Chapter 3
Tshabina
“So? What exactly did he say?” Andi asked, sipping the Americano.
The two of us were at the dining table. We’d come down from the second floor about half an hour ago, and it was already six in the morning. My body felt sore, but my eyes hurt a thousand times more. I had gone to bed very late after celebrating my dad’s birthday last night.
I’d been drifting in and out of thought since waking up this morning, with no energy to endure Andi’s interrogation. I sat across from him with a cup of hot chocolate, stirring it endlessly without taking a single sip.
I took a deep breath.
I wanted to crawl back into bed, close my eyes, and wake up to discover that everything that had happened since yesterday was only a nightmare.
Andi snapped his fingers in front of my face, jolting me out of my daze. I lifted my head to meet his frown. He sighed and took another sip of his coffee. “Answer me, Bib, for fuck’s sake. Are you a statue or what?”
I stared at him with stinging eyes and a pounding head, and the only thing that left my lips was a weary, “Hmm…” before I dropped my gaze again, stirring the hot chocolate, having no idea when I would stop.
“Hmm? What kind of ‘hmm’ are you talking about?”
I said nothing. My eyes stayed fixed on the swirling chocolate in my cup. And then—tears fell again.
I didn’t want them to.
But my mind and my heart were no longer in sync.
They were screaming at each other, pulling me apart until my body decided to betray me, letting it all pour out in chaos.
He slid a tissue toward me, a small sigh escaping him. I grabbed it and wiped away my tears.
I knew Andi was sick of seeing me like this, but no one was more disgusted with me than I was.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay,” Andi said, his tone calmer.
Shaking my head, I tried to speak, but my voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper. “He called me Sophie, and then, when I wanted to reply—” my throat tightened. It felt as if a clamp was crushing my mouth shut.
Andi didn’t interrupt; he waited. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes for a moment, then straightened my shoulders. My voice trembled as I looked at him. “Turns out it wasn’t Zioh texting me. It’s his assistant or something.”
Andi frowned. “What?”
I lifted my shoulders in a helpless gesture.
His tone rose, narrowing his eyes. “Why the fuck would his assistant text you? In the middle of the night?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, voice weak. “For work.”
“Wo—work? What the fuck are you even saying?” His face twisted in confusion.
When I opened my mouth to explain, he cut me off. “Give me your phone, let me read it myself.” He snatched my phone from the table beside me without waiting for permission. I sat still, watching in silence.
His jaw dropped, and his expression twisted in disgust. “His PA is awful. She dared to call you Sophie and then casually asked to meet to discuss content introductions. And then apologized for texting so late, saying she had to use his phone because hers had run out of battery?” Andi scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain.
“And the first word, instead of a proper greeting, a simple good evening, Miss, she had the guts to call you Sophie? What the fuck is that? Did she think you were some old bestie of hers or something?”
Sighing, I lifted my shoulders a bit. “Maybe she’s not from around here, Ndi. And Zioh used to call me Sophie, remember? She might’ve been confused or something.” I shrugged again, trying to lean into optimism.
“Oh, please. Still, Bib.” Andi snapped. “A man like Zioh Danudara having a crap assistant?”
I said nothing. Too tired to argue with his unfiltered mouth.
He put my phone back in front of me, screen still lit with the text. Andi took another sip of coffee, muttering, “Figures.”
“What do you mean?”
“No wonder you’ve been such a bitch since last night,” Andi said, tapping the screen where the text was still displayed. “Because your guy turned into an asshole to you. You know what? Last night you were like a fucking cat on a hot tin roof, do you even realize that?!”
I lowered my head, stirring my long-cold chocolate, my eyes flickering toward the last text from Zioh after Natasha had taken over his phone:
Zioh my hero: Meet me at ten a.m. tomorrow morning.
Tshabina: Ah, okay, Zi.
Zioh my hero: Watch your language. There’s no need for such familiarity with me.
Tshabina: Yes, sir.
Andi’s voice pulled my gaze back to him. “Besides, out of everyone in the medcom team, why did they have to call you?” He let out a short breath. “Just don’t go.”
“I can’t. It’s an important project, Ndi.”
Andi sighed in defeat, staring at me. “So? Do you want me to come with you?”
I instantly looked up, and I knew; I looked at him with wide, gleaming, cat eyes that could have melted anyone. My nod came in rapid motion. “Yes, please. Thank you.”
He clicked his tongue. “Where else are you gonna find a friend like me? Good, handsome, loyal.” He sighed, the side of his mouth hitched up. “And stop your bad habits, like last night. Also, pay me back with Labubu.”
? ── * ── ?
10 hours earlier
“Bib, your sister’s been in the shower for half an hour, and it’s midnight! She’ll get possessed in there,” Andi complained for what felt like the hundredth time outside my bathroom door, followed by another round of knocks.
“Dek?” Tsabinu’s voice came after a ten-minute pause. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Letting out a long breath, I shut off the water. “I’m done, Mas. Give me five minutes!” I called back, rubbing my aching eyes.
I grabbed the towel behind the door and dried myself, taking a deep breath and letting the air leave me slowly.
It was Natasha.
He had called me Sophie, but it wasn’t him.
He had given me a flicker of hope, only to snatch it away, turning my pounding heartbeat into a hollow ache.
I slipped into my bathrobe, my hands trembling, and I opened the bathroom door and saw that both men were still there.
I sighed as their eyes were on me, those men refusing to take the hint that they should leave my room already. Honestly, I wanted to hide—as if they could see right through me.
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” Andi muttered, making the cross sign on his chest. “Bib… Biba, are you sure you’re okay?” His voice shook as he pointed at my brother. “Who am I with these glasses, man, Bib?”
I shook my head at his nonsense, walking toward my small walk-in closet beside the bathroom. “Out. Both of you, will you?” My voice was low but firm. “I need to change.”
Of course, it didn’t work.
Tsabinu knew me too well. He followed, pulling the closet door half-closed but leaving a small gap, leaning against the wall beside it. I knew his eyes were now fixed on Andi, who muttered something ridiculous again about me being “possessed.”
Yeah. I must’ve looked that bad.
“What’s wrong, Dek?” Tsabinu’s soft voice came through the gap.
When I didn’t answer, he tried again. “Hey… are you okay? His tone was laced with concern. “Did something happen?”
“She’s really possessed, Bib,” Andi whispered, clearly to Tsabinu. “Didn’t you see her face when she came out?”
Rolling my eyes, I snatched a pair of pajamas from the closet and let out a weary mutter. “Nothing happened. Just get out, please.” I hurried to change and towel-dried my still-damp hair. “I need space and boundaries.”
Andi sighed in relief. “Oh… she’s still with us.”
This man, seriously.
I stepped out in my pajamas, hair wrapped in a towel, and both of them still stared at me. Ignoring them and walking straight to my vanity, I began my nightly skincare routine—choosing silence, even as I caught their reflections in the mirror.
Andi’s eyes were narrowed in suspicion. Tsabinu’s gaze was worried.
But I stayed quiet.
“Seriously, what the hell is happening?” Andi asked again, trying to peel away my defenses with those hawk-like eyes.
“As I said, nothing happened,” I shot back, calm but cutting, rubbing moisturizer into my swollen face.
“Said the one who walked out of the bathroom looking like a zombie.”
“Get out, please.”
Tsabinu moved closer. “What’s wrong, Dek?” His gentle voice broke me again.
Crap. That tone never helped; it only made my eyes tremble. I exhaled in defeat. “Zioh texted me.”
“What?!” they both blurted out at once.
“Like now? While you were in the bathroom? That’s why you came out like the walking dead?”
A thousand and damn one questions.
I managed a small nod, still massaging moisturizer onto my face. “But it turns out it wasn’t him. It was another girl.”
“What?!” Again, they shouted together.
“Work. Another woman,” the words came out cracked, barely a whisper. I stared blankly at my reflection, rubbing the cream into my skin.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Andi snapped, storming toward me. “Ugh, give me your phone, I’ll read it myself.” He reached for it on my vanity, but I snatched it to my chest, faster.
“No.” My voice was sharp, eyes glaring at him.
“Just give me your damn—”
The clock chimed midnight. We all stopped, realizing how late it had gotten because we were too caught up in drama.
It was Dad’s birthday.
We scrambled, grabbing the cake from the carpet where we’d left it, and Tsabinu carried it, leading us out. Andi paused at the door, turning back to squint at me. “We’re not done.”
? ── * ── ?
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you~ blow out the candles, Dad!”
We sang with smiles plastered on our faces in the dark of my Dad’s room, waking him from sleep.
“Thank you, my loves,” he said, his eyes softening as he looked at us. “I’m so lucky to have you all.”
Our dad, Prabu, was fifty-two tonight. He looked smaller and frailer, wrinkles deepening with age and illness. Still, he stayed active and productive despite it all.