Suspects: murder case

Chapter 60

Chapter 60

‘’Nkoli, that’s in the past, I don’t hold any grudges towards you, I have moved on, my wife and I are happy.’’

‘’Forgive me.’’

‘’I forgive you, can I leave already? I am not comfortable being in this place with you,’’ he stands up.

I get out of bed too and stand in front of him, I only have a towel wrapped around my body.

‘Do I ever cross your mind?’’

‘’No you don’t, I am a married man and I love my wife.’’

‘’Can’t you give us a second chance?’’

‘’I am sorry, I can’t do that, I think I should leave this is not making sense at all.’’

‘’Leave! Run back to Kristy!’’

‘’Bye Nkoli and make this the last time you call me and pretend to be unwell other---.’’

Before he finishes his sentence, I drop the towel to the ground, throw myself on him and kiss him hard and passionately.

‘’Nkoli are you crazy! He pushes me off him but I don’t even care anymore because those few moments of pleasure are enough to ruin this stupid thing they call a ‘’marriage.’’

‘’You are such a crazy b***h!’’ he yells before walking out and slamming the door behind his back.

Daniel

After my encounter with Nkoli, I drive back home angrily. I shouldn’t have fallen into her trap, she called me claiming she needed to talk to me and she needed my help about something, I gave in when I heard how sorrowful she sounded. When I got to her house, I was against going to her room but the maid insisted that she was terribly ill and I had no option but to go there. I should have known this was just part of her plan to try and get me to be with her, Nkoli is stupid, I hope she rots in hell.

Walking into the house an hour later, I find Kristy lying on the couch watching television. I told her I needed to run a few errands before I drove out to meet up with Nkoli.

‘’Babe, you are back?’’

‘’Yes,’’ I walk towards her and kiss her forehead.

She sits upright, ‘’are you okay?’’

‘’Yes, why?’’

‘’You look restless.’’

‘’I am fine.’’

‘’You are sure?’’

‘’Yes.’’

‘’I prepared lunch, I was waiting up for you so we could eat together.’’

‘’Let me just wash my face, I will join you shortly.’’

‘’Sure!’’

Kristy

‘’Are you sure you are okay?’’ I ask Daniel again, we have just finished eating our supper but I have noticed how there has been a restless anxious expression on his face from the time he got back from running his errands.

He feigns a smile, ‘’I am fine babe, what do you want us to do for the night?’’

‘’I am cold, make me a cup of tea and then we can watch a movie just to pass the night, I don’t want to sleep yet.’’

‘’Okay, I will make the tea while you find us a movie to watch.’’

‘’But you are okay?’’ I ask again.

‘’I am fine babe, I am perfectly okay,’’ he leans in and lightly brushes his lips across mine. I inhale sharply as I melt against him.

‘’I love you,’’ he whispers. ‘’I love you so much Kristy, I don’t ever want to lose you.’’

I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and slant my mouth over his, he trails his tongue across my lower lip and I groan, parting my lips for him, at my invitation the kiss deepens, we kiss for a couple of minutes so passionately and intense, I don’t want this moment to end, every time Daniel kisses me, he clears my doubts about him, there’s a way he communicates to me through his kisses, always assuring me that I am the one for him and he will never hurt me.

‘’I love you too babe, sometimes I think this is a dream.’’

‘’This is real, this is our reality.’’

‘’You give me the kind of feelings that people write novels about.’’

‘’Who would believe we hated each other once upon a time?’’

I laugh, ‘’If someone told me I would ever fall in love with you, I would not have believed them.’’

‘’But here we are, see God.’’

‘’This surely has to be God.’’

‘’We should do a renewal of our vows after you give birth.’’

‘’I would want that.’’

‘’It’s a deal.’’

‘’The tea babe.’’

‘’I will have it on your table in the next few minutes.’’

‘’Okay.’’

He heads to the kitchen and I grab the remote but before I have the chance of changing the channels there is a knock at the door. Rising to my feet, I head to the door and pull it open but there’s no one at the door standing on the other side. I am about to head back inside when something catches my attention- a box wrapped in black on the porch in front of me. I bend and pick it up, there is a note on the box written in blue ink and it reads ‘’For Stella Msizi.’’

Closing the door behind my back, I walk back into the living room and open the box, I am frozen in front of the box as I stare at the photos that have been lined up, photos of Daniel and Nkoli, in some photos he is sitting on the bed while she is lying down, in other photos she is n***d and holding on to him while in other photos they are kissing.

‘’Babe, your tea is ready,’’ Daniel mutters through as he walks towards me and places the tray on the table.

‘’Are you o---,’’ he stops the sentence mid-sentence when he sees the photos on the table.

‘’Babe!’’ he gasps.

‘’How could you?’’ I stutter with tears in my eyes.

‘’I can explain babe.’’

‘Don’t! Please don’t.’’

‘’Kristy please listen to me.’’

I shake my head, ‘’ I knew this was too good to be true, you men are all the same. Mr. Msizi! You!’’ more tears pour down my cheeks. I want to scream and cry so hard for being a fool. History is repeating itself.

‘’Babe, allow me to explain, it’s not what you think it is.’’

‘’I don’t want to listen to you, please leave me alone, leave this house or I will.’’

‘’I love you.’’

‘’Lies! All lies! Lies! We should have stuck to the plan, this marriage was fake in the first place you shouldn’t have complicated things by lying that you had fallen in love with me, I was okay on my own.’’

He tries to touch me but I move, ‘’Leave or I will leave.’’

‘’Fine, I will leave but--.’’

‘Don’t say any more words to me, don’t.’’

He grabs his car keys and phones, walks towards the door, at the door he pauses and looks back.

I use my hand to wipe the tears from my eyes, ‘’Just leave, I will get the divorce papers ready.’’

He opens his mouth to say something but quickly shuts it then he opens the door and walks out.

When the door shuts close behind him, I sink to the ground and break down in tears- the pain I am feeling at the moment is similar to the one I felt when my father walked out on us, my heart is aching. I can literally feel it ripping into a thousand pieces.

Lying on the ground I cry so hard until I have no tears left. Eventually I rise to my feet and head to my room, sliding under the covers, I close my eyes and pray silently to God to grant me sleep.

Nkoli

‘’These are perfect Nkoli, job well done, I am transferring some money into your account just now, I will send the rest when the mission is completed. These photos should be sent to Kachepa and other media platforms, I want them to trend.’’

‘’Okay! What time do I do the interview with Kachepa?’’

‘’Tomorrow morning, I actually have more information about that charade of the marriage, I talked to Kristy’s maid and she gave me some information, I will brief you before the interview, Kenzie and I will come over in the evening after work.’’

‘’Sure.’’

‘’I will talk to you later, child keep up the good work.’’

‘’Thank you,’’ I respond before hanging up the phone. A few minutes later, my phone vibrates with a bank notification. Kenzie's mother has sent me half of the money that we agreed on. Pouring myself a glass of wine, I sit down and start sending the photos. The mighty Kristy is about to fall, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she sees the photos of Daniel and I.

I awake the next morning to the sound of my phone ringing but before I can get it, the line cuts. Shoving my hair out of my face, I sit up sluggishly, my head throbs from last night’s crying. Closing my eyes I slide through the events of the previous evening and my stomach tightens at the thought of what Daniel did to me, I shouldn’t have given that fool a chance.

Startling me from my reverie, my phone rings again and I instantly answer it.

‘’Sister Girl how are you holding up? I have been trying to call you,’’ Jada worriedly asks.

‘’I am fine,’’ I reply.

I haven’t told anyone about what happened between Daniel and I.

‘’I just saw the photos, I am so sorry babe, are you home? I am on my way.’’

‘’You saw the photos? Where did you see them?’’ I quizzically ask.

‘’They are all over Facebook.’’

‘’What?’’ my heart races.

‘’You mean you haven’t seen them?’’

‘’Jada, let me call you back,’’ I say, cutting the call before she responds.

I quickly log into my f*******: account and the first thing that comes up are Daniel and Nkoli’s photos.

My stomach clenches tight then I freeze in alarm, when I finally recover, I start reading the comments and tears roll down my cheeks. My life is so over, the whole world will see this and everyone will be talking about me.

I sit on the floor for a couple of minutes deep in thoughts before a knock startles me from my thoughts.

‘’Kristy! Baby, open the door,’’ Mum calls out.

I don’t respond.

‘’Child of mine, please open the door for me.’’

I rise to my feet and walk towards the door, when I pull it open mum and Robert are standing on my doorstep.

‘’Child of mine,’’ she pulls me into her arms and I hold her so tight and cry so hard.

Mum rubs my back in a soothing motion, ‘’shh, shh, shh. It’s going to be okay.’’

‘’I loved him mummy,’’ I say in between cries. She kisses the top of my head and moves my hair away from my tear streaked face.

‘’I know baby, I know, we will get through this together.’’

We walk into the house and we both sit down on the couch.

‘’I will get us some tea,’’ Robert says before he walks to the kitchen.

‘’Where is he?’’

‘’I told him to leave last night.’’

‘’Last night? I thought the photos were only leaked this morning.’’

‘’Someone brought the photos here.’’

‘’You should have called me, you don’t look fine, I am sure you have been crying the whole night and that is not good for the baby.’’

‘’I trusted him mummy.’’

‘’I know baby, I know you did and I am sorry things didn’t turn out the way they should have been.’’

‘’I made us some tea,’’ Robert places the tray with three glasses in front of me. Then mum picks up a glass and hands it to me, ‘’drink up, you need as much energy as possible.’’

I take a long sip, ‘’I want a divorce as soon as possible.’’

‘’Isn’t it too soon, don’t you want to talk to him first?’’

‘’There’s nothing to talk to him about, the evidence against him is overwhelming, what will he possibly say? That she seduced him? She threw herself against him and he was helpless? No mum, I will not give him the chance to lie to me.’’

‘’Stella!’’ Jada calls, pushing the door open as she walks into the house.

‘’Girl, I am going to kill that fool,’’ she says walking towards me.

For a moment there, I laugh forgetting the issue at hand.

‘’Trust Jada to make me laugh.’’

‘’Hey mummy.’’

‘’Hey child.’’

‘’Uncle Rob!’’

‘’Jada!’’

‘’How are you guys?’’

‘’We are fine.’’

‘’My girl, how are you holding on?’’

‘’I am fine.’’

‘’You are sure?’’

I am about to respond when my phone vibrates indicating a new text, ‘’ Nkoli is online, check what she is talking about,’’ the message from an unknown number reads and I quickly log back onto my f*******: account.

Nkoli

‘’Lights, camera, action! We are live on Kachepa news media and today I am interviewing the woman of the moment. Nkoli welcome to today’s program,’’ the presenter says.

‘’Thank you very much Andrew, I am glad to be here.’’

‘’With the photos that are trending, I don’t think I need to introduce you, everyone already knows you.’’

I laugh, ‘’I guess so.’’

‘’First things first, what’s your relationship with Mr. Daniel Mumbi?’’

‘’He is my ex- fiancé and father of my late child Joan.’’

‘’Looking at the photos that have been exposed, does it mean that you two still have a relationship?’’

‘’Yes! After the burial of our child, Daniel and I started seeing each other secretly. He wanted to leave Kristy but they found out she was pregnant and he couldn’t walk away from her, those photos were taken yesterday when he came to see me because I was unwell, the photos were just for our phones but someone saw them and leaked them to you guys.’’

‘’Let me get this right, you and Mr. Mumbi have been seeing each other for the last couple of months despite him being married? Did I get that right?’’

‘’Yes we have.’’

‘’Why?’’

‘’I love Daniel, I have always loved him, he was mine before he was Kristy’s and besides that marriage is fake.’’

‘’What do you mean the marriage is fake?’’