Chapter three.

My eyes narrowed dangerously at the shitty smirk on her face after recovering from the shock of how I looked.

The bitch knew how much I hated her near my things, yet she pulled out this stunt to rile me up or what?

I would never allow her to get Richard, trophy or not!

I was strutting over to the couch they were seated on within seconds. Richard's mouth was still agape, barely noticing how Cordelia the whore had snuggled closer and brushed her bare cleavage against his arm.

Heavens knew how hard this whore would get it from me!

"You might want to back off that man bitch, he's mine!" I said in a too-sweet voice and Richard finally snapped out of his daze and withdrew from her hold.

Cordelia, on the other hand, didn't seem defeated at all. She simply smiled slyly and motioned to Richard to call her before walking away with her stupid stretch marked thickness, faux synthetic hair and overly bleached skin. I was going to follow her and claw her eyes out if I wasn't so busy trying not to cringe from the touch of the man I'd almost just fought for.

I wonder why his palm felt like the skin of a dead lizard.

"You look beautiful tonight," He leaned in to whisper, probably attempting to impress me. The gesture only earned him a scoff from me.

"So I didn't look beautiful all this while and we're celebrating two years of our union?" I replied without missing a beat.

He fumbled around for words to say in reply but ended up opting out to address my sister when he sighted her bouncing down the stairs and typing away on her phone with my clutch purse wedged between her arm and bossom.

"My favorite in-law, you're looking takeaway today ooo," She praised with a knowing look and passed me my purse.

I rolled my eyes in impatience, wondering what was takeaway about a man in a designer suit and over priced shoes. I, once again, noticed that peculiar look both Bisi and Richard shared but didn't pay attention.

"Can we just get going and get this night over with already?" I clamoured when they began to get lost in each other's eyes.

As a result, they snapped off their staring contest and Richard hugged Bisi before wrapping an arm around my waist. It took all the self control I had in me not to jump out of his hold. He knew I hated that kind of proximity, but I guess he got the wrong signal when he saw me all decked up for something as ordinary as a dinner date.

We said our goodbyes to Bisi and the other girls before walking out towards his expensive Benz that didn't impress me a bit, I preferred Audi even back in the days when...

When everything was beautiful, when I was pure and naive and…

"Where are we going?" I piped up to distract myself from ending up a sorry mess within minutes.

"Hilton's," he replied as he maneuvered the vehicle out of madam Peju's compound.

"Oh," was the only word I said throughout the drive.

I channelled my thoughts into planning a less hurtful, painless, yet effective way to break up with him. According to my calculations, I had already tried twenty five different approaches without success, today's was going to be the twenty sixth and hopefully the final. It would have been much easier if he was a bad guy, but he was just too perfect that I couldn't find any reason to break up with him.

I'd tried the 'you're too perfect for me and I don't deserve you' tactic, his reply being that nobody deserved anyone and I shouldn't beat myself up about it. I also tried the 'I'm not cut out for a relationship thingy' approach, he'd said 'I'll teach you,' in a sweet way and closed off the topic.

"You need a woman you can have romantic access to and I'm clearly not that person," was next in line;

"Not everything in life is about sex Mokun, I'm with you because I care about you, not because of what you can offer me in bed," was his ever-so-sweet reply.

"You're too caring and your gifts and flowers are choking me!" I'd shrieked in frustration on a particular occasion.

"My bad, I'm sorry, it won't happen again. So what would you like to have for dinner?" Came his indulgent reply.

"I have no reason at all, I'm just tired and I want to end this already!"

It got to that point, I'd thought he'll finally leave but he simply smirked and was like, "you should have a reason if you want to breakup, you're free to try again when you find one and I'll give you a counter reason why I wouldn't give up on you just yet."

So, that was the reason for the earnest thoughts that didn't stop even as I sat with a straight back by the poolside on the rooftop of the elegant Hilton's hotels that provided us an excellent view of the vast sea lined with trees and skyscrapers. I ignored the memories it brought back and focused on trying to eat the food on the plate of dinner.

I almost jumped out of my skin when he suddenly asked;

"You're not eating your food, is there a problem?"

Yes, I'm trying to figure out a way to break up with you without causing a scene or failing! My subconscious screamed.

"No, my appetite isn't that great," I replied instead.

"You should try the small chops," he offered, pushing a plate that contained the said item towards me, "it might open up your taste buds." I forced out a smile and shook my head in polite denial.

"How's work?" He asked while slicing a chunk of meat with elegance.

"Work's fine, business?"

"Getting better by the day, signed another contract with Google lately, everything's looking up for us…"

He had this software designing company that was swiftly climbing the ladder of success, regardless of the fact that he'd started it up a few weeks before he met me, which was a little over two years ago.

"...the only thing left to complete me is marriage."

And there we go again!

"You see Chad, about that I—" I began tentatively, but he cut me off mid sentence.

"I am aware you're not ready babe, but I have a surprise that would speed up the rate of your readiness." I rolled my eyes at his antics.

Richard's idea of a surprise differed from a normal human being's idea of a surprise.

"Richard, you know I hate surprises," I moaned with a smile.  The smile seemed more like a grimace this time around.

"Don't worry you'll love this one," he boomed in over-enthusiasm "I'm assuming you're done eating?" He stood up, without waiting for my response, and held his hand out to help me up.

"Sure." I smiled and got up without his help.

Mokunfayo never needs help from anyone.

The elevator ride back down was silent, even till we got to his expensive car, no words was exchanged. That was how our relationship was like; bland, silent, tense, even too strained to be friendship and he was comfortable with it, he never complained, he understood and held on to me like a leech...

Things I'd wish David had done.

David...

****

"David please don't do this to me, our wedding is just a matter of months," I'd cried in alarm when he renounced our engagement after the whole tragedy befell.

He stood with a face void of emotions, looking at me with an indifference likened to that of a crawling worm, "The whole city is talking about how my fiancé spread her legs for a thug and you think I'll continue this sham?"

"It wasn't on purpose Dave, it was rape."

"Same. Fucking. Difference, if you had awarded me the honour of taking your cherry, I would have been considerate. But no! We just had to wait the the wedding night, now that you're an ajadi apeere, you think I'll accept you with open arms? Oh, you think I'll marry a tainted nobody? Think aga-"

****

"We're here!" I snapped out of my reverie when Richard's hand made contact with my naked arm. I looked around startled and confused.

"Are you OK?" He queried when he noticed my bewilderment.

"Uhm...y-yeah, why aren't we...uhm... back at madam Peju's?" I squealed, trying to conceal the shakiness of my voice.

"I had a surprise for you, remember?" He replied slowly, probably perplexed by my display of stupidity.

"Oh. Right." I nodded vigorously. He eyed me warily one last time before getting out of the car and rushing over to my end to open the door for me.

After we got out of the car, he told me to wait a while before disappearing into the gates of what seemed like a park. I took it as my cue to dab away treacherous tears and blow away mucus from my nose. He came back minutes later, with a shit eating grin and ushered me towards the entrance, the blinding lights and noise that overcame the initial darkness and chill threw me off track for a moment.

"Surprise!!!" Everyone yelled at the top of their voices and I turned towards Richard to ask if he understood the meaning of the word surprise, only to meet him in a half-kneel position with an opened ring box in hand.

"Marry me Mokunfayo, please?" He muttered pleadingly, with doe eyes and almost trembling lips.

Shit hit the fan.

AN: ajadi apeere is a Yoruba insult for a woman who lost her innocence in a shameful way.

**** signifies flashback and end of flashback.