Redemption - Episode 41

 

Benedicta:

"He's going to take him away. Larry isn't safe here. We should leave Port Harcourt. Maybe we should just leave the country. Yes, then we__" Prudence grab my shoulders and stop my rambling. I throw panicked eyes to her face.
"Calm down" she whispers then engulf me in her arms.
"I can't believe he's back Prudy." I sob into her shoulder while she pats my back soothingly.
"He's going to take Larry away from me." I lament again and this time, she pulls me away from her body and shake her head vehemently.
"Oh no, he can't. You have the law on  your side . The law always favours the mother. He can't just come back and take your baby." She reassures me but I shake my head.
"I don't have a job Prudy. I have been a neglecting mother for years. You are more than a mother to Larry than I am." I say truthfully.
"But Larry will choose you. That counts as something right?" 
"Only few minutes and Larry was enamored by Luis. He was so excited about him even though he thought Luis was a complete stranger. I guess blood is thicker than water."
"You shouldn't think like that. Larry loves you

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/redemption

. You are his mother and you have been here for him no matter how busy you were in school and all that. Cheer up. Go meet your son. He was spooked by the way you were acting at the store. Go on." Prudy tells me and I nod. She's right. Larry loves me. I wipe my tears and take several calming breaths.
"How do I look?" I ask her and she grimace.
"That bad, huh?" I ask and she chuckle.
"I don't want him to know that I have been crying." I groan out. Prudy smiles and grab a powder from her bedside table.
"Here. Much better." She says as she pat the powder onto my face.
"Thank you." I say to her and she hug me briefly.
"You are going to get through this. Don't forget you have Lucas." She adds and I am reminded that Lucas would be here few hours from now and I have to tell him the truth. Can I?
"You have to before he finds out from someone else. You owe him that." Prudy says when she notices the panic on my face. She's right but first things first. I should go to Larry. Today is his birthday. I can't spoil the fun for the kid. So I take one last calming breath and head to his room. His door is wide open when I get there and I let myself right in.
"Larry?" I call out when I don't see him on his bed.
"I am over here mom!" I hear him yell from somewhere behind the curtains. I move over to the curtains and push them apart to find Larry crawling around on the floor.
"Hey. What are you doing over here?" I ask and he doesn't even spare me a glance. I think he's looking for something. I grab his hand and pull him to a standing position.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"My aeroplane toy. I can't find it anymore." He says and I crouch down beside him.
"Didn't you abandon that when I got you new toys last year? You said it was old and broken." I say and he shakes his head.
"I want it now. I think I dropped it here." He insists. What's with this new infatuation with a toy he threw out more than a year ago.
"My new friend said this was like his favorite toy when he was younger. There was an identical one at the mall mom. He showed me how to fix it. Isn't that cool mom? He said he's an engineer. I want to be like him when I am older." Larry rambles on and it takes me a minute to understand who he's talking about. Luis.
"Baby. Remember that toy got broken and the broken parts would always hurt you when you played with it. You don't need it anymore okay?" I tell him but he shakes his head again.
"But I can fix it mom. It didn't mean to hurt me. It was just broken. It can be fixed. Then it will be just as good as new." He says and I try to hold back my tears at the double meaning I get from his words.
"Baby. Not everything can be fixed. Even if you fix it. It still hurt you remember? You don't need it anymore. You have a new one which is so much better. Now, come on. You need to get ready for your party." He pouts a little but when I remind him of the many gifts he'll get today, he cheers up and walks with me to the bathroom.

Lucas:

"I will leave the plan in your hands. Make sure the paparazzi are present for the big reveal of the real Talina." I say to James as we alight my car. The party Benedicta invited me to starts in about two hours and I don't want to be late. She's been nervous for the past few days since she invited me and now, I am curious. Especially since she said she's ready to tell me about her past.
"Sure boss. The Governor also wants to get rid of her. Turns out she's blackmailing him for sponsorship. I was able to get him on our side." James says and I nod. Talina messed with the wrong person when she hit my Bee. 
"That's all for now." I say and dismiss James.
"Of course. You need to get ready to meet the love of your life. I shouldn't disturb you. I'll go set the plan in place." James teases before walking out. I chuckle and shake my head.
"That love of my life is going to be your boss soon so you better start learning how to take orders from her!" I yell out to his retreating back and I see his shoulders shake in laughter.
"Benedicta will make a better boss than you." He yells back before exiting through the gate and I push my door open to enter the sitting room still chuckling.
"I didn't want to believe it." I hear a damn familiar voice say and my eyes bulge at the figure sitting on my favorite couch with a glass of whiskey.
"Lu--is" I stutter and he smiles wanly at his glass of whiskey before standing up.
"I didn't want to believe it." He says again while walking around me.
"I can explain." I say but then what am I explaining about. He lost his chance with her. I didn't steal her away. Fate brought us together. I want to say all these to him but for some reason, the words are stuck on my tongue.
"You can explain?! She was mine!" He yells and throw the glass of whiskey against the door and I grind my teeth in emotions I can't describe yet.
"She's not yours Luis. It's been five years. I didn't come between the both of you five years ago and you won't come between us now." I grind out of clenched teeth.
"Shut up!" Luis yells.
"Listen to me Luis. It's over between you two. Please I am begging you. Let me have this chance at her heart. Please"
"I can't. I am sorry Lucas but I can't. She belonged to me. She has always been and she will always be." Luis spits out with so much venom that I feel the whole room chill out. I look into his eyes and the anger I see there is so intense I have to look away.
"Don't get in my way little brother. I'll forgive you for trying in my absence but not when I am back for her. Do you understand?" He asks coldly and I shake my head.
"You traitor! You have been after my woman for too long!" He yells and lunge at me. I am not quick enough and he crashes into me, sending me to the floor with him.
"What are you__" I don't finish my sentence before he hands go around my neck, cutting the air to my lungs. I thrash around on the floor.
"St__op it'sh" I try to say but he's like a deranged man. Blinded by rage.
 James comes in at this time and try to pull Luis off me.
"Get off him. Where's security? How did this man come in?" James ramble off as he grabs luis by the shoulder while Luis tries to fight him off. The hold on my neck releases and I start hacking and coughing violently.
 Luis stops struggling when he hears my coughing and I see him look down at me and then his hands like he doesn't know how they just tried to strangle me.
"Oh my God. Lucas. I didn't mean to do that. The doctors said I should be fine. I should be fine." He keeps rambling while James still holds him back.
"What the hell was that for?" I spit out once I get myself off the floor.
"I didn't want to do that Lucas but I would do worse if you don't stay away from her and my son!" Luis spits out.
"What do you mean your son?"
"Oh. She didn't tell you?" Luis laughs bitterly at my shock.
"He's such a cute kid. Looks so much like me, it's uncanny. She even named him Larry. That's like Luis, don't you think?" He mocks and I feel like my heart is splitting up.
"Don't be a selfish prick Lucas. Leave the boy to know his father and have a complete family." Luis continues and I keep shaking my head chanting no in my head.
"Does she even know we are brothers? Would she even want to marry the brother of the father of her child? That's twisted bro. Look, she doesn't even trust you with the knowledge of her child.

Read " To Live For Once (Set Me Free II) " by the same author ( Ameh juliet )

. You are just a joke to her Lucas." He spits out and I have to clapse my hands over my ears to block out his mocking voice.
"Move away now that the both of you are in good terms. Don't let her go through the pain of being pulled between two brothers. FYI she'll choose me just like before."
"Get out!!" I yell out with agony. What the hell Benedicta. Why wasn't I told about your child?
  Hot heart wrenching tears fall down my eyes as I fall to my knees on the floor.
"That's enough. You have to get out now." I hear James say as he drags Luis out.
"Disappear before she find out you are my brother and feel betrayed Lucas. Preserve the memories you guys already made and leave." Luis says before James slams the door shut behind the both of them.
 
  She has a son. Luis's son. Have I lost yet again?

OKAY, I KNOW THIS IS SO LATE AN UPLOAD BUT I AM PLEADING FOR YOU GUYS TO BEAR WITH ME. I HAVE A LOT OF REGISTRATIONS AND CLEARANCE FOR SCHOOL AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO WRITE. I HAD TO COME BACK HOME TO GET A LITTLE TIME TO FINISH THIS.
FEW EPISODES AND WE ARE DONE.