"Come and rescue me. Would you rescue me baby?"
-Tatiana manaois.

It was a good thing Edric didn't get to meet Iby. Any time May's mind flashes back to it, she wonders what would have transpired between the two men if Iby hadn't hidden in Maryam's
room like she had told him to.

Edric had forgotten an important file at home. He rushed in to collect it and rushed back without acknowledging May's presence.

When he was gone, Iby came out from his hiding place. It was then that May explained every detail about her husband to him. Iby was angry. No. Angry is an understatement. He felt that no woman should be treated the way she was being treated.

"He needs to be dealt with." Iby had said. "After my group and I deal with him, he won't dare raise his hand at another woman. Can you imagine?!"

May had pleaded with him in tears. She didn't want anybody to hurt her husband because of her.
She told him that no matter how her husband was treating her, she was still stupidly in love with
him. Something she was okay with.

He felt touched by her words and even if he wanted to hurt Edric back twice as much he had done May, he had to let it go. For her.

"What about your parents? Are they aware of his wickedness?" He had asked her out of curiosity. What parent would be aware of this and still permit their child to undergo such ill-treatment?

She sniffed a tear. "They are dead. They died just after I got pregnant."

It was easy to believe her because he'd never for once thought she'd lie to him. If only he knew that they weren't actually. Dead in her heart and in her life, but not in reality.

"But you could divorce him rather than being treated like this," he had said thoughtfully.

"Then I would have nowhere to stay. I have no one beside him. And think about Maryam. She
would be the one to suffer if we separated. Also, if we do, who would take her? You know we
can't divide her."

Iby understood and tried his best to console her. He hasn't known her for long, but it pains him that a woman would go through this much pain and still decide to live with it.

"It's okay. You will be okay."

"That's what they all say. " She had said. "I just wish he hadn't changed."

"I don't think he changed. You just didn't know him." Iby had told her. He further explained that when he was a child, his mother once told him that some men (or women in some cases) are just so good at hiding their true colors. Maybe this was just who Edric really was.

Who knows?

The spot she had paid for, for her orange business, was safe. A little bit far from home and a little close to Iby's house. It was the only vacant shop available at the time. Her business only ran in
the evening so, during the day, she'd have time for other things like taking care of Maryam.

Presently, she was sitting in the dining chair with Maryam helping her daughter with her
homework, but her eyes kept drifting to Edric and Bella in the parlor. It was his day off so he was at home.

Bella was sitting on his lap, trying to start small conversations with him. But he only nods his head from time to time. He looked like he wasn't interested in whatever she was saying because he was busy typing away on his phone.

The TV was on, showing Street Talk on Silverbird channel, but no one was watching it.

"Honey, what about that money I asked to borrow? You haven't said anything yet about it," Bella
asked, drawing his attention.

Edric dubiously looked up at her. "What money?"

Bella frowned a little at his forgetfulness. "How can you just forget like that, na? Some days ago, I asked for money that I could use to start up a new business."

"Oh." He swallowed, pretending to remember now. "But I thought you said your father is a rich
politician in Lagos. You said he loves you so much and would give you anything you ask for,
anytime, anywhere. So what happened to him?"

Bella blinked her eyes while using her manicured fingers to whirl her gold hair. "I said that?
Em... He isn't my biological father, oh."

Edric shifted abruptly in the chair. If her balance wasn't steady on him, she would've fell.
"What do you mean? You told me he was."

"Ah!" she exclaimed, placing her hand on her chest. "I did? Then it was a mistake. He is my stepfather. My mother got married to him after she left my dad who is a fisherman in the
village."

"So your mother married for money?" Edric asked. His question hit her unexpectedly.

"No..." she drawled. "She and my dad had a misunderstanding, that's why they divorced." When he didn't say anything but continued messing with his phone, she started rubbing his chest suggestively while licking her red lipstick lips.

It was an irritating sight for May, and it was a good thing little Maryam was focused on her book. If not, this entire situation would be even worse.

"Darling, just give me the money. I promise when I travel to Lagos, I'll pay you back once my step dad gives it to me." Bella continued. "You know he is a busy man. I can't tell him I need
money on the phone. He won't take it seriously. But if I go there ..."

"It's okay." Edric cut her off breathlessly. What was she doing to him? Was she controlling his
mind? "How much are we talking about?"

"Three hundred thousand naira only."

"What?!" Edric exclaimed, pushing her off of him. His creased forehead became sweaty. "Do you know the amount you're asking? And you're using the term 'only'? That's all my life
savings."

May thought her ears were working some magic. Edric had three hundred thousand naira in his bank account, yet, he would complain all the time about not having any money. Always acting
like they were the poorest family on earth? Imagine!

Bella sat back down on his lap, rubbing his bald head. "Honey, calm down. I'll also give back an
additional hundred thousand naira as interest."

An interest of a hundred thousand naira.

It rang in Edric's ears. He smiled. His love for money was bigger than anything in the world. It was money that attracted him to May in the first place and also attracted him to Bella.

"Okay. First thing tomorrow morning, I'll transfer the money to your account. Are you okay with that?"

Bella happily leaned in and kissed him noisily on his lips. "That's why I love you, babe. You're my everything."

May looked away. Why do they have to display their love here? In front of her and her daughter?

"In fact, for this, I am going to prepare something for you to eat." Bella announced, happily
standing up.

He pulled her back. "No. Let May cook. We have an important business to finish in the bedroom."

Bella chuckled before placing kisses all over his face, her hand finger-combing his beard. "I like
the sound of that." She said and chuckled again like it was funny.

They both stood up. He was way taller than her. When he stood, her head touched his elbow. Edric wrapped his long arms around her waist.

"Maryam," he called.

Maryam looked up from her textbook. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Come and take this money. Rush to Mama Adaobi's shop and buy me three supreme noodles so
your mother can quickly prepare them for me." His eyes landing on May when he said the last
line.

"Okay." Maryam ran to him, took the money, and ran off.

When she came back. May took it from her and proceeded to cook. She began to boil the noodles
then went back to join her daughter at the dining table.

"Mommy," Maryam called.

"Hm?" May responded, absentmindedly.

"Since Aunty Bella came back she's been so close to daddy. She now sleeps in Daddy's room while you sleep in my room. Why?" Curious Maryam asked.

"We shouldn't discuss that. Now concentrate on your handwriting homework." May dismissed,
though her heart was troubled. If Maryam continues asking her questions like this, she would get
tired of it all one day and open up to her. She deserved to know the truth.

Bella came out of the room the next minute, sweating profusely. She only had a thin wrapper tied
around her body that started just above her breast and stopped just below her thighs. She walked
past the mother and daughter to the kitchen, pretending like they weren't even there. She'd been
avoiding May since that fight and had sworn to herself that she was going to make May pay. The
beating Edric had given to her that day wasn't enough.

She came back out with a glass of water in her hand as she walked back into the room.

May didn't like the atmosphere Bella carried when she came out of the kitchen. May started getting a bad feeling.

She checked her boiling noodles, it was almost ready to be served.

After two minutes, she dished the food, keeping it on top of the dining table, and asked Maryam
to go call her dad which she did.

"Maryam, get your books off the table. Your daddy is about to eat. Take it to the parlor table." May ordered as Edric joined them at the table.

Maryam obediently followed her mother's order while May sat across Edric as he was about to
eat. When his terrorizing eyes met with hers, she looked down and started fiddling with her
wristband as always.

He forked a spoonful of noodles and raised it up to his mouth. Once the noodles entered his
mouth, he noisily spat it out. Shocked, May raised her head and looked at him.

"Why are the noodles so bitter?" he queried.

May shook her head as she didn't understand what he meant.

"You added extra salt to it. Why?"

She couldn't answer. She didn't understand what was happening herself so it was hard to.

He banged his palm on the table, jolting her. "Answer me!"

"I-don'- kno-" She was stuttering, her brain too slow to come up with an excuse. She didn't add
extra salt to it. She only used the noodle's ingredients while cooking. So how?

It was then her brain thought back to earlier. It was the handwork of Bella. That bitch!

Edric's heavy hand landed on her cheek. The sound of it was loud enough to attract the attention
of Maryam who wasn't paying attention until now.

May stood up. She was certain that with the look Edric had on his face, he was going to kill her.
She needs to escape. Run for help. Anything.

"So your plan is to poison me, abi?" he asked, stalking slowly around the table. Her breath had
become shaky and she was walking backward. Her aim was the parlor door. If she could get
there, she would run out of the house.

He followed her eyes and laughed devilishly. "Don't think about escaping 'cause you'll only live to regret it."

She gulped. He was getting closer with a tightened jaw. Then suddenly, she ran towards the door, but he caught her before her hands touched the knob.

"Not so fast, May," he said. Venom in his voice.

Gripping her tightly with one hand, he locked the door and slipped the keys into his pocket.
Maryam looked at the scene with widened eyes.

Her father pinned her mother to the wall. Then he punched her. The first blow landing on her
face. The second on her stomach and anywhere else he could get his hands on.

Maryam watched with a hardened heart as her mother yelped out in pain.

You have to rescue her!

Something said in her head, but little Maryam didn't know how.

The pounding on the door made Edric stop for a while. When he heard the voices of his neighbors (who had heard May's cries and had come to help her) asking him to open it, he continued beating May. This time, even harder.

Maryam rushed to her father's room to see Bella peacefully sleeping amidst all this noise. "Aunty Bella, daddy is beating mummy again!" she shouted.

Bella looked at her and hissed, "I beg you, close my door."

Maryam's heart churned. She ran back to the sitting room and tugged at her father's trousers,
crying and asking him to let her mother go.

The push that landed her on the floor was something she wasn't expecting. Her father was insane, that, Maryam was sure.

She didn't know what else to do. She was confused. But in a split second, an idea popped into her
head. She ran to her room, took her mother's phone, and dialed Grandma's number.

Grandma answered on the second ring only to hear her granddaughter screaming into the phone.

"Grandma! Grandma! Save my mother! Daddy is beating her again! Grandma, please come!"

~~~~~~

The media above was made by: @magenkop Thank you a bunch hun.

I dedicate this chapter to: Cutedreamer12 She's an amazing reader.