THE CO - WIVES

THE CO - WIVES

CHAPTER 16

James's Point of View.

Since I returned back to my mansion, I have been drinking a lot. My mind couldn't just settle on the fact that I was losing my treasure, Jackie. She was slowly drifting from my grip.
Once in a while, I would go to my garage to check on the Audi I had bought for her.
I would sit on the passenger seat and pretend that she is at the driver's seat, I would always relax and tell her to take me wherever she wishes.
I would then wake up from the wishful thinking, run back to the mansion and continue drinking. I found solace in my Scotch whisky.
I always drunk to drain my sorrows.
I had began to neglect my company once again but the HR always updated me on the progress. I was relieved when I heard Joyce had been taking care of the company in my absence.
Some days after visiting Jeff in the hospital, Joyce sent me an SMS, telling me that she wanted to see me immediately.
Anything that involved Jackie was my business.
I drove to our house and I found her waiting.
Everything she said and the prove itself made sense.
The drive to the station was short.
I had made a call to the OCS and I found the officers already waiting for us. They were all in civilian to avoid suspicion.
We drove to the said place, with Joyce as the guide.
Upon arriving there, we all alighted from the car and Joyce led the way to the house. We had to be careful incase  Diana had accomplices. We had hopes upon hopes that our mission was gonna be successful.
Joyce pointed at the secluded ramshackle and one officer led the way as we followed him from behind.
Upon getting there, the house was locked from outside with a padlock and a chain. It's like whatever was inside was guarded with utmost care.
The first cop knocked at the door but there was no response.  The house was in a deserted place where no life seemed to exist, therefore there were no people in vicinity.
He knocked again, this time persistently until we heard someone cough from inside. Then we heard a faint cry and a murmurs from someone who sounded like they were suffocating.
The cops shot at the padlock and it gave way.
One kick was enough for the door to give way.
Joyce and I were commanded to stay outside for the police to do their job. One officer was left guarding from outside.
It took ages for them to reappear.
I was really tempted to go inside but I couldn't because we were under instructions not to get in.
I was startled by commotion from inside, it's like they were done and hadn't found anything.
I moved closer to the door and the sight that met me will forever be encrypted on my mind.
A frail Jackie was there, hardly standing on her feet, the officers were supporting her on both sides.
My Jackie looked like a walking corpse.
She looked like she had come from the land of the dead.
She looked emaciated.
I can't even explain how she looked without dropping a tear.
I ran towards her, ready to embrace her but the look she gave me was enough to stop me at my tracks.
Her face was full of hate. Or was she mad because she saw Joyce?
It's obvious she hated me.
I stood transfixed to the ground and just watched as the officers carried her to the waiting car.
I tried talking to her but she didn't talk at all.
She was too week to talk.
She had marks all over her face. It was evident that the one who had her in custody had tortured her daily. She looked distressed. Poor Jackie... My love! I swore to deal with whoever had done all that to her. I just hoped against hopes that she was gonna recover soonest.
I concentrated on the road, as we drove towards the hospital.
At the hospital, she was treated as an emergency and sooner, nursed and doctors had put her on a stretcher and had taken her to the ward.
We followed from behind but we were told to stop because she was in safe hands.
We waited at the reception, my face cupped in my hands. A lone tear escaped my eyes.  Joyce did her best to soothe me but I just told her off.
She got tired of babysitting a grown up and she excused herself to go and fetch the Kids from the school. The rumbling of my stomach reminded me that I had eaten nothing the whole of that day.
I located the hospital canteen and made myself comfortable at the corner. I could eat at least, now Jackie had been found. I remembered her mum and I called her to come to the hospital as soon as possible.
I hung up the call and ordered for some food to eat as I waited for her arrival.
As I munched on my delicacies, I saw her enter the canteen and I rose up to welcome her.
"Where is my daughter, is she okay? Is she alive?"
She was asking several questions at a time.
"Relax madam, Jackie is alright, the doctors are attending to her. I have just received a call for the OCS telling me the girl responsible for her abduction has been arrested and she is in police custody, awaiting trial."
She thanked me for saving her daughter but I told her if anybody needed to be thanked, that person would be Joyce.
Talking of Joyce...
I hoped she wasn't gonna threaten Jackie again and make her run away from me for good. Though, it already looked like I had lost her. She had no interest in me.
Or was Diana feeding her with nonsense when she was under her custody?
Time will tell.
After finishing the food, I led Jacky's mum to the reception, lucky enough, the nurses allowed us to go and see her because she was in a stable condition.
She dropped her plate of rice on the bedside stool when she saw us enter.
She couldn't hide her emotions.
It was evident that she was happy to see her mum.
Mum and daughter hugged passionately.
Tears of joy soaked their tops. A lone tear escaped my eyes. I wiped it with the tip of my fingers, to avoid being seen.
When it was my turn to hug her, she just said a plain hi.
She didn't even shake my extended hand.
Her mum asked her why she was behaving like that when I had done all I could to find her.
She didn't say anything.
"Sir, please give us some privacy. I would like to have a word with my mum!"
She looked serious.
I nodded and exited the room, feeling so down and like an outcast.
I couldn't help but wonder why she behaved that way towards me.
I couldn't even bring myself to wait at the hospital because it was obvious I wasn't needed there.
I drove to the police station.
I had to have a word with Diana. She had a lot of explanations to make......