Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sylvester

I didn't think it was gonna end like that, We were happy, we were in Love, Maybe I was a bit obsessive, or overly but I loved her, I couldn't live without her, what happened affected us all, we couldn't stop it, we just had to face it, she misunderstood and everything started to fall apart.

I knew she was going to be at the party, Ofcourse, she organised it for her Bestfriend. The same Bestfriend that betrayed her, that betrayed us, I tried to warn her, she didn't listen, She saw me as the bad person, the person coming between their friendship, she didn't wait to hear from me, she only believed Marie. I was hurt, She was too, a lot, she Loved Me, that , I was certain, even today, at her house, I could still see it. Unspoken Love filled with Hurt and Betrayal, I was shattered, I couldn't control myself,I didn't even know when the words came out "I Missed You" I really did, It felt like I was going to lose my breath if I didn't see her again,not after looking for her for years, those five years, she left me, Those five years she choosed her Bestfriend over me, Five years of everything we had,I couldn't let it all go to waste,I couldn't forget her. I tried, countless times but with any woman I was with, I could still see her, that smile, That oval face, that eyes that does crazy things to me! God! She was beautiful!!, Five Years ago and even now. I wanted to hold her again,to kiss her, to taste her, to get lost in her eyes and her touch,I wanted her and this time I am not letting her Leave me again.

***

Seven Years Ago

"Daddy, you have to take your check-ups seriously, you know how important this is, the doctor said if we are lucky, and if you are serious, she said, giving him a side eye emphasizing on the word 'Serious' you won't need an operation. My word!! ,how can someone's voice sound so soothing, I raised my head hoping to see the owner of the voice and I think my breath caught because "Did another angel escape from heaven?" How can a human be this Beautiful, Dark skin like my favorite coffee, oval face that I know God took time shaping, Her eyes, Catlike and Brown, Nose sculptured like a model, and those Lips, the color neutral, couldn't call it pink yet it looked natural, enticing, I swallowed catching myself in the process, I have a patient to attend to Now, I thought to myself,I am not supposed to be obsessing over someone's daughter, But why am I seeing her in front of me, why are those eyes so close, so brown, those lips, if I could just... "Excuse Me" she said snapping her hands in front of me. Oh oh I thought, "We are looking for uhm" she fumbled with the papers in her hands, finally finding what I think she was looking for "Doctor Sage? We are supposed to meet him for a check-up" oh' I thought, I cleared my throat, Hello, I am Doctor Sage, Sylvester Sage, I corrected Smiling, you must be ? I drawled trying to get her Name, "Reina Adams" she answered, even her Name sounds alluring, "I am here with my Dad for his check-up. Her Dad is my patient, I was surprised but yeah, this is Fate, I lead the way to my Office opening the door and leading her to the Leather chair by the medium sized Mahogany desk. My office was nothing special, A Doctor's office, I brought her dad to the bed at the opposite side of the office making him lie down as I told him to relax.

Doctor Isaac was his Doctor this past weeks, but he got called to the Millitary hospital to work for 3 Months, I was newly assigned to him so I knew it was going to take him time getting used to me. He was a strong Man, that I was sure His Blood pressure was high and His liver is showing signs of a chronic illness, that was in the reports I was holding. After the check-up, I discovered his blood pressure was normal but His Liver had a concerning clotting of blood that is already leading to damages, I asked him if he felt any pains around there, and he says he has been feeling more tired than he usually was and was always feeling nauseous especially when he see food or has managed to eat. I didn't know how to break the news to him because of his blood pressure, so I told him to rest in the Ward by the office and called Reina to the office. "Your Dad needs to undergo surgery for liver resection,I am afraid but we fear a case of liver failure" Her face fell, eyes watering, Definitely not what she expected and my heart broke for her, I wished I could her hold her pain, But it's better she knows. "I will give you time to talk to your father, we need to perform surgery on him as soon as we can, we can only give you 3 days, I'm sorry" She nodded, stood and left the office, went to her Dad and told him it was time to go home, I could hear how broken she was, she tried to hide it, but I still heard it. Three days later, and we had the surgery, thankfully the surgery was successful, it was like a miracle, I was happy, I couldn't wait to inform her, to see her face light up, Maybe that was when it all started, more check-ups for her Dad that became a routine, soon enough, it was like secret dates, I'd run checks on her Dad, let him rest in the male ward, and take walks with her, we talked about a lot of things, life growing up, why I became a doctor, what other dreams she had, the talks became endless, little laughs in between, we were now on a first name basis, The check-Ups ended, and we went on proper dates, held hands and Finally like a dream come through, she accepted to be my girlfriend, we were hanging out more, stealing kisses whenever we could, Every Love making like it was always a first, special, mind-blowing like we could never get enough of each other, I was over the moon , It felt like I had everything I was praying for, there was nothing more I could ask for, One year felt like we've known each other forever. I wanted to surprise her, this woman, That i want to spend the rest of my life with, I wanted her proposal to be special, to be the best, so I reached out first, "to Marie" her Bestfriend, she would know even better what her Bestfriend wanted. I asked her opinion and Marie told me to invite all of her friends, a candle lit dinner proposal with her friends and I did, An environment so beautiful, with a setting like that of "crazy rich Asians" I've been more grateful to be wealthy, I wanted to go all out for her and I did. Her friends came, and she did looking stunning in a Green spaghetti strap dress that hugged her body and messed with my mind, I couldn't take my eyes of her voicing out words I didn't even know I could say, "I want to give you all of me, I want to make you mine, I want the world to see you, to know we belong to each other, I ask that you accept even with all my flaws and grow with me, Do me this honour" I finished, "Be my Everything, My Life, My Hope, My Love" a felt a tear drop, emotions clouding my throat, my once confident self, faltering, afraid she will say No, "is this how Men feel proposing?" I waited, 10 seconds, 15, 30, 1 Min, tear drops, she was crying now, I could feel my heart breaking for her, why was she crying? Reina, my heart was shouting but it was only a whisper, "I'm sorry" she mouthed, " What" my heart was beating fast now, "Yes" "Yes, I Will marry You, You are mine as I am Yours, Loving you is so Easy" "Thank God" I muttered and hugged her tight, I could hear her friends cheering and clapping,My friends hitting their back and cheering me on, I stared at her, Her beautiful face covered in soft make up,Her Lips full and Inviting, I bit my lower lip, hard, I saw her gaze moved toward my lips and the shy smile that followed, my brain was on overdrive, "this Girl is going to be the death of me" I drew her closer, eyes locked, nose almost touching, breath heavy and bit her lip, watching her wide eyes and shocked expression, "Did you just b ...I locked my lips with hers not letting her finish her last sentence, enjoying the taste and feel of her.

One month Later, in the presence of her family and friends, we were married, a simple beach wedding, Her dad walked her to the aisle joining my hands with hers as he mouthed "make her happy, I trust you" to me, His voice breaking as if forcing himself not to cry and walking back to his seat, Her Bestfriend Marie as her chief Bridesmaid, Everything was perfect, Honeymoon was the best, Juicy, Romantic and Adventurous, we were truly living our best Life. Three weeks of heaven, together. I wanted Kids, she wanted to wait, and it was okay,

Another Six months, to me, it was a blessing, to her, it was a mistake, she didn't think we could keep, said she was too young to have a baby, at Twenty two, a child was going to ruin her life, was going to mess with her plans , she said. I Begged her , "this could be God's Plan, we are in this together" She shook her head , said she was sorry, she needed to think, it was okay, it was going to be okay, I told myself, I hugged her,we were fine. Marie started coming to the house, more often, it was okay , but then, she started giving me "the look", I didn't like it, but I brushed it off, she started coming to the house when my wife wasn't around and then I confronted her, told her she made me uncomfortable, she should call before coming. She smiled, brushed it off and told me " Reina don't deserve you" I was shocked, how her her Bestfriend say such a thing, "No' I answered, "I don't deserve her, but yet she chose me and I'm the luckiest man alive" she sneered, and she Left. When Reina Came back, I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want to break her heart, she has agreed to keep the baby, I was going to be a great father, She told me, but I needed to tell her, we promised not to keep secrets, that evening I prepared dinner, local Jollof rice , she loved it, she enjoyed and she praised me ,a peck on the lips which escalated quickly and ended up in the bedroom, she does that, takes my mind of things, I laughed at the little side joke she said, and brushed my over through her hair, still mesmerized by her beauty, "Stay away from Marie, she's not a good friend" I didn't know when I said that, buts what's said is said, I couldn't take it back even if I wanted to, which I didn't, I felt her recoil back as If I was the one she was told to stay away from,"I know you don't like Marie", she started calmly" but you should try to understand her, she's my Bestfriend and she will never do anything to hurt me" I tried explaining my encounters with her and she said I was bluffing, Marie was like a sister to her and just because I didn't like her, doesn't mean I can say bad things about her, I was hurt, she didn't believe me , her Husband, she trusted Marie more. I didn't say anything after that, "what was I going to say" we continued like that, silence The next morning, I woke up, to an empty bed, Reina!!, I called, I walked down the stairs, heard noise in the kitchen and there she was, my Woman,making breakfast for us, I hugged her from behind, she didn't smile, but she couldn't resist, she never did, We loved each other, that was clear, "I'm Sorry" I whispered and she shivered, Her dirty mind already conjuring ways she could make me apologize. We are fine.

Days past, and things were even better. She got an urgent call from the office, one of the clients wanted to meet her, she dressed up, kissed me and left , not too long, another call , we had an emergency patient, I also went to the hospital. Thankfully we were able to save his life, stretching and massaging my shoulder's, I checked the Time, it was past eight, 2 missed calls from Reina, I called her back,but it went straight to voicemail, I was worried, she was never unreachable, my heart was pounding Another call,I picked up, heart in my throat, "hello" I cleared my throat , "this is Dr Sage" , no response, "Hello, I tried again, "if I can't have you,Nobody else will" "What is going on, Who is this" , a laugh "Who do you think" "Marie" I sneered, what are you trying to do, I heard ruffles on the other end, then "I'm sorry,I told you I can't betray my Bestfriend, stop calling me Sage, You are Married and to my Bestfriend, I cannot date you, no matter how much you Claim to love me" what is going on, what games is she trying to play now, Marie?".

I heard plates clatter to the Ground, then I heard her, "What?" Another shuffle and "How could you" God No, "Reina, listen ! Whatever you heard is not true and where did you keep your phone, I have been trying to reach you" She laughed, empty , hollow as if she has always been expecting this, my phone has always been on,stop making excuses for your wrong doings" and the line dropped dead. I rushed home, she already packed , " Baby, what are you doing, what is going on?

"I am leaving, she states, as if we made an agreement and she was doing her part, "No" I Said, Firm "you are going nowhere" "You can't just leave without asking me anything, don't you even trust me at all, we are Married for God sake, you promised you would never leave me" , "Married?, she laughed, married you say, and yet you didn't even think about that, when you were pursuing my Bestfriend, professing undying love to her, she was crying now, "who knows how many women you must have slept with, playing the 'I love you card', Me! She continued,"I thought you were different" . "Wait! , Don't leave me please, Marie is deceiving you, She wants to break this marriage and you are letting her, Please, I begged "I can't leave without you" i could see the struggle in her eyes, but alas, Her decision was made, "Don't ever contact me again!!" She left, without looking back and I was left by myself, Heartbroken, disoriented, Alone and Angry,I was confused and my heart was hurting so bad I wanted to rip it off. Even that was not enough as I got a call from work , another patient was waiting, "I couldn't save my home", I thought as I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath, "but I could save a life".