Not Anymore

In the quiet ward of Rehoboth hospital, lay a young woman of 18 years old. Her body, covered with gauze and bandages. Her face was unknown as her eyes were the only part uncovered with the gauze.

Despite it, her nose was covered with an oxygen mask. She had been in a coma for two weeks. But more than that, her babies were saved but they also were placed in an incubator.

A woman walked in, alongside the doctor. They checked on the patient and the doctor said "She's showing signs of recovery. She should be out of coma in a couple of days"

"Alright. Please, whatever you can, save this poor woman and her babies. Please, save her" Ebele Johnson pleaded.

How can someone be so mean as to hurt an innocent girl like this? And to know that she's carrying little lives in her belly makes her think about the level of inhumanity in that person.

"I promise you that she'll be fine. But what I can promise you is that she might not be able to heal completely and the scars cannot be removed from her body except through a surgery and the trauma, is everlasting"

"Just save her life first. Then we'll come to that later" Ebele Johnson stuttered. For the past two weeks, she'd prayed silent prayers, asking that the Almighty save this girl.

"She'll be fine," the doctor assured her.

Two days later, Isabella Manor fingers trembled. Her eyes blinked and Ebele Johnson was dazed with excitement. She stood up and ran out, "doctor, doctor.." she called, running towards the nurses station.

Few minutes later, Isabella Manor opened her eyes weakly. The oxygen mask was removed but all they could see was a pair of eyes, nose and lips. The other parts were covered.

Ebele Johnson sat next to her, she placed her palm on Isabella's arm, giving it a soft squeeze. At the time, Isabella was not able to say a word.

Her mind was blank and her brain void of any memory. Seeing her pathetic state, Ebele Johnson turned to the doctor, "She's so young, doctor. Can't you help her?"

"She will come around soon. The shock hadn't left her yet. Give her a few more hours, she'll be fine" the doctor assured.

Ebele Johnson turned abruptly back to Isabella. She saw the helplessness of the girl and a lone tear dropped from her eye onto Isabella's arm.

She shivered, turned her gaze on the drop of tear and she jerked up, like someone waking up from a slumber. She suddenly became frightened.

"Excuse me ma'am" the doctor said, coming over quickly and the nurses helping Isabella stay calm. She might act violently as her only means of survival to the last bit of memory she had before going into a coma.

The young woman remembered what happened to her but looking around, she saw herself surrounded by a team of medical personnel.

"Where am I? My babies..." she screamed weakly, grabbing the doctor's arm with great difficulty and using the other hand to caress her now flat belly, trying to raise herself.

"Your babies are fine. Just calm down" the doctor assured her.

Five years later, Isabella Manor came back to her foster family. She drove first to her parents graveyard and stood before it in a long black dress.

"Mom, dad, I missed you both. Words can't express how much I missed you" Isabella Manor choked, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her parents were murdered by her uncle. It's a conspiracy that was so knitted that until the day that Jeniva exposed that secret, she never knew she was living with her greatest enemies.

The memory of what happened five years ago flashed through Isabella's heart. Her dear cousin Jeniva, two years older than her, had taken her out to take a breath of fresh air, at least, that's what she said.

She had remained indoors after her belly started protruding. Her uncle had told Alex that they couldn't get married until she clocked 18 years.

And from the way things are, she would be 18 years a month before her expected due date of delivery. Hence, she and Alex were expecting their baby, so she thought back then.

At seven months gone, a month before her 18th birthday, her cousin Jeniva took her out. She claimed to be taking her out on a ride in her car. But quickly asked her to apex her signature on a form briefly.

The innocent and naive her didn't think twice nor did it cross her mind to read through the document. She signed it and slipped into Jeniva's car.

Jeniva got a drink and casually offered her "drink something for the babies" she said, smiling broadly. She was happy, Jeniva was looking after her and her unborn babies.

After taking the drink, she soon began to feel sleepy. She blamed it on pregnancy hormones and pleaded with Jeniva that she would just have a quick nap.

"You can take forever, isn't that what I wanted?" Jeniva mumbled. She found her cousin's words weird and she asked "What did you say?"

"Oh, I mean you can relax, I'm here with you" Jeniva had responded. But somehow she perceived a sinister tone in Jeniva's words, but dismissed it.

When she would open her eyes later, she found herself in an empty old house. She was tied to the pillar of the house and her protruded belly was not spared.

She was breathing with difficulty and before her stood Jeniva, smoking and puffing the smoke of her cigarette onto her face.

Cough cough cough. She was choking but it doesn't seem like Jeniva cares if she choked to her death or not. Why is Jeniva staring at her maliciously and why was she being tied?

"Jeniva, help me. Untie me quickly. I'm choking and feeling pain in my lower belly.." she pleaded. At the time, she hadn't fathomed that the devil she was asking for help was actually the one who tied her.

Rather than help her, Jeniva bursted into a devilish laugh...

Jeniva puffed the smoke of her cigarette into her face again and laughed hysterically "did I go through all these efforts just to come here and untie you?" She inquired and bursted into laughter again.

She was acting evil and her eyes were emitting fierce bitterness and hatred. She(Isabella) was scared. She tried to unite herself, putting all her efforts to it but Jeniva came closer and said "how about I help you"

And slashed her cheeks with a knife. She screamed and shivered. Blood was gushing and that instant,she knew evil was about to befall her.

Will she be able to get out of this alive? What has come over Jeniva, why is she hurting her? They've been sisters all their lives. What happened now?

"Jeniva, why are you hurting me, what did I do wrong? We're sisters, please don't hurt me" she'd pleaded but the she-devil turned a fierce glare at her and asked "Who is your sister?

You must be dreaming. You'd better wake up from your dream land. You and I were never related. You were adopted and I am the only one with the Manor bloodline here" Jeniva disclosed.

She was dazed. She was adopted? Why didn't mom and dad say anything about it to her before they died? They had died in a ghastly motor accident and she was only ten back then.

But Jeniva's parents took her in and raised her until she was going to clock 18. Why is she just knowing she wasn't a Manor descendant?

"Your Mom was your biological mother but your father,who was my uncle, was never your father. But despite being an illegitimate child in that marriage, you got all the good things any child could ever deserve.

My uncle cherished you and showered you with so much love. Your mother was a wealthy woman. She got a lot of wealth and properties from her parents and your father became a rich merchant.

But I hate you. I hate you because you are more beautiful than me, I hate you because your parents are richer than mine. No wonder dad and mom orchestrated their accident and killed them both..." Jeniva said and laughed, puffing more smoke into her face.

That day, she had thought she would die. The news of her parents being murdered by her uncle and Aunt shocked her more than anything else in this world.

It had appeared like an accident. Everyone believed it to be a mere accident. Despite being young, she had accepted that her parents died in the accident.

So it was masterminded. It wasn't just by accident nor was it a disaster that befell them naturally, they were murdered. Her parents had really been good to everyone around them and most importantly Jeniva's parents.

How can they do this to them? And now, will Jeniva be ending her own life too? Her parents killed her parents and probably the murderer's daughter was going to kill her too.

What about her babies? Will they never get a chance to see the light of this life? Are they going to die in her belly before they were ever given a chance to take their first breath outside her belly?

"Please spare me, Jeniva. For my baby's sake. Spare me for Alex's sake. Remember he is your friend and the baby in my belly is his" she'd pleaded

"Shut the fuck! In your dreams only you can be pregnant with Alex's child. The one whose child is in your belly is a stranger. Someone none of us know.

The one who is carrying Alex's child is me. I'm two months pregnant already and that's more reason why I have to eliminate you so that I can marry him conveniently" Jeniva Scowled and slashed her from her temple down to her lower jaw.

She screamed painfully, she felt her babies kick in her belly weakly. The children in her belly were definitely getting suffocated just like her. Will she die with her babies?

She sobbed, her dress was getting soaked with her blood. She was weak but she cannot say which of it hurts her, the cutting of the knife or the betrayals on every side.

And to know that her boyfriend was actually dating her cousin was something she least expected. Alex and Jeniva met during her 15th birthday and since then they have acted like platonic friends.

And when she woke up that day, and realised that she'd lost her virginity, she'd thought it was Alex. He even sat by her on the bed and held her, apologising to her.

So it was all a drama. They were together all along and now,Jeniva is pregnant with his child while she was carrying the child of a total stranger.

"And lastly, you just signed the transfer of the entire wealth and properties of your parents to me. I owe everything now. And henceforth, my parents and I have no need of you" Jeniva concluded and gave her another stab on her head.

This was enough for her. As the blood trickled down her face, her eyes went dizzy. She knew she wouldn't survive it, she was dying and the last words she remembered muttering to Jeniva was "I'll never forgive you"

As Isabella Manor cleaned her tears filled face, she said "I am back now, mother and father. I will avenge you. I will never let your murderers have a peaceful end, that's my promise to you.

I have a different face now, mother and I took up a different identity. But I am still your Isabella. I am still the baby you carry in your belly. I am your blood, the only one to carry on your bloodline.

It will also interest you to know that you have two grandsons. They are geniuses. They are so sweet. They have your blood, mother. And whether Fiona Johnson or Isabella Manor, I am still your daughter.

But father, please forgive me. I will not spare the Manor family for what they did to you. I will forget that you were once related to them. I will only seek their ruin and downfall.

My return is for a purpose. This is me, father, I will not spare,I will not forgive the death of Isabella Manor nor the birth of Fiona Johnson!"

Isabella Manor put on her black shade and walked away in her black dress, out of the cemetery. She got to her car and slid in. As she drove out of the cemetery, a man jumped in front of her car and she pulled the brake so quickly that it made a screeching noise.

The man ran over quickly to her side, holding a certain part of his chest. He tapped on her window and she rolled it down and bellowed "You jerk!..." She was going to advise him to jump into the lagoon and have a peaceful suicide death rather than hang the guilt of it on her heart.

But paused, as she saw that the man was bleeding from his head. "Save him, I've been shot and stabbed.." the man said.

Isabella remembered what it's like to be stabbed. She immediately unlocked the back door and said "Hop in" the man was now finding it difficult to walk upright and with difficulty, he dragged himself into the car.

But his pursuers sighted them, just before Isabella Manor drove off. They got into their car and started chasing them. Different thoughts of survival were running through Isabella's head as she stepped on it, moving it swift and fast, as much as she could.

"Save me however you can," the stranger pleaded, he seemed to be talking with difficulty but his voice was vocal and sexily accented

Isabella Manor suspected that they might have their co accomplice, cross them in front, hence she adopted another idea, turning into a busy alley and parked.

She stepped out and joined the stranger at the back. Wondering what she wanted, he grabbed her immediately and started kissing her passionately.

Isabella wanted to push him off but she got caught up in it. She kissed him back. His lips were supple and he kissed her like a lover.

Seeing that his pursuers had stepped out, coming towards the car with his split vision, he laid back and pulled the woman over himself, thereby her long hair covering his bleeding skull.

Isabella gnawed in fury but he whispered "Save me by acting along" he whispered. His hands across her waist as they remain in an intimate position.

One of the men yanked the door open and Isabella moaned loudly. The man hissed and grumpled "Isn't the car too small for this?" And shut the door.

He raised his hand and announced to the others helplessly "We lost the bastard". Without waiting another minute, they got into their car and zoomed off.

As soon as they left, Isabella raised herself off his body and yanked him upright and slapped him across the face "How dare you kiss me?" She yelled at him.

She stepped out of the back seat and somehow, felt unhappy that the kissing stopped. This stranger ignited a passion within her and her body wants him to continue.

"Get out of my car" she ordered coldly. How can she let a stranger kiss her? The first and last time a stranger touched her, the result was the twin.

"Take me to a place where I will be safe" he ordered coldly. Lan Keith glared at the woman whose car he remained seated without the slightest intention of stepping out.

She slapped him, she's the first woman who has the temerity to do that. She's feisty and he likes such women. But besides, who is she?

Isabella Manor wanted to refute him again but she remembered how helpless and unconscious she was and found help. She got behind the wheel and combed her hair backwards with her hand.

She glared at the man behind her from the rear mirror and saw him close his eyes. She sighed and drove out of the alley.

"Where should I drop you?" Isabella asked and the stranger answered almost immediately "Junction to Helen's island" and shut his eyes again.

The man was really wounded. She looked at her dress, it was soiled with his blood. She took a deep breath and imagined how Ebele mom had also saved her.

It definitely was not going to be easy on her that day. She was heavy and pregnant with a twin. Yet she saved her and gave her a chance to live and her babies survived.

Soon, she arrived at the junction and the stranger opened his eyes "How do you want me to reward you?" The stranger asked, his complexion was looking pale. He was still talking sanely but he was really getting weaker and his shirt was soaked in his blood.

"Let's say, you owe me a favour. Someday, you'll pay me if we ever cross paths again" Isabella Manor replied.

"I don't owe favours and I don't forget either" the stranger replied and stepped out of the car, he stood upright and walked with pride towards the car.

Isabella glared at him walking away and wondered if he was wounded at all. Anyways, she shrugged and drove off.

A message popped up on Isabella's phone and she glanced at it just as she drove through the gates of the Johnson's mansion.

Thank you for saving my life today, Fiona Johnson.

Isabella Manor squinted, how did he know who she was? Did she introduce herself to him?

Such a weird man but also somewhat familiar.