"Never hate anyone but distance yourself from people who disrespects and disregards your personality."

-Anonymous.

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C H A P T E R 36:

"May, I don't know how you'll take this but I have to make this request from you and it is important that you grant it. Since you divorced with my son two days ago, Maryam hasn't been eating properly. She has become suddenly stubborn and would refuse to come out of her room. The other night, I went close to her room door. I heard her sobbing which means she doesn't also get enough sleep. My heart is worried, May. I'm scared that if she continues this way, she might fall very sick. Would you want that to happen? I don't know for you but she is my first grandchild and I'll never want that for her. Please come live with us in the family house. I beg you. I know you just relocated to your new building so this would be hard for you but still remember you are not doing this for me. You are doing this for your only child. Consider this request so my Maryam would be happy again. Also, please don't prove stubborn or say you wouldn't come because if anything bad happens to Maryam after you receive this text and do nothing about it, her blood would be on your head. I have said it all. -Mama Edric.

When May had received the text, she wasn't sure if it was one of Mama Edric's plan to bring her to the family house or if it was actually that serious like Mama Edric had said it.

Mama Edric knew every mother's weakness was their child. For this reason, she was certain May wouldn't disagree and of cause, she didn't.

After contemplating on the matter, she also asked Tega for advice. They conversed about it for a while before they both concluded that it was best she granted mama Edric's request because Mama Edric wouldn't even allow May to take her daughter away from her. Maryam was her first grandchild and for that, she loved her unconditionally so it wouldn't be possible.

May had gone to the family house with expectations to see Maryam's sad face. She knew from the start that her daughter would be affected by the divorce and that was one of the reasons why she had held on to Edric for so long, enduring all his maltreatment.

She was caught off guard when she reached the family house in time to see Edric packing in as well. May pretended like she didn't see him as she angrily stomped into the house to question Mama Edric's intentions.

"Mama, I don't like what I am seeing outside." She said, the anger evident in her voice.

Mama Edric raised up her head from the basin of clothes she was washing at the back of the house, "Ha, my daughter, is that how you greet an elderly one? What is it that you've seen and don't like that has made you forget your good manners?"

"Eh. I'm sorry." May's face marred into a frown, "Good afternoon ma."

"Now you have come." Mama Edric nodded in approval, "Good afternoon, my daughter. So what's the problem?"

"What is Edric doing here? Is he also going to live here because I don't understand. I saw him moving in. What is going on, Mama? This wasn't part of our plan at all. All of this."

"Calm down, May. I didn't ask Edric to come live here with us. I didn't even tell him about Maryam's condition."

May impatiently cut her off, "Then what is he doing here, na?"

"He called me a while ago saying that his landlord sent him out of his house because he couldn't pay his rent on time." Mama Edric explained, "He told me he would live here for some days until Bella refunds back the money she owes him. He explained that she owes him a huge amount of money. He would use part of the money to pay his rent. As it is now, his bank account is dry and he hasn't received his salary yet. I agreed that he should come live here. As a mother, I can't say no to my child, can I?"

May understood perfectly but still, she was worried about the whole idea, "But Mama something needs to be done about this. I don't think I can live comfortably with Edric here."

"What do you want to be done?"

Tapping her cheek with her finger, she thought for a while until an idea popped up, "Edric would have to sign an agreement. Since we are no longer married but would live in the same house, he would have nothing to do with me. He wouldn't touch me, raise his hands on me or try anything stupid. Whatever I do wouldn't be his business. Until he agrees, that's when we can live in this house together in peace."

"That's a good idea. I'm sure he would agree." Mama Edric assured her.

Edric had no choice but to agree when his mother explained the new development to him. May got the papers from Tega since he was a lawyer and Edric signed it. They lived in the same house but different rooms. May tried all her best not to cross path with Edric while Edric couldn't get her out of his head. He was having sleepless nights thinking about May. Sometimes, he stood by his room window at nights, watching her step out of Tega's car. He couldn't help but feel jealous that another man had replaced him so quickly and was taking his ex wife to dinner dates. That woman was his and now, he lost her because of his selfishness. In a way, he didn't exactly regret it. Well, until he found out she had reconciled with her rich parents.

May sipped tea, looking outside through the transparent curtains as she recollected so many times Edric had tried to beg her but she refused because she couldn't bring herself to love him again. Her mind played back to the time he was talking to Maryam and she was eavesdropping.

They were in the living room. Edric was reading some papers and Maryam was drawing a car on a piece of paper. She looked up at her father who wasn't paying attention to her at all and then decided to ask what was troubling her, "Daddy,"

"Hm." He didn't look at her.

"Would you and mommy remarry?" she asked innocently.

"I don't think so, Maryam." He replied, "Your mommy doesn't want to even see my face. So how would we remarry if she is that stubborn?"

Maryam eyes filled with tears, "But I want you two to remarry, daddy. I am not happy, daddy. Family lives together not separately."

"Enough, Maryam!" He yelled, shocking her. "We are not having this conversation again."

After May had listened to their conversation, she went back to her room and shed tears. She knew that she felt like a free bird and was happy but her daughter wasn't. Their divorce was hurting Maryam and it was hard for her to accept her parents separation.

"May?" Edric called from behind her, pulling her out from the flashbacks she was having.

May turned around from the window to look at him, "What?" She asked, tightly grasping the tea cup.

"Please listen to me." He begged, "I want to tell you something."

She glanced at the old wall clock quickly and then faced him, "I have somewhere to be tonight but you have a minute,"

"Thank you. Ugh.. I know I wasn't a good husband to you-"

"Please.. Not that topic today." She cuts in, raising one hand at him as a sign of stop.

Edric became slightly offended because he felt he didn't deserve her talking to him like that, "What is wrong with you, May? Why are you treating me like this? It isn't fair."

"Was it fair when you enjoyed hitting me like I was your punching bag? Was it fair when you deprived me of all the pleasure of marriage? Edric, was it fair when you brought in another woman to our matrimonial home? Was it fair when you had your way with me that night? Did you even for a second think of how much I was hurting? Do you know how many times I cried? How many times I wished I wasn't married to you and do you know how many times I wished I was dead? Now you come begging that I forgive you when just few days ago, I didn't mean anything to you. Why do I mean something now?" She replied back with questions, her voice high enough to match his, "Please do not try to turn the table around. Do not hurt me and make me feel like I was the one hurting you all these past years. You don't even deserve my listening ears. Okay?"

"Is that why you hate me so much?"

May looked at him unbelievably, "Can you listen to yourself? Have you forgotten so suddenly, huh?" She asked. His eyes shifted to the floor as he couldn't look her in the eye. Nevertheless, she continued, "The African proverb is right when it says, the axe forgets but the tree doesn't. I went through so much emotional trauma because of you, Edric."

"But I have apologized so many times, May. Why can't you just forgive me? How many times do you want me to say that I'm sorry?"

Without warning, the glass cup slipped off her hand and fell to the floor, breaking into several pieces with his unfinished content.

She looked at the pieces as if in shock, "Oops!" She said, "Sorry,"

At first, Edric didn't understand what she was up to when she bent down. But it was when she tried to fix the broken pieces and failed to do so was when he fixed the puzzles together.

May stood up and straightened her pencil grey skirt, "See? The cup fell off my hand and broke because I was careless and couldn't take good care of it. I told it sorry but it didn't amend. I even tried to fix it back together but i failed. That's what you're trying to do, Edric. It's of no use trying to amend the heart you broke. I might've healed but the scars are still there to remind me. You might have forgotten because you didn't go through the pain but I haven't."

He wanted to say something but his words were buried by the loud honking of a car outside. May peered through the curtains and saw Tega's car outside.

"You have overused your time. I have to go now," She said, picking her purse from the table and heading towards the door.

"Wait." He stopped her. "Is this all because of that ordinary lawyer guy? Is it because of him that you have choose not to forgive me? May, why are you stooping so low for him? You are the governor's daughter for Christ sake!"

She spun around, "Edric all that comes out from your mouth is bullshit," She fired, "Instead of asking me that question, why not ask yourself if I haven't stooped so low already?. Have you forgotten that you were once my gatemans son but I stooped so low to have had an affair with you? Don't you dare compare yourself to Tega. You hear me? He isn't the reason why I left you. You are the reason why I left you. Because you allowed poverty to reduce you to the extent you deceived and impregnated a teenage girl. Why did you do it? Because of your love for money? Because money is everything you think about?." He couldn't answer her. "Money is not the root of all evil. Poverty and the love of money is. I won't accept you back because I know exactly the reason why you are pleading that we remarry. It isn't because you care about me or you care about Maryam's feelings. You are doing this because you are aware that my father wants me back and if I accept you back, it opens a new opportunity for you to earn some money.

"What? Th-tha- that's a lie-" he stammered.

"Do not act as if everything I say is far from the truth, Edric." She plainly said, pointing causing finger at him, "Your actions towards me when we were married showed me that you don't respect me or my feelings. It broke me but it also fixed my vision. I was foolishly in love with a beast but now, I can see clearly so I won't make that the same mistake twice. Okay?"

As her hands reached for the door's knob, she said, "Another thing. I do not hold a grudge against you, Edric. I have forgiven you but I've also learnt a lesson. I won't hate you but I'll never get close enough for you to hurt me again. I can't let my forgiveness become foolishness. Thank you."

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I would've written more but some people complains that my chapters are too long so I have to cut it short.

Tell me my wonderful readers, whom do you want May to end up with? Edric, Tega or Iby?

Please vote, comment and share.