Kiru Taye

EXCERPT

Nkoli stepped into the dark bedroom with the only light spilling in from the open bathroom door. The gentle sound of Lorenzo’s breathing broke the silence. He’d fallen back asleep while waiting for her to finish her phone call.

For a moment she stood frozen, debating whether to rouse him, her anger pushed aside. She’d assumed he would be awake and she could confront him with the information from Ifeoma.

However, now she felt reluctant to disturb him. He sometimes struggled with insomnia, so waking him when he was asleep felt cruel. And she wasn’t wicked even if she was angry.

Leaving the dimly lit room behind, she walked to the kitchen, the cool tile a welcome contrast under her feet. The refrigerator hummed quietly as she opened it. Pausing, she stared at the water bottle and shook her head. Then she opened another cupboard, revealing Lorenzo’s favourite whisky. Grabbing it and a short tumbler, she stepped into her sitting room, the clinking sound of glass a quiet counterpoint to the silence of the room. With a flick of the switch, a small lamp on the side table cast a warm glow, illuminating the sofa where she sat to drink.

She needed to dull the pain ripping her apart because of what she knew or didn’t know about Lorenzo.

When she’d met Lorenzo a year ago, he’d seemed a welcome change from her ex-husband. He was charming but reserved, and he treated her with respect. Or so she’d thought.

She’d given herself to her ex-husband Robert and built a life and family with him. Meanwhile, he’d betrayed her and cheated on her over several years. She’d suspected but hadn’t paid attention to her instincts. Then a routine check-up had revealed she’d contacted an STD. She’d confronted Robert because she hadn’t been with anyone else but him. He’d confessed that he’d had an affair with a coworker.

It had been a devastating blow.

Her marriage was broken, irrevocably.

The memory and hurt made her empty the glass of whisky into her mouth and refill it.

Sure, Robert had apologised and begged and promised he would never hurt her again.

At first she’d thought she could forgive him for the sake of their children, Nifemi and Rinade. She’d worried about the impact of any breakup on them.

However, as the days went on, she’d realised she could never trust Robert again. She certainly didn’t have any respect for him any longer and everything he did annoyed her.

In the end, she decided there was no point in carrying on. Her marriage was a farce, since she no longer had any respect or trust for her husband.

So, she visited her lawyer and started divorce proceedings.

Of course, Robert showed his true colours and fought her for custody of the children. Because they were already in their early teens, the court awarded split custody to Nkoli and Robert. This was around the period Nkoli had accepted the job in Rome. At term times, the kids were in boarding school in the UK and holidays were rotated between both parents.

The alcohol was beginning to work, dulling the pain.

It had been hard at first moving countries and leaving her children. Then came the struggle to find a reasonably priced apartment big enough for the children to have their individual rooms while they visited. Thankfully, when she’d told Lorenzo about her problem, he’d given her the details of an estate agent who’d helped her secure this apartment in a grand building close to the city centre. She’d been surprised it had been within her budget.

Then again, she’d suspected Lorenzo may have influenced the price she paid on the lease.

Hang on a minute, Ifeoma said Nero owned the hotel she stayed in. Was it impossible for Lorenzo or Nero to own this building and, therefore, the apartment she lived in?

Her heart slammed in her chest.

If Lorenzo was her landlord, he could hike up the price of her lease at renewal time if she broke up with him.

Damn.

She could be in as deep a problem as her friend Ifeoma.