Dedicated to Ztaoffy

Fade wiped the bead of sweat on her forehead before she continued scrubbing the walls of the bathroom she was given. Apparently the house help before her made the whole place look irritating and no one bothered to clean it up after she left.

Dunsin Oyekan's Open up was playing from her phone that was charging inside the room and she sang along with the song. Her door opened and closed again, Fade turned to check who came in, It was Katerina.

"Dad wants to see you and you've not eaten your food that's on the cabinet. That stupid boy will soon eat it for you now. Shaa let's go" Katerina said and Fade stood up to rinse her hand before following Kate out of the room with her phone in her pocket.

She walked down the stairs slowly before she got to Kate's dad who was sitting down on the couch with a newspaper in his hands. Fade knelt down to greet him and he raised his head from the paper he was reading before smiling at her.

"Fadekemi, hope you're feeling at home here?"
Her reply was interrupted by the loud shrill of her ringtone and she quickly muted it.

"Pick it up, it might be an urgent situation" Kate's dad urged her and she picked up the call wondering who the caller might be.

"Hello who's this?" She asked in a calm voice before Aunty Nonso's voice came up.

"Fadekemi, i don dey find your number since yesterday wey the matter happen. Na even Baba computer give me this new one.  Your papa vex pour oil for your mama and sister body and dem don rush dem go rabbor hospital wey dey the next street. Infact your papa don run sef" Aunty Nonso dropped the bombshell on her and Fade felt as if a bucket of cold water was emptied on her.

"Aunty Nonso wait, you mean my dad poured hot oil on my mum and sister and they've taken them to rabbor hospital. Is the oil that much and daddy has run too abi?" Fade croaked out as tears pooled her eyes. Kate's dad sat upright and Katerina gasped in shock. Her stepmom's jaw dropped in shock as everyone stared at Fade with pity.

"Fade, the ororo plenty oh. Infact them don put your sister inside machine. All im body don peel even your mama sef" Aunty Nonso replied and the tears rushed down Fade's face.

"They've put morenikeji inside machine and all her body have peeled. I always told mum that this man was going to kill her one day but she won't answer me" Fade lamented as she slid down the wall with tears pouring down her face.

"Fadekemi, what's wrong with your mum and sister?" Kate's dad asked and Fade shook her head as the tears clogged her throat.

"My dad poured hot oil on them yesterday and they've been rushed to the hospital near our house. She said they've placed my sister inside machine and all her skin have peeled due to the effect of the oil" She croaked and Kate pulled her into a hug.

Fade cried hard onto her shoulder while lamenting various times she told her mum to leave and she always refused. Now the supposed husband has disfigured her for life.

"Kate, get me my phone and atm card from my room. Let's get going now. You know some hospitals won't treat them if they don't see money. Nigeria's health system is fucked up" Kate's dad said and Kate disentangled from Fade before rushing up the stairs.

*************

They've been sitting in the reception for almost two hours now and no doctor has answered their questions. Kate's dad was starting to lose his cool and Fade hasn't stopped crying. Kate has been walking up and down in the waiting hall while praying for everything to be fine.

"Where's the family for the woman that the hot oil was poured on?" A doctor asked and everyone rushed towards him.

"I'm Justice Nwabiorah, I'm here for the woman and her child" Kate's dad introduced himself and the man looked at him skeptically for a moment before he beckoned him to his office.

Kate held Fade's hand tight as the poor girl started crying all over again and they both prayed for a miracle to happen.

Few minutes later, Kate's dad walked out wiping his face with his handkerchief. Fade prayed hard for God to intervene as he walked closer to them. Kate knew something was deeply wrong.

"Fadekemi, your sister died this morning and the chances of your mum surviving this is very low because he has hit her head with something hard like twice before he poured the oil on them" Kate's dad dropped the bombshell on her and she screamed out loud.

I'm actually close to tears as I type this chapter because my heart breaks for Fade 😭😭😭

She actually warned her mum to run away from her monster husband but she didn't listen to her. 😭😭😭😭

Voooottttteeee and commmeeennnntttt please 🥺🥺🥺♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Who knows I might update again tonight 🧘🧘

Hera 💒💒