“You’re still carrying the same look,” she said looking concerned. “You’re not happy Jasmine’s coming?”


At that moment, David was lost as to what was happening. There were so many questions clamouring for answers in his head. Answers he didn’t know where to find.


But he knew one thing. Despite Nadesh’s threats, somehow, Keren had managed to miss the news of Jasmine’s death. However, it was just a matter of time before she hears it from someone. It was plain simple; he had to tell her himself.


“Keren,” he began, taking her aside slowly. “I have to tell you something.”


“Okay?” she nodded in concentration.


“Perhaps it will be better if we went insi-”
David’s words were interrupted by the beeping of a car at the gate.


“They’re here!” she exclaimed gleefully and left him for the gate before he could say another word. It was a rare sight to see Keren opening the gate herself. A white SUV drove in and Keren followed it impatiently, leaving the gate ajar.


The vehicle stopped inches to David. He didn’t get it. Why had they told her they were bringing Jasmine when the plan was to wait for the doctor to come first? Ackah stepped out after the dark, tall and thick driver had opened the door for him.


“Welcome, sir,” David lifted a hand from his standing position. He saw the look on his in-law’s face and he couldn’t hold his gaze.


Whatever this was, David knew the doctor plan had backfired.


“Hey, dad,” Keren said quickly as her mother got out from the other door. Keren’s eyes were scanning in and around the car and David saw her smiles fading. “Hey, mum,” she said as Aya walked up to her daughter.


Keren looked at her parents before her with a questioning face. “Where’s Jasmine?” she opened her hands.


Chapter seventeen


“Oh, she’s coming,” her father was quick to say confidently. Keren’s eyebrows wrinkled as Ackah quickly placed an arm around her shoulder and started to walk his perplexed daughter into the porch. “Jasmine will soon be here.”


Keren looked at her father strangely. “With who?” she asked quietly.


“Oh don’t worry,” Ackah rubbed her shoulders with a brief smile. “She’s in another car coming. Let’s get inside.”


Keren glanced back one last time. Her husband and mother were right behind her with blunt facial expressions, waiting for her to open the door to the porch.


“Is Afiba home?” Ackah asked as Keren opened the door.


“No,” she said. “I sent her to buy something down the street.”


Ackah nodded and followed Keren inside.


David waited for his mother-in-law to enter the foyer first. That respectful gesture, however, was met with a threatening glare from Aya as if to say
should something happen to my daughter.


Downcast, David followed after her.


He found Keren seated beside her father in the loveseat. Aya sat in one of the single sofas, her hands clasped on her laps, looking despondent. Eyes watched
the culprit till he settled on a sofa opposite Aya.


“Alright,” Ackah started, leaning forward. “It’s good we are all here.”


The man sighed as Keren hugged herself, rubbing her arms and looking at her father with uncertainty. “Keren,” he said.


“Yes, Dad.”

“We love you very much. Your father and mother love you so much. No matter what happens, always remember that we will be there for you.”

“Father, why are you talking like this? You’re getting me scared.”


Ackah sighed and glanced at his wife. Keren tracked his eyes and glanced at her mother who looked elsewhere to hide the tears that were springing up. Ackah spent a few seconds staring intently at the puzzled face beside him.


“Hmmm,” he heaved a deep sigh. “Keren. I know we shouldn’t have hidden it from you but … out of deep concern and love for you, we decided to … hide the truth from you.”
“What truth?” Keren asked with wide eyes of shock, her heart racing faster.


Her father inched closer to her. “It’s about,” Ackah said and paused. “Jasmine.”


Keren’s hand flew instantly to her chest in reaction to a sharp pain she felt.


“Take it easy,” Ackah closed the gap between them and wrapped an arm around Keren who took rapid short breaths. A glance across the living room saw her husband at the edge of his seat, looking horrified whiles her mother’s tears streamed down silently with her lips sucked in. “Calm down, my daughter,” Ackah whispered to Keren.


Keren exhaled and looked at her father, her chest rising and falling heavily. “What has happened to Jasmine?”


Ackah sighed. “Erm…You see, on the day Jasmine’s school vacated, your husband David sent your daughter alone in a taxi to school…”


Keren gaped. She couldn’t believe it. After a fleeting glance at David, she slowly covered her mouth with a hand.


“…On her way to school, something happened…”


Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest as her fear-stricken eyes fixed on her father lips, watching every twitch.
Ackah paused.


A sudden trembling fell on Keren when he did. Then slowly, she turned her face away, putting the pieces together in her mind. It dawned on her. No, it couldn’t be true. It didn’t take long for a tear to break free from her eyes as she slowly turned her face back to her father, her jaw partially sagging in horror.

Her hand was on her chest when she asked her father sadly in Nzema, “Father, where is my child?”


There was no response from her father who looked back sadly at her.


“Father?” She double-tapped his laps impatiently.


“Keren-”


“Father,” the tears streamed down Keren’s face as she held her hands tightly together, fearing the answer to the question she was about to ask. “Is my daughter alive?”


The delayed reply sent Keren turning towards her mother. The tears streaming down Aya’s tight face confirmed Keren’s greatest fear. She slapped a hand on her mouth after a gasp escaped and turned swiftly to her father with trembling hands, crying her eyes out across tightened lips.


“Jasmine is dead?” Keren asked horrifyingly, her chest jerking up and down as she took one final look at her similarly horrified husband before giving out a frightening howl, clutching her chest tightly and collapsing back into the couch. Keren’s body lay motionless, her hand dropping down the arm of the couch.


“No!” Aya shrieked, dashing at her daughter just like David whiles Ackah struggled to haul up the weight of his lifeless-looking daughter.
“Don’t touch her!” Aya barked at David.


“Miah!” Ackah screamed his chauffeur’s name as David trembled on his feet with hands unable to remain still, wanting to carry her wife but restraining himself at the same time. “Miah! Miah!”


The door flew open, and in dashed their chauffeur. Without being told what to do, he hauled up Keren’s body onto his arms effortlessly and raced outside. Her parents quickly followed leaving David behind. With hands on his head and mouth wide opened on a crumpling face, David dropped to his knees.


“No!” he banged the floor with his fist repeatedly, sobbing loudly. “Ah! Ah! Ah!” He sat on the floor, banging his fists against his head as he heard the car leaving the yard.


David couldn’t remain there. He ran to the yard where the cold wind dragged the opened driveway gate shut in one loud bang. Like a man whose world had ended, he didn’t know what to do as he stood in the middle of the yard.


“Keren,” he sobbed, dropping to his knees at once and spreading his hands toward the gate, “please forgive me.” He slapped both hands on his head and fell flat on the floor, rolling from side to side like a child and wailing, “I’m finished, I’m finished!” For the next few minutes that elapsed, David sprawled on the bare floor, crying both throat and eyes out.


Then it happened.


“Mum! Mum!” he heard a familiar voice shout at a distance outside.


David sat up at once with a gasp, a chill travelling down his spine. “Jasmine?”


There was no sound of a voice again.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, ears alert with eyebrows furrowed. His ears were playing tricks on him, he felt.


“Mum! Mum!” he heard the voice again, clearer than before.


David dashed to the gate in a heartbeat and yanked it open.


Never in his life had David been this mystified than when he caught sight of his daughter – Jasmine –running across the street towards her father at the gate as fast as her little legs could carry her.


“Dad!” she screamed at her frozen and gaping father and glanced over her shoulder, a look of fright in her eyes.


“Dad!”


“No. It can’t be,” he whispered, mystified like never before. END OF PART 1

Oh my, Oh my, Oh my!!!!!

Dude, this comment is equal to a million, if u know how my heart is racing right now, how adrenaline is pumping.....I could have a freaking, not a heart attack, I can't swear for myself after seeing Keren's condition

What can I say, words fail me, the book is ineffable, I'm simply swooning right now
#suspense
#Keren
#David
#Ntoor to Nadesh
#JASMINE??!?!!

Wow op.
There's what we call tempo
You're very good at maintaining it.
God bless u
Please bring in part 2

martins18,I swear you don't want us both to have issues,don't delay the part 2.na beg I beg you

Wow

Writer pleaseeeeeeeeeee part 22222222222222

Wow....
I swear you're a writer....
I hail you...May God bless you abundantly for this.. Seriously,I didn't envisage it turning out this way...I can't wait for part 2...



Mynd44,Divepen1,This piece deserves to be promoted to front page oooo..

Every update is a HIT
back2back
Well-done
I wish too, for this to make front page.

Wow.....so captivating. Pls cant wait to read part 2. You are so talented.

Wow, so is Jasmine still alive or is David hallucinating

Waiting for part 2

Op!!!!!
We are waiting ooo

Where did the writer go?
the intervals are getting longer.
This will ultimately make people forget they are waiting for your next post and focus on something else

I think we are all hallucinating here

Please let's give him more time.

Sorry guys for the delay, it's still work in progress. i will mention everyone when the update is ready

martins18:
Sorry guys for the delay, it's still work in progress. i will mention everyone when the update is ready

We're solidly behind you

Josipov:

We're solidly behind you

Thanks Bros

Jesus, do you want me to have my own heart attack? See how frantically my heart is beating as if it will explode. You're a terrific writer. I couldn't just drop my phone down as every other thing was put on hold until I finished up.

I applaud your writing skills. Gosh, I'm full of admiration for you. Anticipating update soon. You can also add me as a character in the part 2 of this book.

Hello martin18
Hope you're fine?
Don't forget us ooo

Hello Martin's! I can't begin to imagine what words best suits this story! Words have eluded me but, one thing I know is that as David was crying in each scene, I was crying with him too!
This story is highly heart wrenching and truly somewhere in this something similar is also happening!
Please don't keep us waiting for too long and thank you so much for this story!
I have been glued all day to phone, every other thing was kept on hold cos of this captivating write up....
Please don't delay in dishing out the part two!
Thank you so much!
Jehovah will grant you infinite inspiration to continue!
Plus it kinda hard to see or read a story without adult content here on NL, for this, I give you a thumbs up!
I feel I've said too much already, so I'll leave the rest to myself!
Thanks a bunch!

Terrific.

martins18
Hope you're fine?
Even if you're so busy and can't update yet, at least say something.
That will at least give us hope that you're fine and that you've not abandoned this story.

Martins18
We are still waiting

This story is really for the strong hearted, had to abandon it for a while when I was getting too attached to the plights of the characters
Just waiting for two

So at last this story too will be left uncompleted.
All is well.
Very disappointed.

Heyyyy

It's taken long enough to start part 2 na

Martin18 hope you haven't forgotten your ardent readers who are constantly refreshing this page to know when the part two of this amazing work is ready?

At least just wave at us so that we know you are okay and we would go from there


Thanks for this piece. It is beautiful that I had read it over and over again

Wow, this story kept me up all night. This is one of my best piece from Nairaland. Keep it up Brother.

when will the part 2 of this story be coming out?