FOUND HIM WITH MY SISTER

THE TRAP

*CHAPTER 8: THE TRAP

Fake. Everything was fake. Her tears were fake. Her stomach was fake. Her sorry was fake.

I stood at that window at 2am, in the cold Umhlanga night, watching my own sister laughing with the man who destroyed me. My own sister, who I shared rice with, who I carried on my back. Calling me stupid. Planning to steal Liam's money. Planning to steal my new life.

My hands were shaking so hard, the car keys fell down. Clang!

Lindiwe turned. She saw me through the window. Her face changed from smiling to pure fear. She threw the pillow out of her shirt.

"Nandi! Nandi wait! It's not what you think!"

I didn't wait. I ran. I ran to the parking lot. I started the G-Wagon and drove. I didn't know where I was going. I just drove. Tears were blurring my eyes. How can blood betray blood like this?

My phone rang. Liam. "Nandi! Where are you? I woke up and you were gone! My tracker shows my car moving fast! Are you okay?"

"Liam, it was all fake," I cried while driving. "Her pregnancy is fake! She is still with Sipho! They want your money!"

"Where are you? Stop the car, Nandi! Stop the car now! I am coming!"

I stopped the car near the beach. It was 2:30am. The sea was black and loud. I got out and screamed. I screamed all the pain out. I screamed for my 3 years with Sipho wasted. I screamed for my sister.

5 minutes later, Liam's other car arrived - a white Range Rover. He ran out, still in his sleeping shorts, no shoes. He ran to me and hugged me so tight.

"Shh, shh, I'm here. I'm here now."

"I am so stupid, Liam! I am so stupid! I believed her again!"

"You are not stupid, you are kind. And kind people get hurt by evil people. But not tonight. Tonight we trap them."

We drove back to the hotel together. Lindiwe was sitting in the reception, crying again, acting. Sipho was there too now, pretending to be angry at her.

"Nandi, we can explain!" Sipho said.

Liam locked the main door. He clapped twice. His security team came out - 4 big men.

"Explain to who? To my security cameras?" Liam said calmly. He took a remote and pressed play.

On the big TV in the reception, the CCTV footage played. Lindiwe stuffing pillow in her shirt. Lindiwe on phone: "That stupid Nandi took me back. Soon we will get the rich man's money."

Lindiwe fell down. Sipho tried to run but security held him.

"Nandi, please!" Lindiwe begged.

I looked at her. And for the first time, I felt nothing. No love, no hate. Nothing. She was a stranger.

"Take them out," I said to security. "And never let them enter any hotel in Durban again. I will send their pictures to all managers."

Sipho shouted as they dragged him, "You will regret this Nandi! You think this rich man loves you? He will use you and dump you like I did! You are just a poor girl from Umlazi!"

Liam walked to Sipho and punched him. One punch. Sipho fell down, nose bleeding.

"Don't you ever speak about her like that again. Nandi is 1000 times the woman your sister will ever be."

They threw them out onto the street at 3am.

I collapsed into Liam's arms. He carried me like a baby to his car.

"Nandi, tomorrow we are going to Johannesburg. I want you to meet someone. And I want to ask you something important."

"What?" I whispered.

"Tomorrow. For now, sleep. You are safe. They will never hurt you again."

But as we drove away, I didn't see that Sipho had picked up his phone from the floor. And he called my mother.

---