Chapter Nine: Broken Lines
988 Words
The bag lay abandoned by the door.
Samantha sat in the living room, arms wrapped around Precious, who had cried herself into a shaky sleep. Jessica had gone upstairs, probably satisfied with the chaos she’d stirred.
Andrew stood by the window, staring out at the moonlit driveway as though trying to solve a puzzle that had no answer.
“She almost left,” he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. “And I almost let her.”
Down the hall, the housekeeper quietly turned off the lights. A storm was coming, but it wasn’t outside.
It was within the walls.
It was in the silence between the three adults forced into a twisted version of family.
It was in the fear in Precious’s voice when she asked if she had done something wrong.
Lines had been crossed.
And more were about to break.
The next morning, the house was unusually quiet.
Precious refused to go to school. Samantha didn’t argue. She sat beside her on the couch, brushing her hair and whispering soft words of reassurance.
“Do you love Daddy?” the girl asked suddenly.
Samantha blinked. “Yes.”
“Do you love me?”
“With all my heart.”
“Then don’t leave again.”
Samantha kissed her forehead. “I won’t. I promise.”
Jessica walked in at that moment, dressed in flawless white — like a bride or an angel — and froze at the sight of them curled up together.
Her expression flickered. Then she smiled tightly. “How sweet. Playing family again.”
Samantha stood. “Some of us aren’t pretending.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Is that your new angle? The noble stepmother?”
“I’m not trying to win anything, Jessica. I’m trying not to let her break.”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “Then step aside. Because I’m taking full custody — and this time, I won’t need the cameras.”
That evening, Andrew received a call from an unknown number.
“Mr. Yisa,” the voice said, smooth and practiced. “We’re from AIN — African Investigative News. Jessica Yisa granted us an exclusive interview. She made a very... serious allegation.”
Andrew tensed. “What allegation?”
“That your live-in girlfriend is emotionally manipulating your daughter and may have forged qualifications to gain employment in your home.”
Andrew almost dropped the phone.
“Forged?” he echoed.
The voice continued. “She claims Samantha Gana never completed her nutrition certification. We’d like to offer you a chance to respond before we publish.”
Andrew hung up.
Samantha was in the study, organizing some papers for Precious’s homeschooling sessions. She looked up when he entered.
“There’s something you should see,” he said grimly.
The article hit the internet by morning.
“Fake Nutritionist, Fake Mom?”
Jessica Yisa, Nollywood’s darling, has revealed shocking documents that suggest the woman living with her ex-husband and daughter has no formal qualifications, and may have manipulated her way into the billionaire’s life through emotional coercion.
Yisa claims the woman may not even be licensed to practice in Nigeria.
‘I fear for my daughter’s wellbeing,’ she said, wiping away tears.
Samantha stared at the screen, blood draining from her face.
“This is a lie,” she whispered. “I never claimed to be a licensed dietician — I’m a certified nutritionist with a diploma from Bida Health College.”
“She’s twisting it,” Andrew said.
“She’s burying me.”
He sat beside her. “Then we fight back.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I won’t drag Precious through a public war.”
Andrew looked at her. “Then I will.”
That night, Samantha found herself standing in front of Andrew’s door.
She knocked once.
He opened it, surprised. “You okay?”
“I need to know something,” she said quietly. “Not about Jessica. About you.”
He nodded.
“Why did your marriage really end?”
Andrew didn’t answer immediately. He walked over to the window, hands behind his back.
“It ended the day she told me she was pregnant... and then said the baby wasn’t mine.”
Samantha gasped.
He turned to face her. “We’d been trying for years. And suddenly, she was glowing with joy — but also guilt. She confessed it wasn’t mine, that she’d made a mistake. I was furious. Hurt. But I said I’d raise the child as mine anyway. Then she changed the story again — said it was mine, after all. A doctor confirmed it.”
“Precious is yours?”
He nodded. “Biologically. But for months... I didn’t know what to believe. The lies broke me. The truth became blurred.”
“And now she’s trying to break your daughter the same way.”
Andrew’s eyes burned. “Not if I can help it.”
Jessica watched them from the shadows of the hallway.
She held her phone tightly.
She had one card left — and it was time to play it.
The next day, a letter arrived.
Official. From the High Court.
Andrew opened it at the dining table, eyes scanning fast — then freezing.
“What is it?” Samantha asked.
He looked up, stunned. “Jessica’s requesting an emergency hearing.”
“On what grounds?”
He passed her the letter.
She read the line aloud.
"Alleged paternity fraud. Request for DNA testing to confirm biological parenthood of minor: Precious Yisa."
Samantha’s hand trembled.
“She’s claiming... you’re not her father?”
Andrew stood slowly.
“She wants to destroy everything I built. Everything I love.”
He looked at Samantha.
“And now she’s bringing Precious into it.”
To be continued…
Next: “Paternity Wars” — A test that could unravel their world. Lies surface. Loyalties are tested. And Samantha must make a sacrifice that could change everything.
- Writer
