Authors: Janet Adeyeye
Chapter 12
I couldn't look Angel in the eyes after that. But why didn't he just tell me what was going on with the company and his mom. Doesn't he trust me or what? Even though we were in the same bed that night, we didn't feel like doing anything. When he got back from the office earlier, he hadn't said a word to me, which was unlike him. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. I had all these thoughts going through my mind that night so I couldn't sleep. I just lay on the bed beside him, our backs to each other with my eyes wide open. I couldn't bring myself to sleep after what my mom had told me that day. And then on another hand, there was Elizabeth. Was she really that sick and needed urgent surgery? This must be a really tough time for Angel and the family, but how do they manage to keep a smile on their faces all the time? That explains why Clifford and Matthew were always so keen about going to the office. They needed money. I was going crazy with the thoughts in my head. I slowly got up from the bed beside Angel and went into the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror. Was I really capable of destroying this empire that was already in itself destroyed? Obviously, Mom already knows how broken the Morero clan were, yet she insisted on breaking them further into pieces.
I splashed some water from the sink into my face, wishing I could wash all the thoughts in my head away as well. I suddenly felt cold so I stripped myself of my lingerie and got into the shower then turned on warm water. As it fell on my body, I was suddenly reminded of what a monster I'd become. I looked at my hands and all I could see was blood. I washed it away quickly with the soap, then shut my eyes from staring further into those hands. Then I started crying. I slowly sat on the floor in the shower while the warm water poured on me and I cried. I cried because of my father, because even though I had Angel and my mom, I was alone. I had no one to talk to about my feelings. Then I heard the bathroom door opening and then it closed again.
"Kayla? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I am." I got up quickly from the floor and turned off the tap. "Could you pass me the towel, please?" I asked stretching out my hands from behind the curtain. Angel gave the towel to me almost immediately, then I got out after covering myself with it.
"Were you crying?" he asked again cupping my face into his hands
"No, no." I laughed. "Why would I be?"
"Your eyes are red, Kayla," he said still not letting go of my face. "Tell me, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing you should worry about. I'm sorry I woke you." I came out of the bathroom and went to the bed. Angel followed behind me, almost at the same time, still not convinced.
"Honey, please talk to me."
"Talk to you? Ah! When was the last time we did that? We don't even talk as a couple. It's not fair." I started crying again. Angel came to me and hugged me, but I got up and shifted away. "Don't touch me. I don't deserve your touch," I blurted out even before I knew it.
"I don't know what's wrong, Kayla. I don't know what to say."
"When were you planning on telling me your mom needed surgery? When?"
Angel got up shocked. "How the hell did you know about that?"
"See? And you want us to talk." I got up from the bed and went to the wardrobe then started pulling out some clothes.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm sleeping downstairs in the living room. Don't try to stop me." I snorted then slipped into my pajamas. I hurried to the bed and took my pillow and some covers.
"Kayla, please don't do this."
"You don't trust me, Angel. You don't tell me anything. Do you think I am a fool? That I don't notice things? You get a call from the office and you go rushing over. When were you planning on telling me the company is bankrupt?"
Angel came closer to me and grabbed the pillow from my hands, then the blanket. "You're not going anywhere, tonight."
"You can't stop me, Angel. Tell me what's going on. Tell me how you feel. I want to hold you and take care of you when you're sad. I am your wife for crying out loud." I wiped away the tears that were forming under my eyes already. I've never been this emotional about anything in my entire life. Not even when my dad died did I feel this way. But with Angel and finding out he is in pain and not telling me, I felt really bad.
"How do you think I feel, Kayla?" He whispered like he was afraid someone would hear him. "I don't know what to do. My father's company is going down and I can do absolutely nothing about it. My mom is terribly sick and needs surgery. She is dying, Kayla." He slumped to the bare floor and burst into tears. It surprised me. Maybe I wasn't really prepared for this to happen. I rushed to his side now and ushered him into my embrace.
"Don't cry. Baby don't cry. I'm sorry I yelled at you. Please don't cry." As I was saying this I was also crying. We merely just sat on the floor, crying like babies.
"You see why I don't talk about it? Because it hurts. Badly. And I am all they've got. Just me. And no one deserves to see me like this. I am all this family has to stand upon. David shouldn't have died. He was the only one helping us with the shipping company. With him dead, the shipping company is dead as well. If I don't gather up some money before Friday, we'll lose that company. And my brothers will die if they do. My father invested his life into that company."
"I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so so sorry. Listen..." I cupped his face. "We're in this together okay? You and me. I have money that I can lend you for your mother's surgery. I can work and gather money for the company. We can do this, Angel."
"I am not taking anything from you, Kayla. Forget it."
"Think of it as a loan from the bank. You'll pay it back with interest, see? C'mon, your mom needs this. I can't let her die."
"Why are you doing this, Kayla? Why are you helping us?"
"Because I love you. It pains me when you suffer alone. We made a vow in church, remember? For better or for worse. And I meant it. Tomorrow, I'll pay for your mother's surgery. That's what important right now."
"Thank you, Kay. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you after this."
"Promise me you'll never keep any secrets from me. Then we're even," I replied.
He nodded weakly then hugged me tightly. That night we couldn't sleep. We had a whole future before us that needed our attention, and yes, I am going to help my husband.
Chapter 13
We woke up early the next day and headed straight for the hospital. I rushed to her ward as soon as we got there just to see if she was still there. She was. We weren't too late yet. We went to the doctor's office together now but had to wait a while because he was busy with someone. I couldn't seat down though. I kept on pacing and pacing, cursing whoever was behind that door. Then it suddenly opened up and a lady rushed outside crying. I wasn't able to see her face well, but I followed her with my eyes till she turned and disappeared into another room. Angel pulled me into the doctor's office.
"Doctor."
"Angel, have you made your decision yet? Your mom’s illness is getting worse by the day. She is already resisting treatments." The doctor said quickly, then kept quiet almost immediately when his eyes caught me. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you came with someone," he apologized.
Why was he apologizing?
"It's okay. This is my wife."
"Oh." He got up and extended his hand. "Doctor Phil. I'm in charge of your mother's case."
I took his hand and smiled. "Is there still time to save her?"
"Well, there are options. But her case is worse now and the surgery is just one of the options we've got. There is a 20% probability on this."
"How soon can you operate on her doctor?"
He looked at me now surprised. "If you’ve got the money, we can do so in a few days."
"Few days? Doctor that's too far? Will she make it that long?"
"We still need to gather together our best doctors from all over the country, Mrs. Morero. This isn't just any surgery."
"Can't we move this forward? To tomorrow maybe?"
"I have to get in contact with the doctors, Mrs. Morero. It depends on when they are available."
"Can we move her?"
"Whoa, Kayla. Slow down. What are you doing?"
"Angel, your mom might not have too long a time to live anymore. Let's move her to another hospital where these facilities are readily available and the surgery can be done today or tomorrow."
"No one knows her case like Dr. Phil, Kayla."
"Yes. Besides, there is no other hospital in LA that can pull of this stunt except outisde of LA. India. They have the best specialist. And they are the only one I trust that can do this."
"Then get her ready to be transferred immediately," I said like I hadn't heard other parts of what he said.
"Kayla, are you sure about this?" Angel asked.
"Yes. Elizabeth is your mother and she must not die. I'll pay for all the bills. Doctor, please. Can this be done right now?"
"Yes, of course. I'll contact my men at the airport now. In an hour, she should be ready to be transferred."
"Thank you."
"Please excuse me,"the doctor added, then left the office. It was then and only then I was able to finally sit down.
"Her treatment is going to cost a fortune, Kayla."
"Her life is worth far more than that. I'm doing this for you, Angel."
Then I decided to call Shipwreck concerning my mother's plan. I don't know why but he seems like the kind of man who would help me out. I excused myself from the doctor's office now and went out to call him.
"Kayla, I can't believe you're calling." His voice echoed on the phone.
"I need your help."
"What is it? You know I won't refuse you."
"Can you send me money?"
"Sure. How much?"
"$100 million."
"Wow. Why? What happened?"
"Nothing. I need it urgently. Can you send it? If you can't there is no problem."
"No, no. I can. I will."
"Right now? And please don't tell my mom about this."
"Okay, I won't. But at least tell me why you need so much money."
"I can't tell you. Please transfer it to my account." I hung up. I received an alert almost immediately. Yes! I hurried back into the office now. I met the doctor in there talking to Angel so I just joined the conversation.
"Yes. Everything has been finalized and ready for movement."
"How much?" I asked more concerned about the bill than any other procedures.
"$150 million. She'll be transferred and treated accordingly. Then in a week's time, she should be back in LA."
Angel and I exchanged glances, then Angel gave me the ‘I told you’ frown.
"Let's do this," I said.
"Kayla, we don't have $150 million."
"I do and I want her transferred. Doctor, what are you waiting for?" I wore a serious look on my face. The doctor hurried up and we left together to pay the bill. In what seemed like another hour, Elizabeth was already on her way to India for her proper treatment. I felt more at peace now.
Chapter 1
4
Angel was able to convince me to go home with him to rest then wait for some news. I was even more surprised when I got home and met Alex there, but this time I knew for sure that I felt nothing towards him again.
"I heard about mom from Zee. How is she?" Alex asked as we entered.
"Fine. She has been transferred to India for treatment."
"India? Why? What happened to Doctor Phil?"
"They weren't able to perform her surgery today so Kayla convinced them to transfer her to India."
He looked at me for a second. "But that would be very expensive."
"She took care of it."
"Who? Kayla? How?"
"Can I talk to you alone, Alex? Please?" I jumped in and said.
I didn't wait for an answer before pulling him away to the study. I couldn't risk him telling Angel how poor I was during college, because then Angel would start asking questions as to how I got the money.
"How did you get the money to pay for her treatment?"
"A friend. I borrowed it from a good friend of my mom."
"A friend? How much? $10,000?"
"$150 million."
Alex was astonished.
"What's important now is that your mom is going to receive the best treatment."
"Why are you helping my mom? Because I know you hate her."
"I grew to like her. Is that enough a reason? Listen, I just want to help. Okay? Please let this stay between us. I don't want to worry, Angel."
"Okay then, another reason I came was to ask you what you were doing in Las Vegas yesterday."
"Las Vegas? I don't know what you're talking about."
"I saw you Kayla. I called your name, but you didn't answer. But I saw you."
I laughed. "You must be mistaken. It's not me you saw. I have never even been to Las Vegas."
"Well, I saw you. I moved down to Las Vegas days ago and I saw you, Kayla. You were going into the chapel with some kids. I know what I saw."
"It's not me."
"Except you're a twin, because my eyes don't deceive me."
I laughed again. "Twin? No, my mom would have told me if I were. Maybe you're just seeing things, Alex."
Angel entered into the study. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," Alex said
"No. Absolutely not. Alex here just told me he saw someone like me in Las Vegas yesterday. And I haven't even been there before." I answered walking close to Angel.
Angel looked from me to him. "Kayla was with me all through yesterday. You must have seen someone else."
"Her twin, for example?" Alex scoffed then walked out. We followed behind him. "Listen, I know who I saw okay? And if it wasn't Kayla, then it was her twin. I'll prove it to you. I'll bring her here."
"There must be a mistake somewhere. I am not a twin. My mom never..." I kept quiet and thought about it a bit more. "I have to go see my mom. She has to tell me what is going on," I added.
"I'm coming with you," Angel said. We left Alex standing at the front door as we drove to my mom's place. To say she was surprised to see Angel at her place would be an understatement. In fact, she was shocked, but she invited us in anyway.
"Honestly, I'm surprised to see you here, child." My mom finally directed at Angel after a while of staring at him. She'd offered him coffee earlier, but he'd said no.
"Mom, is there something you haven't told me yet? Something about me being a twin, perhaps?"
She raised her eyebrow. "What...Where did you get that from? That's absurd." She laughed. Although, Angel and I kept a straight face.
"Well, Alex. Angel's brother. Just told us he saw someone exactly like me in Las Vegas yesterday. And of course that's impossible since I haven't been there before. Well, except there is an identical twin of me out there somewhere that you happen not to know about."
"You're insane." She got up from where she sat and started walking about. I knew she was nervous. I could sense her energy, and I knew she was lying. Something just wasn't right. Was I really a twin?
"Mom, this is serious."
"You are my only child. Why would I lie about something that serious?"
"Mom." I stood up. "Look into my eyes and tell me I don't have a twin."
"This is crazy." She tried walking away but I grabbed her by the hand. All my life I've had a twin and she never told me? Why? "Let me go."
Angel stood up now and held me. I was losing it already. I have a twin out there somewhere? No, that's impossible. The pictures! The pictures I'd seen! I collected myself and ran into her bedroom, then came back panting heavily.
"Mom, where are those pictures?"
"What pictures? You're going crazy. Angel, your wife is going crazy. Take her home."
"I am not leaving here, Mom. Tell me."
"Angel, take her home."
I was going to yell at her again, but then I suddenly felt dizzy. My head became blurry then I started seeing two of everything around me. I staggered back, then I heard Angel's voice echoing in my head. I fainted.
I woke up and found myself in the hospital. My head felt light and empty like I'd banged it against a brick wall. Then I tried sitting up on the bed a bit. Angel was just outside my door talking to the doctor. I smiled at him when he saw I was awake already. He entered into the room now and came to sit on the bed beside me. He kissed my forehead and took my hands into his.
"What's wrong with me?"
"It's just stress, Kayla. The doctor recommended you stay in bed all through today. But they are still running some test on you. The results will be ready soon."
"Where is my mom?"
"She was here a minute ago. But she left. Said she had to go take care of some things."
"Did she tell you the truth? Am I a twin?"
"I think you should give it a rest Kayla. Alex probably saw someone else. These things happen."
"My mom is hiding something. I can feel it. First, it was the pictures. Now this."
"What pictures?"
I looked up at Angel, then sighed casting my gaze down. "You're right. I should probably give it a rest," I said not wanting to keep on talking about it. But deep within me, I wanted to find out if truly I had a twin out there, and I knew I would.
The doctor came into my room. Angel was still with me. But this time, it was a female doctor. And she was smiling. Why was she smiling?
"Congratulations, you're going to be a mother."
I opened my mouth in awe. A mother? What! I am pregnant? Angel also couldn't believe it.
"There must be a mistake somewhere. I can't be pregnant." I shuttered
"Yes, you are. You're two weeks pregnant. Congratulations!" She extended her hand to Angel, but instead of him accepting her handshake, he jumped on her and hugged her. Was I the only one who found this totally absurd?
"I'll leave you two alone for a minute."
I followed her with my eyes till she left through the door then looked back at Angel. "She's joking." I smiled.
"Is anything wrong with you getting pregnant by your husband?"
I read Angel's expression for a second "No. No, it's not that. I mean, we got married like a month ago. I can't be pregnant."
"It's possible, Kayla. C'mon, you should be excited."
"I am. I really am. I just can't believe it." I laughed now and touched my belly. "I am really pregnant. I am." Lukewarm tears started coming out from my eyes. I wiped them away now and smiled at Angel. "Tears of joy," I said. Then we laughed
"I love you, baby," he said now looking straight into my eyes. Then he kissed me on the cheeks, then my belly.
Chapter 15
Getting pregnant is usually a thing of joy, right? It's a moment in one's life you ought to be happy because you're finally becoming a woman. But having this baby hasn't been part of the plan, it never was and as I sat on the couch in my mom's apartment that day, I still couldn't muster up enough courage to break the news to her. She'd totally freak out and even though we'd just had another argument about whether or not I had a twin sister, I still thinks she deserves to know.
I looked at her now then sighed. My mom will explode. I know her. She might agree about us leaving the past behind and allowing the Morero clan go free, and that's because I was already in love with a member and also because that's what mothers do for their kids, but I know she'll never let me bear of child of that family.
"You should sit down before you get dizzy again," my mom said with a frown, still not in the mood to talk to me.
Maybe this is the best time to bring it up. "Angel took me to the hospital yesterday."
"I know. I followed him there. The doctor said it was stress and you needed rest."
"There is more, Mom. Something you haven't yet been told."
"What?"
"I'm pregnant."
The look she gave me at first was the ‘you're kidding’ look. Then, the ‘are you for real’ look. "WHAT!!!"
"I found out yesterday, Mom. I swear I didn't know. I didn't think I'd get pregnant."
"You didn't think? You are not keeping this baby. It'd be over my dead body, I tell you."
"Mom, Angel is excited he is going to be a dad. Please."
"I said you are getting rid of that thing inside of you. Do you know how many years I worked as a slave in that..." She sighed, "You are not having that baby."
"What am I going to tell, Angel? He knows I am expecting."
"You are not telling him absolutely anything. You've been blinded, Kayla. My goodness, weeks ago you were brutal and mean, but now you're weak and emotional. I know that family is just looking for ways to get to me, to get me out of the way. I know they want me dead, and you're putting my life at risk. All of this should not have happened! The plan was get into the family, get your revenge and get out. How simple could that be? My goodness!"
I told you she'd explode.
"You are not having this baby, Kayla. I tell you, it is only if I am dead I'll allow you keep this thing."
"Mom, please. This is your only opportunity to become a grandmother. Reconsider this."
"We're going to the doctor's place right now for an abortion. Let's go!" She pulled my hands now then started marching out. My mom never steps out of this apartment. She has always been afraid that someone was after her and staying indoors was the only way to protect herself. I knew she was psychologically sick, even her doctor recommended she stayed home as well to keep anyone from getting hurt, but as she pulled me out now like she was suddenly not scared of dying anymore, I just couldn't find the strength to remind her about not being outside. She finally pulled me to my car and then asked me to open it and get in. I didn't want to. I want to keep this baby. I was begging her to reconsider when all of a sudden out of nowhere, two bike thugs drove past us, and then the next thing I heard was a gun shot.
I froze at first. My mind was still trying to process what had just happened. And then I saw my mom slump slowly to the ground.
"MOM!! MY MOM!!" I ran to her side. They’d shot her in her chest. She was losing a lot of blood. I felt like I was the one that got shot, or like a very dominant part of me had been taken out. I was confused. I didn't know if I should yell for help or cry. She came out because of me! I killed her! "HELP!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!"
In no time, the neighbours started gathering. Obviously, they had also heard the gun shot.
"Call 911. Somebody get the fucking ambulance!" I yelled at them as they stood watching us. "Somebody, please. My mom is dying." My voice came out in a hush tone now like someone was purposely reducing the volume of my voice to only a whisper. "My mom..." I felt weak and blurry again. And then my eyes caught some blood on my skirt. Blood? Where is this coming from? I knew it wasn't my mom's because it was coming directly from me. Had I gotten shot too? "Somebody...HELP!" I used my last strength I had in me to scream. My mom must not die! I'd die too. I fainted.