CLARA (The State Governor’s daughter)
EPISODE 31
Clara’s side of the story continues
My phone was soon bombarded with calls and text messages as we headed home, giving me no chance to discuss things Charles. It was just as if some of my friends who weren’t at the wedding ceremony all got the news of my engagement in a flash. I really was in a very precarious situation. I was very much confused over how to follow things up. Charles on his own part kept smiling like someone who won a jackpot. We got back to his house without discussing a thing.
However as I settled on my bed to think things through, he walked in and sat on the bed.
‘’how do you feel my dear?’’ he asked calmly.
‘’I feel awful. You used me Charles. You took advantage of my trust and forgiveness’’ I replied with a raised tone.
‘’’but I only proposed to you before all our friends for you to see that I’m genuinely in love with you, For you to see that I very much want to be with you, For you to see my seriousness. Come on my dear, don’t tell me I did wrong again. Wasn’t it a good surprise?’’ he asked with an innocent tone.
I sat up on the bed, pulled out the ring and offered back to him.
‘’I don’t need your ring Charles. Not now, not yet’’ I said simply, shocking him with my words.
‘’I beg of you Clara?, what is this madness?’’ he breathed, drawing backwards.
‘’I don’t want to be engaged with you yet. I only accepted your proposal in order not to hurt your ego; I did it to help you save face.
I didn’t want to embarrass you before everyone’’ I muttered.
‘’then kindly keep the ring and still pretend that all is still fine. I can give you all the time in the world to make up your mind. I really see no reason why you are having a double mind all of a sudden. Every other girl would be happy to marry me but you are so unbelievable.
This isn’t fair to me at all. This is supposed to me my happiest day’’ he sulked, trying hard to play the victim.
‘’I don’t care what you say or feel. Just take back your ring or I will throw it away’’ I threatened. He softly took the ring, stood up and left the room without another word. I fell back on my bed and cried. Of course I couldn’t say if I did the right thing or not.
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Early the next day, we headed back to the east in a cold mood. Of course after all that happened the previous day, I was so eager to head home because I knew the more I stayed with him the more uncomfortable I would be.
I couldn’t sleep the previous night and very early in the morning I had dressed up and walked up to his room to tell him that I was leaving. At first he appeared confused but when he noticed that I was very determined to leave on my own he had no option than to offer to take me home.
He silently drove, saying nothing to me while I busied myself with my thoughts. I had a lot to think and so his silence never got to me. When we eventually got home around 7:10pm, I simply muttered a quick ‘’thank you’’ to him and headed to my room without turning back.
At exactly 10pm, that same evening, mum surprised me by walking into my room. It was something she rarely did and I couldn’t even remember the last time she came into my room.
She softly sat on my bed, breathed deeply and placed her hand on my body.
‘’how do you feel my dear?’’ she asked
‘’I feel awful mum’’ I confessed.
‘’Charles told me everything and I understand how you feel but you should please act like an adult and stop behaving like a baby.
You already accepted him publicly and as far as I know he is yet to do anything that would lead to a change of mind’’ she added softly.
I sat up and faced her.
‘’I only accepted his proposal because I didn’t want to embarrass him’’ I defended weakly.
‘’I know but what good will it be for his image, for people to hear that you broke up with him the same evening you accepted him before everyone. It’s still the same as rejecting him publicly?. As far as I know you don’t have any other strong suitor you have feelings for. So take back your ring and act like an adult. You are engaged to him doesn’t mean that you are married to him. Wear his ring and still take your time to make a good decision. For now you are blinded by the past.
You can still call it off in the end when have a good reason. You once told me that love is never enough. So calm down, and act like a woman. You already accepted him before the whole world. So take back your ring’’ she said strongly, leaving me with no choice than to obey and hesitantly take back Charles’s ring she brought along. I wore it and looked down.
She drew close and hugged me
‘’when I married your father, I liked him, I was a bit fond of him but was never in love with him. I had other admirers who were more fashionable, handsome and presentable than him but I chose him because I saw he had a good future and ambition more than the rest.
Now here I’m a governor’s wife and an envy of many women. So my dear, I totally agreed with you when you said love is never enough. You have my spirit and I know you are wise. Charles has all it takes to go far in life and you guys already have a history together’’ she added convincingly, caging my feelings with her subtle words.
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Val’s side of the story continues at that same moment.
(Val is seen talking to agent Jennifer who listens with great interest)
‘’so that was how Charles brut@lly st@bbed Vivian and i that fateful evening and all I just told is exactly how it happened and the threats he made. Right now I’m scared of Clara’s safety and I know my story is hard to believe but I’m also disappointed that you guys didn’t investigate properly before concluding that Vivian and I had a fight and I stabbed her.
I’m a trained agent and supposing I wanted Vivian killed, it wouldn’t have been messy as it is’’’ I summarized convincingly while Jennifer nodded.
‘’I believe you Val but for now you should lay low and wait to heal first. By then the department must have made a decision on your case. I believe by that time Vivian must have recovered as well and once she returns to the country, her words will be enough to nail Charles’’ she breathed softly while I returned her gaze with great gratitude. She really sacrificed a lot to keep my mum and i company all the time I was down. There was no doubt she believed in me.
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