A WEB OF DECEIT ✔️

chapter 54

Nkosikhona

Later that morning, I made the drive back to the hotel, my mind racing with thoughts of how this meeting might go. I had no idea how Thelani would react once they were face to face again. But I could tell there was a part of her that needed answers, no matter how hard this was.

When I arrived at the hotel, Sizakele and her children, Celani and Msizi, were already waiting in the lobby. Sizakele looked much more put together than she had the day before, a trace of anxiety in her eyes as she spotted me. Celani and Msizi were lounging in the chairs, looking curious but indifferent.

"Ready to go?" I asked, trying to mask my own tension.

Sizakele stood up, smoothing out her clothes. "I am, but I'm not sure if Thelani is." Her tone was laced with a hint of discomfort, as if she knew what was coming.

"She agreed to meet you," I said, meeting her gaze. "But you need to be prepared. This won't be easy for her."

Celani looked up from her phone. "And what about us? Are we supposed to just sit there and watch?"

I gave her a brief nod. "I'm taking all of you to my place. We'll figure it out from there."

With that, we headed out, the car ride filled with awkward silence. Sizakele looked nervous, her fingers tapping rhythmically on her lap, while Msizi sat quietly in the back, occasionally glancing out the window.

When we arrived at the house, I took a deep breath before leading them inside.

---

Thelani

I was standing in the living room when they arrived. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard the front door open. My mind was still spinning, questioning whether I should even go through with this. I wasn't ready, but I needed to know-why had she left me? Why had she never looked for me?

When Sizakele walked in, I froze. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, there was a flicker of recognition, but it vanished just as quickly. Celani and Msizi followed behind her, looking around the house curiously.

Sizakele smiled awkwardly. "Hello, Thelani."

I stood there, arms crossed, unsure of what to say. I didn't know this woman-this stranger who had once been my mother.

"Why now?" I blurted out, my voice trembling. "Why come back into my life after all these years?"

Sizakele hesitated, glancing nervously at Nkosikhona, then back at me. "I... I don't know where to start, Thelani. I never wanted to give you up, but I had no choice back then."

Her words felt hollow, and the anger bubbled up inside me again. "You had no choice? You *didn't look for me*! Not once in all these years!"

Sizakele's eyes filled with tears. "I... I was scared, Thelani. I wasn't in a good place. I didn't have anything to offer you back then. I thought you'd have a better life without me."

I wanted to scream, to tell her how much she had hurt me, how much her abandonment had shaped the person I'd become. But instead, I just stood there, tears welling in my eyes.

"Why didn't you ever try?" I whispered.

Sizakele's voice broke as she responded. "I thought it was too late."

The silence between us was deafening. I didn't know if I could ever forgive her. But I had to decide-did I want to try, or would I walk away forever?

---

Sizakele and I sat in silence on the patio, the warm morning air doing little to calm the storm brewing inside me. I stared at her, the woman who had abandoned me. I needed answers-something that would make sense of all the years of hurt I had carried.