of it she had directed him to it and this was the consequence. Millicent shifted when he ran a hand down his face and she decided to speak.

"JJ." She winced when his sharp eyes turned to her. He heavily dropped both of his hands on the table and hunched over it.

"What happened? The truth!" He added when her mouth opened to respond.

"It wasn't Jace's fault." Millicent said when she saw the hard look that her brother was giving her fiancé. "I approached him, and I asked him to help me evade mom's advances with all those men hunting. I'm sorry, Josh." She sat quietly and Jace rubbed her hand also sitting up to help her.

"I was also the one that agreed to help her. I also wanted to get out of a union, so it was mutual." The strong form of her brother stepped back and looked at the two of them with displeasure.

"So how exactly did you two meet and put that together with how this entire lie began." Jace turned to Millicent and she signaled that she would be the one to speak. She was feeling guilty toward the man that she had looked up to as a father and a brother and the expression was palpable on her face as she stared at her hand in her lap. She breathed a calming breath and trained her face back on her brother's awaiting one.

"We met almost three months ago in Ella's house. The day after mom scared me with her arrangement. I met Jace and begged him after some time to be my fake husband. He didn't want to initially, but I persuaded him." Jace saw her brother's eyes on the documents on the table.

"I took her to the states and let one of my friends make that. We signed it there and came back."

"He's good." Josh uttered in wonder.

Jace hummed and continued, "But none of the moments we shared were bound by contract. They really were genuine." Millicent's eyes pooled with tears, looking at the adoring expression he had when he spoke these.

"And so, this was going to be kept a lie and never revealed." There was a heartbreaking emotion dripping with his statement which inadvertently caused Millicent's tears to drop. None of them spoke because they had not thought about telling the truth.

Josh sighed in distress and stared particularly at his sister. "I am so disappointed in you, Aba. Couldn't we have helped you as your siblings if mom was doing that?" Her tears dropped in torrents. "You both are going to confess, and it has to be before your wedding otherwise, I'll have to be a bad person."

"But..." Her melodious voice rose in objection, but Jace pulled her hand just as Josh lifted a daring brow.

"We will do it. I'm sorry about this, Joshua."

"That's not all. You are not to see each other for the rest of the week. That's my punishment for you, Aba. You may be old now but this is disappointing and it's one for you too." He turned to Jace and there was the evidence of a smile hiding behind his stern face. Jace could tell he had long forgiven his sister, but this might have been to correct her for the entertainment of it.

"What? You can't be serious, JJ!" The dense chair barely scraped on the ground as Millicent stood.

"Do you want me to tell your crimes? I may not say it as nicely as you would, and Max may kill him." His chin jutted out to Jace who had stood up following her.

Millicent thought about what he said for a moment and had to relent her argument because her brother was not known for bluffing. She dropped her eyes and heaved a puff of air before turning to look at Jace who was silently trying to assess the situation. "I guess we'll stay apart."