OFF THE HOOK EP:5 Open Secrets
Dad was fast to break off from the hug when he saw Elo in the room, he too wearing the traditional ịsị agụ, but in red.
Dad charged at him in heavy steps, but I got in the way, placed my hand on his chest, and with pleading eyes, said, “Please, let me handle this”.
Dad looked between him and me for some time, exhaled, and stormed out. Mom understandably followed behind him.
Elo, whose heart had leaped when Dad charged at him, was now open-eyed with shock and confusion at what had just happened.
“The wedding is over,” I spoke as clearly as possible, without the tears or the snorts or emotion.
“What?” Was his reflex response.
I shrugged, “you heard me. It's over” I repeated while maintaining a stern face. He had seen me cry for him severally throughout the time of our relationship, I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction today, not when I held the cards.
He twitched his head slightly to the left and placed a finger on his nose; his eyes were closed, and he said, “I don’t understand,” and then returned to factory setting where he was now looking at me.
“What part of it?”
He scoffed.
I raised my brows, folded my arms on my chest, and rested my weight on my left leg while I stretched the right one forward to assume a balanced stance.
“You can't be serious” his tune was a tad bit higher.
“Oh, I am” I nodded.
He started to talk but decided against it and took a long drag of air, then started again “What are you playing at?” He asked calmly.
I pouted my mouth and looked around the room as if searching for something, then said, “Nothing.” There was a smirk on my face.
“Yadera” he called my name very calmly, suggesting I listened attentively. “It's our traditional wedding. Our guests are out there. Our parents are out there. Our…”
“Oh, don’t worry about my parents,” I cut him off, “they’re on board already. You can go tell your folks, and we’ll call it a day. Don’t worry about the guests either. They’ll eat and go home”.
My response was as breezy as could be that it left a hole between his lips.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” He shouted.
“Really, I wouldn't shout at me, if I were you. For all you know, my dad might still be standing out there, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce on you. After all I've told them, you've got to be careful”.
“And what exactly did you tell them?”
I looked down, considering the question for a few seconds, then looked back up at him and said, “That you’re a pathological cheater.” I was nodding while I spoke, cheering my choice of words.
His face dropped.
“Yeah, I told them everything. The one-night stands, the “just blame it on the alcohol” ones, the “it meant nothing” ones, the….oh, and the one with my best friend”.
I didn’t know they had been listening from outside, but when I said the last bit, Ebere opened the door, and softly she asked, “What?”
I looked at her, exhaled and returned to face Elo.
“Yes, I know about you and Chinelo.” When I said the last bit, I looked out the open door, knowing she was out there too.
“What are you talking about now?” Elo suddenly found it hard to keep his eyes on me, and for a weird reason, his lashes kept fluttering.
A smile formed gently on my face.
“You can't deny it, can you?”
“I don't know what you're talking about”.
“Of course you…”
“It was before you two started dating, ok?” Chinelo had come inside the room.
I shook my head.
“But that wasn’t the only time,” I said.
“It was. I swear”.
“I saw the texts, Nelo”.
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Hey there, you’ve just read the fifth episode of OFF THE HOOK. If you liked it, I hope you did, please leave a comment, follow, and give it as many claps as you think it deserves. 🤗
