HER BABYs SECRET Episode 52 by Ebunoluwa Ademide
Theme: He searched for me
Arike’s POV
I cleared my throat hoping to gain his attention but he didn’t raise his head up.
“I have nothing to say to anyone.”
My breathe caught at the sound of the voice I was once used to hearing always. It has been so long.
Slowly I started towards the table only the sound of my footsteps echoed in the room. I was focused on his figure and finally reached the spare chair and I pulled it backward before settling on it. Adedayo didn’t raise his head to see me.
“Hello Dayo.” I said.
His shoulder moved as acknowledgement of my voice registered to him. Slowly Dayo raised his head, I leaned forward resting my elbow on the table so he could see my face.
Recognition dawned on his face, the woman sitting in front of him was his best friend and his expression appeared stricken.
Adedayo closed his eyes, he must have thought that he was hallucinating my presence in the room.
For a second, my mind checked all the difference between the man in front and the man I had remembered. His images had been locked up in my mind for years. He was hearing a black tshirt that showed off his well built chest, his face was thinner but he hasn’t changed much from the man I knew.
“Dayo, it is Arike.” I reached out to touch his hand on the table.
Adedayo reopened his eyes and his face went blank at the realization that I was truly there, touching him and talking to him.
I heard his breathe caught as his eyes gleamed with shock. He reached out to touch my hand and our gaze met with an unflinching stare.
I was ready for this, for one long undefinable minute it was as if we were back to how things was in Juniors school, high school and university days when it has been only the two of us.
My eyes swan with tears but I controlled it. Dayo started to say something, stopped, he tried again and stopped again. Then the moment was gone when I broke the silence.
“How have you been?” I asked only to realize that it was a stupid question.
It was obvious that he wasn’t fine, a bandage around his head and left wrist and plaster on his right cheek to probably cover up bruises under his skin. He was just in a bad shape the same way I had seen it on tv.
Sadness clouded his features. “I..I..can’t believe you are..really here.” Tears filled his eyes.
“Yes..yes..I am here.” I said shakily.
His eyes flooded with tears followed by an outcry as he lowered his head. And I couldn’t control my tears either, I let my tears that had threatened to spill flow uncontrollably.
I have known Adedayo for close to twenty years now but I have never seen him break down and cry this way.
Twenty years? The realization was a blow and it made me weak as his eyes bored into mine.
“A..rike..” he called out my name.
And I won’t deny that I missed him so much.
He drew his lower lip between his lips. “Where..have you been..all these years? I tried to find you.”
“Dayo…” I pressed my lips together not knowing what to say to him.
“I did everything I could to find you..I contacted your uncle when your number wasn’t going through, and few months after you left..your uncle said you didn’t meet him and he doesn’t know where you are…” his voice trailed off.
My mouth fell open to say something but words failed me.
He sniffed. “Two years..I tried calling him gain but he told me you were in Arizona. And foolishly I traveled to Arizona and asked a friend to try to find you but everything I did failed. Then your uncle Badejo’s number stopped going through, I couldn’t find Busayomi too..it was as if you purposely avoided me or didn’t want me to ever find you.” He cried.
“I am.. sorry, Dayo.” I bit my lips.
He glanced up to the ceiling. “Arike..I have suffered. I have been through terrible moments without having anyone to talk to or share it with.”
I gave his hand a small squeeze. “What happened?” I asked.
His jaw tightened. “If only you have been here, all of these wouldn’t have happened to me.”
“I am sorry.” I reached out to touch his face, caressed his cheek to comfort him.
“Now..I have lost everything and I feel so ashamed to even look at you. I am in a big mess.” He said in the lowest tone he could muster.
“Dayo..listen to me..I saw the news and I believe..I believe you didn’t do it.” My eyes sparked with sincerity.
I have to be strong for him, we have to scale through this problem together for the sake of my daughter – our child.
His eyebrows drew together. “You believe that I can’t do such right?” He asked.
I shook my head. “Yes..yes I know you..Dayo you can be mean but I also know that you can’t hurt anyone.” I said.
He nodded repeatedly. “Yes..Yes..” his eyes bored in mine. “I didn’t do it but no one will ever believe me.” He said.
“I believe you.” I said.
“But I am going to end up in jail.” Tears filled his eyes again.
“”No..no..Dayo please don’t say that. I will do everything to get you out of here.”
“But-“
I cut him off. “Dayo..please tell me what really happened because Barrister Bamidele is working on your case.”
His eyes sparked with shock. “Bamidele?”
I nodded. “The same Bamkdele and he is willing to help.”
“What about my lawyer?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“He is going to work with Bamidele from now on.” I answered.
“Arike..I don’t have any money to pay Bamidele. I lost everything because my dad seized my assets.”
“Dayo, I hired Bamidele for you so don’t worry about the payment. I just need you to tell me the truth, everything that happened before that day and on that day.”
My eyes pleaded with him as I held him hands, assuring him that everything will be fine.
EPISODE 53
Theme: The perfect actress
Arike’s POV
My eyes pleaded with Dayo as I held on to his his hands, assuring him that everything would be fine.
“Dayo, I need you to trust me and the lawyers with the truth. We can’t do anything if you choose to remain silent.” I said.
He gave me a doubtful look, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy getting him to spill the truth but we needed whatever truth he knows to get him out of police custody.
“If you truly didn’t commit these crimes then let us prove it to them. And I will do everything I can to get out of here.” I mustered in my most sincere tone.
Adedayo’s face crinkled with hope as he placed his other hand on mine. “Arike..” he pursed his lips.
Tears welled up in my eyes again. “Please..talk to me Dayo..please…” my voice trailed off.
I fought the urge to spill it that his child was patiently waiting to see him. He must get out of here to meet our daughter who has longed to meet him. I wish I could tell him about Iteoluwa but this wasn’t the right time to talk about it even though I was desperate to make things up with my child.
Dayo gleamed with sorrow in his eyes. “The truth is that I didn’t do these things on the news. It was Shalewa who tried to hurt herself.” He said in a low tone.
I sniffed, a bit relieved that he was starting to open up. “Why did she try to hurt herself?” I asked.
He lowered his head and sniffled loudly. “Arike…” he paused.
“Yes..Dayo..I am listening.” I rubbed his hands gently.
“Shalewa didn’t change even after I saw her cheating on me right before we got married.” He stopped talking again.
I locked our hands, urging him to continue.
“Few months ago, a scandal broke out on the news that she was having an affair with an upcoming actor she was paired with in a movie.”
“Yes..Dele Balogun, I saw it in one of the articles I read online.” I nodded.
Adedayo shook his head. “Arike, to be honest..I knew of other men she was meeting but the scandal with Dele Balogun..I couldn’t take it anymore.” Tears streamed down his face. “Then..I decided to ask for a divorce.”
I leaned forward. “So everything started because of the divorce?” I asked.
He sniffed. “No..it wasn’t only the divorce that stirred up all these problems.” He answered.
“What happened?” I asked.
Our gaze met. “I have a son, Jamal and he is just two years old.” Dayo stared intently at me.
I shook my head. “Yes I saw it in the news.” I said, looking away and my gaze drifted to our locked hands.
“But you know what?” Dayo rubbed my hands, causing me to look up at him.
“What?” I muttered.
“I received a message which stated that…” he paused and I watched him take in deep breathe. “Jamal is not my son.” He blurted out.
I lifted up my eyebrows. “What?!” My jaw went slack almost immediately.
He shook his head. “Jamal is not my son.” He repeated.
“But..how come?” I asked in a surprised tone.
“Well..I should have known…” his voice trailed off.
The fact that Shalewa was so used to sleeping around, there should be doubt that Jamal was Adedayo’s son. One of the men shalewa has slept with must be the father of Jamal. And it wasn’t hard to figure that the man who messaged Adedayo must be Jamal’s father. How could she do such a thing?!
“I ran a DNA test without Shalewa knowing and the result showed that Jamal is not my child.” He said.
“So who is the father?” I asked, despite knowing that the sender of the message was definitely the father but I wanted to know his identity.
“Do you remember the actor I saw with Shalewa five years ago?” He asked.
“I am not sure…” I muttered.
“That night I came to your apartment, remember I said that Shalewa was seeing the actor she was paired with at that time. You even watched the trailer of the movie.” He said.
I tried to remember and after some seconds it clicked in my head. “Charles Adams?!” I gasped out.
“Yes Charles Adams is the father of my supposed child.” He confirmed.
I closed my eyes, anger stirring within me. I felt Dayo rubbing my hands to calm me from clenching my fists.
“I confronted Shalewa about it but she denied it. So I had to show her the message Charles sent to me and the DNA result.” He said in a low tone.
My face crinkled in bewilderment. “Dayo…if Shalewa only met up with Charles Adams five years ago, how come he is Jamal’s father? I mean Jamal is only two years old.” I said.
“I had the same thought too, but Charles Adams cleared my doubts. He made it known that he and Shalewa didn’t stop seeing each other. He admitted that they have been together for so long whereas Shalewa told me that she doesn’t have anything to do with him anymore.” He had a painful expression on his face.
“This is unbelievable!” I let go of Dayo’s hands. “How could she hide such a big secret from you?!” My raised tone expressed disgust.
“She was trying to bury up the scandal with Dele Balogun when I told her everything I found and asked for a divorce. Shalewa refused and threatened to kill herself if I ever tell anyone that Jamal wasn’t my child.” He explained.
“I can’t believe it that she fooled you to believe that Jamal was your child.” I spat, annoyance clear in my tone.
“When she was pregnant..she changed a lot. She took a break from acting and only stayed at home. She fooled me to think that she had changed but I should have known Jamal wasn’t my child being that I knew she had other men in her life. But she kept telling me that those scandals are not real, she would always have something to say, a reason for meeting at hotels….she was just a perfect actress.” Dayo gave a grimaced of pain and disappointment.
Yes! Shalewa did a great job at fooling Adedayo.
EPISODE 54
Theme: The Truth
Arike’s POV
“Dayo, how did you incur all these injuries?” I asked.
“That day I told Shalewa that I was going to reveal the truth to our parents if she doesn’t accept the divorce. We argued until she hit me with a wine bottle out of anger and she even tried to stab herself after she saw that I was bleeding and badly hurt. I managed to get the object from her and tried to leave to get to the hospital but she outsmarted me.” Adedayo narrated with a deep frown on his face.
“what do you mean?” I asked.
“Shalewa figured my injury would get her into trouble, so she tried to fall off the stairs. Believe me..Arike, I held her hand to save her but when she knew I couldn’t hold on for too long because I became so dizzy, so she intentionally threw herself down the stairs.” He rubbed his palms over his face.
“I didn’t even know she was pregnant if not I would have avoided a fight with her.” He added.
“You called the hospital?” I asked.
“Yes I put a call through my friend who works at the hospital and the ambulance came to our home before things got worst. And I am just glad that she didn’t die.” He sniffed.
Yes if Shalewa had died no one would ever believe the truth. They would pin her death on him and won’t waste time sending his to jail for murder.
“Where was Jamal when you had a fight with Shalewa?” I asked.
“He was at my family home to spend the weekend with my parents.” He answered.
“So how did it turn out that you tried to kill her on the news?” I questioned.
“Her father was too quick to make up things in his head without asking me what really happened.” He responded.
“And didn’t Shalewa explained things to her father?” I asked.
“No Shalewa didn’t tell him the truth, she made up a story that I tried to kill her because I was angry she cheated on me. She told the police that I got my injuries when she tried to defend herself against me.” He explained.
My eyebrows snapped together. “She lied to cover up her shameful act and made it seem like she is the victim in this case.” I said.
Adedayo shook his head in agreement. “It was her way of getting back at me for asking for a divorce and for wanting to reveal the truth about Jamal.” Adedayo said.
“Does anyone else know that Jamal is not your son? And about what happened at your home?” I asked.
“Charles Adams, Shalewa and my doctor friend who did the DNA test. I told him everything during my stay at the hospital.” He answered.
“Good it is clear that Shalewa framed you so we will use all these things you just told me to defend you in court.” I said.
“Arike, are you sure that I will be able to get out of here and won’t go to jail?” Adedayo asked with his eyes pleading with me.
“Yes it will help but we need more evidences like the messages from Charles Adams, DNA results and if your doctor friend can bear witness in court since you revealed the truth to him.” I said.
“Yes I still have the messages and I even shared it with my doctor friend.” Adedayo said in a rush.
“What about the lawyer who wanted to help you file a divorce?” I asked.
“He is currently out of the country but I can give you his contact.” He replied.
“Okay Dayo…” I reached out to hold his hands. “In case you remember anything-“
“He interrupted me. “One more thing, the miscarriage Shalewa had, the baby wasn’t mine.” He said.
My eyebrows drew together again in sheer surprise. “Again?!”
Adedayo looked up and sighed. “Few days ago I got a call from Dele Balogun, he said that Shalewa’s baby was his and that they didn’t stop seeing each other even after the news has it that they were having an affair. I don’t know if what he told me was true because he asked for a huge amount of money.” He explained.
“Money? For what?!” I asked.
“He offered to reveal to the police that the child was his thinking it might help reduce the charges against me.” He said.
“Do you have the number he used to call you?” I asked.
“Yes I have everything you need on my phone but the police took everything. But you can meet my doctor friend, he has everything too.” He answered.
“Can I have his number?”
“I don’t know it by heart but his name is Ajibade Nelson and he works at Bradjos Hospital.” He gave the information about his doctor friend.
“What if he doesn’t feel comfortable giving us any information we need?” I asked.
“Go with my lawyer and tell him that I asked to give the flash drive with him.” He responded.
“Flash drive?” I repeated.
“Yes everything you need to solve this case is on the flash drive.” Adedayo said.
“Don’t worry I will make sure the lawyers make good use of the truth you just revealed.” I flashed him a small smile.
“Thank you, Arike.” He squeezed my hands gently.
“I have to go now.” I said.
He nodded. “Okay…will you come around again?” He asked.
I shook my head. “I will be here tomorrow.”
He managed to smile. “I will drop my number at the counter so if you need anything call me okay?”
Adedayo shook his head. “Sure.”
I let go of his hand and stood up to leave.
“Arike, it is good to see you again.” He said.
And this time I didn’t miss the gleam of happiness on his face.
“Bye Dayo.” I smiled back at him before stepping out of the room.
EPISODE 55
Theme: The recording
Arike’s POV
Tears welled up in my eyes again as I twisted the door knob and stepped out of the room. Bamidele and barrister Prosper leaned your against the wall waiting for me.
They rushed towards me at the sound of me closing the door.
“Arike?” Bamidele pursed his lips when he saw the tears in my eyes.
Barrister Prosper mouth quirked up. “Didn’t he open up to you?” He asked.
I shook my head. “He..did..Dayo told..me..everything.” I answered shakily.
“Arike, what about the recording?” Bamidele asked.
“I have it in my bag.” I answered.
Barrister Prosper heaved a sigh of relief. “Let us step out of here and listen to the recording.” He said.
“Yes we don’t have much time.” Bamidele agreed.
Then we started the walked out of the police station but I stopped when we got to the counter.
“Please go ahead, I need to talk to the sergeants.” I said.
Bamidele and barrister Prosper exchanged glances.
“Will you be fine alone?” Bamidele asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Please be careful.” Barrister Prosper said.
“Okay we will be waiting in the car.” Bamidele added before walking away with Barrister Propser.
I turned towards the sergeant after the men’s departure.
“Good afternoon madam.” The sergeants greeted me at the same time.
“Good afternoon, please I need your help.” I said.
“How may I help you ma?” The fair and tall sergeant with the name tag Banjo answered.
“It is about the man in custody.” I said.
“Oh the rich businessman?” The dark sergeant with the name tag Idris said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes..Adedayo Awosika.” I replied.
The sergeants exchanged glances. “What do you want madam?” Sergeant Idris asked.
“I want to drop my number so he can always give me a call whenever he needs anything. Can I?” I asked.
“The rich man didn’t drop anybody’s number while he was filling the statement form.” Sergeant Idris snorted.
Doesn’t the rich man have a name? I don’t like this sergeant Idris.
Sergeant Banjo nudged sergeant Idris side, trying to caution him.
“Madam how are you related to him?” Sergeant Banjo asked.
“Well I am like a family to him. A..distant relative.” I answered with a forced smile.
“Okay..that is not a problem. We just need someone to stand in for him aside the lawyer.” Sergeant Banjo explained.
“Yes..I understand.” I said.
He passed a big record book to me. “You can write your name, phone number and address here.” Sergeants Banjo instructed.
“Okay…” I did as instructed before passing the book back to him.
Sergeant Banjo shook his head. “This is okay.” He said.
“Please..is it okay to leave him some money just in case he wants anything?” I asked.
The men exchanged glances again. It was no news anymore that police stations don’t give out good food to the people in custody. And I don’t want Adedayo falling sick before court day.
“Madam you can leave some cash for him.” Sergeant Idris answered.
I reached into my bag and took out my wallet. I counted five thousand naira.
“Please he is kinda picky when it comes to food.” I gave three thousand naira to sergeant Banjo. “This is for him, just buy him catfish pepper soup and probably a good food from the eatery across the station.” I said.
I had seen on fast food across the station when I was about to come in. And it was funny how much I still know about Adedayo.
“Okay..madam.” Sergeant Banjo said.
“And this is for you..” I gave a thousand naira note to the sergeants.
“No madam..you don’t need to-“
I interrupted sergeant Banjo. “This is not a bribe..I am just appreciating your efforts around here.” I made it clear to them with the hope that they would be nice enough to Adedayo since I heard that that they brutal at this station.
“Thank you madam.” Sergeant Idris said.
Sergeant Banjo looked at his colleague, shook his head before accepting the money from me. “Thank you ma.” He said.
“You are welcome.” I forced a smile on my face before walking away.
I met Bamidele having a conversation with barrister Prosper.
“Sorry for the delay..I had to drop my number in case Dayo needs anything.” I said.
“I offered to stand in but they gave me a separate note to sign as his lawyer and asked me to call his family.” Barrister Prosper huffed.
“Did they let you sign it?” Bamidele asked.
“Yes..I told them that I was his distant relative.” I answered.
“I really feel bad for mr Dayo because I called his dad but he refused to come and see his son.” Barrister shook his head in pity.
“Let us listen to the recording before deciding our next move.” Bamidele said.
“Yes…you are right.” Barrister Prosper added.
“You look tired, are you okay?” Barrister asked in a concerned tone.
I shook my head. “Yes I am alright.”
I wasn’t happy, felt really weak after finding out the truth Adedayo’s situation.
“I will drive you home.” Bamidele unlocked his car.
“Can you give me a ride too? My car broke down yesterday and I haven’t gotten a call from the auto repair shop.” Barrister Prosper asked.
“That’s not a problem, we can listen to the recording on our way.” Bamidele said.
“Okay.” Barrister responded.
I sat in the backseat while barrister Prosper sat next to the driver seat. We hit the highway after driving out of the police station street and I handed recording device to barrister Prosper.
Barrister Prosper pressed the red button on the device and the recording started to play with my voice at first and then Dayo’s voice was heard too.
Several minutes passed before the recording ended. And I couldn’t control the tears that streamed down my cheeks but I wiped my face clea. I could feel my heart breaking every single time I think about what Dayo has been through while he was with Shalewa.
“I have always known that there was more to this story.” Bamidele hands gripped the steering wheel.
“Can you just imagine?! My God! How can she be so selfish and shameless?! The actress is pure evil! And everyone has been blaming me Dayo in this incident!” Barrister Prosper expresses his disgust and anger towards Shalewa.
“We have the evidence that will retake the truth, all we need to do is edit the recording and play just the important part in the court.” Bamidele said.
And all of a sudden a bothersome question struck my mind.
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HER BABYs SECRET Episode
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