☆CHIOMA

My throat was parched, my mouth was aching, my head was pounding and my body was hurting all over. I felt very sore. I looked around, recognising my surroundings. Ebenezer's room. I didn't know I had slept over. I tried to get off the bed and that was when I realised I was completely naked. I wrapped the sheets around me and got off, going to look in the full length mirror attached to the wall. I managed to get to it, despite my hurting hips.

I. Looked. Like. Shit.

I looked like a victim of some kind of abuse. My hair and face were a mess. I let the sheets down to get a full look at my body. I was red all over, bruises forming here and there. My eyes were puffed up, my lips were swollen, there were finger prints on my breasts, on my hips, on my neck... I held back tears and I turned around to look at my back. It wasn't any better. I looked between my legs as the first tear dropped. It was abnormally red and swollen and it hurt.

The fact that the last thing I could remember was Tiana leaving this room scared me. What had happened here? Who had done this to me? Ebenezer stepped out of his bathroom , shirtless. he approached me from behind and hugged my waist, placing a kiss on the side of my neck. His lack of surprise at seeing me naked answered all my questions.

My best friend did this to me. "Good morning, beautiful. The marks are really pretty." My already pale face lost more colour. "Well you look surprised. How are you feeling? Tired?"

"What did you do to me?" I managed to croak out. He let go of me.

"I thought it was already obvious." I turned to face him. "We had—"

"You raped me." He looked like I had shot him.

"Chioma, what the fuck?"

"You did this to me, Eben, you raped me."

"We both wanted it." Excuse me?

"I can't remember shit. I can't remember anything. You took advantage of me." The tears were endless. He walked towards me and I backed away, into the mirror. "Don't come close to me. Stay away from me."

"Chioma, calm down let's talk this out. Rape is a serious accusation." I wasn't listening to his bullshit. There was nothing to talk about. I picked up a glass shard close by and held it in front of me. "Put that down."

"Stop coming closer! Stop!" He did not stop and I backed further into the mirror.

"Chioma, you'll hurt yourself." He was so close. "Chioma, drop it." I slashed it and he dodged. "Last warning. Drop it, so I wont hurt you." Could he hurt me more than he already had? I moved back, pressing myself against his mirror. I couldn't explain what happened or how I fell, but the environment changed. I looked around, taking in every object around me, slowly. I screamed.

~

Ebenezer. Was. Sick.

Nine years of friendship and I realised I did not really know who he was. The person I thought was my best friend all along was some kind of mentally deranged psychopath. I felt his arms around me and his lips on my skin. I recoiled in disgust. "Calm down, love. Calm down. It's nothing. it's nothing." How could he say that I this was nothing? My face all over the walls were nothing? Pictures of me, every cad or gift I had given him, items I thought had gone missing when I slept over, my underwear from yesterday was also here. And they were nothing?

"You're crazy."

"You make me that way. I love you, Chioma. I adore you. You are a goddess and I am your devout worshipper. You are religion and I am a follower. I love you. I love you so much that I will do anything for you. This is a shrine dedicated to you."

"You're sick! Leave me alone." He held me tighter. "Let go of me. You're hurting me, Eben." He listened then. "I hate you!" I spat. "I rue the day I met you, Ebenezer." His honey eyes darkened. He gripped my arm and pulled me out of the room behind his mirror.

"You should never have entered there. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you are feeling this way." He wasn't sorry for hurting me.

"My clothes. All of them."

"Chioma."

"Get them. I'm leaving. Where's my phone?" he pointed to his bed side then turned to leave. I stared at his back and the scars there. There were many old ones but the pink scratches caught my eye. "The nail marks. Did I do that?" I asked aloud.

"If they were yours, I'd be the happiest man alive." I raised my brows. "Tiana."

***

"Mummy is calling you." I hummed in response to my sister. "Vivian, are you okay?" I looked up at her. "You've been acting unlike you."

"I didn't know. Nothing's wrong with me. Tell mummy I'm coming. Lemme change." She furrowed her brows.

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" I didn't answer her. The problem with my top and bum shorts were that my bruises hadn't healed completely and mom had keen eyes. If Kaima could notice a change, then mom already had. She just wasn't saying anything. And I did not want her to say anything.

"Why is she calling me?" I pulled up the trousers I had worn. Kaima hadn't left so I let her stay. She shrugged in response to my question. "Where is she?"

"Her room." I nodded. "With Jordan." I paused then nodded.

"Thank you. I'll be there shortly." She skipped away. I made my way to my mom's room, knocked once then entered. She was sitting up on her bed, Buchi leaning on the vanity opposite it. "Ma?"

"Bia. Come sit." She patted a spot on the bed. I looked at Buchi to know what was going on but he loked away. "How are you, nne?"

"Mummy, I'm fine."

"You're sure that you're fine." I nodded.

"Chioma, stop pretending to be okay." I looked at Buchi. "You're not okay. You don't eat with us, you're cooped up in your room, in the day you only sleep and sleep, yet at night you're online. You don't even want to talk to me, so talk to mummy." Fuck Buchi and his observing eyes.

"I'm just bored. There's nothing to do. That's all."

"Let's go out."

"No." I refused before I even registered who asked the question.

"Mummy you see what I'm telling you. Chioma is not okay."

"I don't feel like going out."

"Even to Cold Stone?"

"Even to Cold Stone." Buchi and my mom shared a look.

"You can tell me anything, you know? I am your mother, you can trust me." I forced a smile.

"I am okay. You guys worry too much. I'm okay. Believe me."

"I will believe you if your smile wasn't so forced. What happened? If you don't tell me who will you tell? Should I call Ebenezer here?" Even the mention of his name gave me shivers.

"Don't call him. He—He will be busy. Let's not disturb him. I'm really fine. Stop thinking too much about it."

~

"I am only going out because I want to, not because you're forcing me to," I told Buchi who was literally forcing me into clothes he picked out for me. I slid my hands into the spaghetti strapped top.

"If you say so. We're going on a date. A brother-sister date. We have lots to catch up on. To discuss."

"I'm going to watch a movie." I slid my Nikes on before carrying my handbag.

"We are going to talk. You're with me so you ain't gonna hide shit from me."

"I need a jacket."

"For what? In this hot weather?"

"I feel cold," I lied. I felt bare, naked, open. Those bruises would be visible to someone. Then they would know...

"What's going on, Chioma. I'm worried about you." He brought me a jacket. "Did Ebenezer hurt you? That day?" I shook my head. "If someone tries to hurt you, tell me. I'll handle them." Some people could not be handled. Telling anyone about him was putting them in danger. If he was that deranged to make me a shrine, to hurt me in the name of love, there was nothing he dared not do. And knowing how powerful his family had, knowing that uncle Aaron could cause a lot of damage to dad's businesses in a matter of hours... No. I was protecting my family by not telling them.

~

"Buchi, please. Please take me home." I begged, burying my face in his chest.

"It's Ebenezer. Your best friend, innit?  Turns out he's not busy."

"I don't want to talk to him. Buchi please." My brother hugged me.

"Five minutes. I just wanna know what's wrong with you." Buchi left me. He left me! I couldn't breathe, knowing that monster was in the same room.

"Chioma, let's talk."

"About what?' I screamed. "Leave me alone! Just leave me alone."

"Chioma I'm sorry. I'm sorry for doing that, I'm sorry for taking advantage of the fact you were..."

"I'll never forgive you for ruining me. Never."

"Chioma, I'm sorry." I was deaf to his apologies. He could go die. He held me as I turned to leave. Pulling me into him. His cologne which used to give me a sense of comfort was only a reminder of my worst nightmare.

"Ebenezer, let me go." He did not. "Let go of me! Fucking let me go! Leave me alone!" I struggled only to be held tighter.

"Chioma, please."

"You can't force me to forgive you! You can't!" I was a mess of sobs now.

"Chioma..."

"I hate you! I hate you Ebenezer. I utterly despise you! You're a monster! A psycho! An abuser! You—I hate you and I will never forgive you." He let me fall to the floor where I curled up.

"I'm sorry." Luckily for me, Buchi stepped in that moment. He said nothing as he carried me up, and away from the private room he had booked. He took me to the car waiting outside.

"Chioma, talk to me. Tell me exactly what he did to you." He had heard. 

"I don't wanna talk about it."

I think Chioma should tell her family, no matter what. She's hurting herself by staying silent and bearing all this hate. And I totally blame that psychopath. he's got a fucking room dedicated to her. Creepy af, man.😭 Disgusting. Obsessions can be very ugly. At least he's not hiding his now. Yayy, we know Eben's true colours now. 

I'm very sad for Chioma. Her fate seems very bad. sighs. 

please leave comments, okay? I love them so much.

This chapter is dedicated to dark chocolate. Him🌚😗 It's his birthday todayyy! My black man, my direct opposite, understanding guy-friend.🙂 My Luff. 😂 Foodkage or Tribal Chief or whatever he calls it. Happy birthday to him. Wishing him more life, more prosperity and more wins.

Don't forget to vote, my fans. most likely my last update for the month. Do enjoy.