Chapter 9

Lanre looked at the caller ID of Sewa's phone, he wondered why the commissioner of Port Harcourt was calling her by this time of the night.

Could something have happened to her mother and siblings, he was curious, just as he was about to answer the phone call, Sewa's voice stopped him.

"What are you doing with my phone?" Sewa asked, her voice came out crude and harsh, making Lanre confused.

"Are you invading my privacy now?!" She asked, clearly pissed but mostly because of her guilty conscience pricking her.

She was nervous within her and scared and she had no other choice but to act the way she was acting now.

"Why are you speaking this way? Your phone was ringing and i had no other option but to answer it and tell them to call back later considering you weren't around. Why would I invade your privacy? And you don't have to be rude you know," Lanre lamented.

Sewa scoffed, "Rude? Now I'm rude, do I go around checking your phone contacts and answering your phone calls?" She spat out taking Lanre by shock. He wondered the reason for her nonchalant behaviour suddenly.

His brows scrunched as he tried figuring out what was wrong with her, was she suddenly on her period? He thought. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to calm his nerves.

"You know you don't have to..." Sewa's harsh voice cut him off in a way that made him Confused. "Just hold it! You have to stop with all this Mr perfect and gentleman attitude. I am your girlfriend doesn't give you the right to intrude my privacy or go through my phone!" She lashed out.

Lanre tried understanding her, he thought maybe she could be going through some issues because of her attitude. So he maintained a calm posture trying to help her out, "Are you going through any issue, you can talk to me you know?" He asked, his voice came out low but held concern in them.

Sewa got pissed, she was looking for means to tell him off and for him to shout on her but he wasn't doing any of it and was doing the opposite of what she expected. How can a man be this weak when it came to the person he loved? She thought. She expected him to shout at her and argue with her so she'd use that as the perfect opportunity to end the relationship while they were in a heated argument but instead he was acting cool and asking what her problem was.

"You have issues and my problem is you!" She shouted, catching Lanre off guard.

"How? I don't get you?" He asked. Sewa face palmed herself, where did they get Lanre from? He had such a good heart and she was too damaged to be saved, no matter how much she wanted to keep him for herself, she knew he deserved better.

"Are you having any issues with the police? Why is the commissioner of Port Harcourt calling you?" Lanre asked, the way his voice came out showed he was worried.

"Shit!" Sewa muttered.

The commissioner of police called, she suddenly remembered he dealt with him, she was supposed to meet him at the hotel, her heart sank.

This was what Lanre brother spoke about earlier. She has just slept with Lanre and she still slept with others and proudly said she had a boyfriend.

She heaved a sigh, "Just stop already acting like the perfect gentleman and stop acting as if you don't get angry, it's so annoying when you try to act as if you are always right!" Sewa yelled, her voice broke in that process, it was as if she was about to cry. Her heart ached but she knew she needed to end it as soon as possible.

Lanre was confused, he didn't know why she said all she had just said but the words she said just now weren't all true, why was she acting differently? He wanted to know what was going on with her but he knew this wasn't the first time she'd act this way without any valid reasons.

He was hurt not because of her words but because he felt she always hurt him intentionally knowing how well he loved her.

Lanre said nothing, he watched as she picked her stuff from the room. "Don't ever and I mean it, don't ever intrude my privacy and give me some space!' she shouted, grabbing her phone from his hand in a rough way, Lanre said nothing as he watched her every movement.

Sewa was surprised to see Lanre not chasing her or saying anything instead he watched her.

"What are you doing?" He asked her when he was her carrying her bag.

"I'm obviously going home!" She yelled.

"Are you serious? It's late and dark and dangerous!" He shouted.

"I don't care! I just want to stay away from you right now, you this possessive maniac!" She yelled breaking Lanre's heart.

He was hurt, he never treated or acted that way towards her before and those accusations broke him. He watched her retreating steps and he made no attempt to hold nor stop her.

She slammed his room door in a harsh way and walked out of his apartment.

Sewa phone rang again, she looked at the caller ID to see it was the commissioner of police in Port Harcourt. She ended the call without answering, she wasn't in the mood to see him.

Her heart ached, she knew she had made one of the biggest mistakes but within her, she had hope, knowing Lanre would definitely call or get back to her.

When she got back home, she was surprised to see her mother in the living room, watching the television. She furrowed her brows wondering the reason for her mother watching television by this time of the day.

"Mother," She called getting her mother's attention.

"Why are you up?' she asked her mother, she looked at the wall clock and realised the time was past 2am in the morning.

Sewa's mother heaved a sigh, signaling Sewa to come take a seat beside her.

"Where have you been?" Sewa mother asked.

Sewa heart sank, she felt bad she put pressure on her mother by making her worried about her. Sewa bit her inner cheek to think of a good lie to give to her mother.

"I was with a friend," Sewa lied.

"Mofadesewa," his mother called. "Do you know the meaning of your name?" His mother asked her. Sewa was taken aback by her mother's question.

"Yes ma," Sewa retorted.

"You do but still you destroy your name by doing things that will ruin your crown," He mother lamented.

"Sewa, I am a mother and no mother will be proud or satisfied knowing that her daughter sleeps around with different men for money. I know you started all this to save us, to help your younger ones but you must not forget your self comes first before anyone," Her mother took a hold on Sewa's hand.

"You are my first child and I feel really bad as a mother to not have taken the responsibility I made you take at a very young age. I feel bad because I have failed you and your younger ones," He mother said. Sewa looked into her mother's eyes to see her eyes were welled up with tears.

Sewa couldn't stand to see her mother cry and with the thought of her mother's eyes all welled up with tears made a drop of tears roll down her cheek.

"I should have considered your sisters and you before putting myself in a state of half life, I made you struggle and go through a lot to make life easy for us all. I am ashamed that I let you take those responsibilities from such a young age. It hurts Sewa, because I know you sleep around for us but the more reason I'm hurt is because I'm scared there is no redemption for you!" Sewa took a deep breath whilst closing her heart.

Sewa knew within her heart, she didn't want to redeem herself, she didn't want to be saved. As much as she wanted to help and save herself, she knew she was too in deep and her family life would be at risk once she withdrew herself.