Keeping Secrets (The Essien Trilogy, #1)

by Kiru Taye

  “That’s just over three months, Dad. Where am I supposed to conjure up a potential wife from in that time?”

  The older man bellowed with laughter in his seat, rocking the chair with the vibrations. Felix stared at him, his fists balled in apparent annoyance. It only made him laugh harder, tears seeping from the corners of his eyes.

  His son glared at him. “What planet does the board of directors live on? Am I supposed to wave a wand and magic a wife out of a hat?”

  His father sucked in a breath and spoke in a sober tone.

  “That’s where I come in, my son. I have the perfect candidate for you. She is the daughter of one of my good friends, well brought up, with a good background. I can—”

  “No way, Dad,” he interjected, stepping back with shock as if the man had slapped him. “I can let you run my life. You won’t arrange a wife for me. I can choose my own bride, thank you.”

  He hadn’t expected anything less but his father kept an amused expression on his face and waved his hand with flourish.

  “If you are sure.”

  “Of course I’m sure. I’ll see you later,” his son replied, his eyes gleaming with banked irritation.

  When Felix was riled up, he entered the boxing ring to vent his anger. As teenagers, his father had introduced his sons to channelling any aggression into physical activities like sports. Felix and Kola, his adoptive son, had taken to boxing with ease. They remained sparring partners.

  A smiled played on Chief Essien’s lips. Kola was a graduate of Nigerian Defence Academy and a veteran of the war in Darfur. Though younger, he could hold his own against a frustrated Felix.

  Felix grabbed his jacket from where he’d flung it over the sofa and muttered something his father couldn’t quite hear.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, Dad.” The door swung shut behind his exiting son.

  Aloysius leaned back into his chair and allowed the smile on his face to bloom. He’d sowed the seed of marriage into Felix’s mind. Better still, he’d led his son to assume he was backing off and allowing him to make his own choice.

  His children understood the need for personal sacrifice for the good of the family as a whole. This wouldn’t be any different. Moreover, once the seed germinated, it would benefit everyone, including Felix.

  Now as he stared at his healing son and Felix’s distant wife, Aloysius wondered if that seed hadn’t germinated into disaster. Had he matched them incorrectly?

  “There are more important things in life.” He tugged Ebony out of her reverie until she sat on the arm of the chair beside him with a tentative smile. “Like Felix getting well enough to take care on his wife. The poor girl has been in this hospital every day since the New Year.”

  Horizontal lines appeared on Felix’s forehead.

  “Dad, it’s okay. I don’t mind—” Ebony fidgeted.

  Chief Essien forestalled any more words with a wave of his hand. “No. It isn’t okay that your new husband should abandon his marital bed on his wedding night to go racing off into the night and nearly kill himself in the process.”

  He gave Felix a pointed look.

  “I’m just going to have a chat with Kola outside.”

  Chief Essien ignored Mark as he strode out of the room, allowing him to talk to his first son and daughter-in-law in private.

  “It isn’t okay that you should spend your honeymoon in a hospital with your husband comatose and you worrying yourself. Look at you. Where is the girl I walked down the aisle not two months ago? You look like an echo of the bubbly girl I know.”

  He squeezed Ebony’s clenched hand as she tensed up.

  “I don’t know what happened that night and frankly, I don’t want to know. But we have a rule in this family. Essiens don’t turn against each other. We take care of one another. Ebony is a part of this family now, a part of you, Felix. Don’t ever forget that.”

  They both didn’t say a word. Ebony stared at her feet, a slight tremor in her hands. Felix stared at the wall, his jaw tightened.

  “Do I make myself clear?”

  Felix stared at him and nodded. “Yes, Dad.”

  “Good. Ebony, make sure you don’t spend another night in this hospital. Felix is awake now so there’s no need to make yourself sick with worry. In fact, tomorrow, take a day off. Go and treat yourself. Do whatever it is you women enjoy. Go shopping. Visit a spa. Whatever. I want you looking like your old self when I see you at the family lunch on Sunday.”

  She smiled and nodded.

  “Right. Now that I know everything is well, I’m going to head back to Apex HQ to organise a press release about your recovery, Felix. Did the doctor say when you can go home?” He stood up and Ebony moved out of his way.

  “He said they needed to monitor my progress over the next twenty-four hours. But it shouldn’t be more than a few days if all is well.”

  “Great.” He leaned over and hugged his son. “It’s good to see you well again, son.”

  He allowed tears of joy to mist his eyes and a lump wedged in his trachea. Clearing his throat, he straightened.

  “I’ll see you both soon.” He strode to the door.

  “Daddy, I’ll see you off,” Ebony said behind him.

  He tilted his head to the side to look at her. Nearly told her not to worry, but the look on her face said she didn’t want to be in the room with Felix at that moment. So he waited for her to walk out of the room first before glancing back at his slighted and baffled son.

  “Make it right for her, Felix. She’ll come around.”

  His son gave him a nod before he walked out.

  Hands braced against the white wall of the corridor, Ebony gulped in a deep breath and released it at a slow rate. Her body vibrated from the effort to stop from crying. Tears welled up behind her eyelids and a huge lump lodged in her throat.

  A warm hand settled on her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze.

  “My daughter, don’t worry. All will be well.”

  How do you know that? she wanted to ask. Instead, she lifted her head and avoided her father-in-law’s gaze. The man didn’t understand the enormity of the problems between her and her husband.

  “Look at it this way.” He pulled her close so they stood shoulder to shoulder sideways. “Felix is alive and awake. You have both been given a second chance to fix whatever went wrong. If I know my son, he isn’t one to bear a grudge and when he does something wrong, he is usually quick to make amends. So give him a chance to make it right.”

  “Daddy, it’s not that easy. He doesn’t even re—” She caught herself before she revealed that Felix had lost his memory. He hadn’t told his brother or his father. Not her place to spill the beans.

  “He will come around, I assure you. Just promise me you will give him a chance.”

  “Okay. I promise. If he changes, I will give him a chance.” She doubted he would, though. The Felix she’d seen on their wedding night had been intractable, unforgiving.

  “Good girl.” Her father-in-law smiled for the first time since he came out of Felix’s suite.

  With him still keeping his hand on her shoulder, they left the cool hospital building into the mid-afternoon sunshine. The weather forecast this morning had indicated highs about thirty degrees Celsius. The scorching heat on her neck confirmed it. Despite spending almost five months in Lagos already, she still couldn’t adjust to the heat. She missed the cool temperatures of New York at this time of year.

  Mark chatted with Kola in the car park.

  On spotting Ebony and Daddy, Kola strode towards them.

  “I should get back to Felix,” he said. The man had been by Felix’s side since the accident and always ensured somebody watched him when he wasn’t there. She could never understand the need for so much security. From the first day she’d met Felix, Kola had always been close by.

  Almost as if the man felt responsible for Felix’s accident. She guessed being head of Essien security put that kind of responsibility on h
is shoulders. But from what Felix had told her, Kola was a part of their family, not just an employee. He’d grown up as one of Chief’s sons, though he wasn’t a biological offspring.

  “I’ll be up in a little while. I’m just going to get something to drink from the cafeteria,” Ebony said.

  “Okay.” Kola headed inside.

  Mark and Daddy bid farewell and got into the Dark Cashmere Bentley. As the car left the parking lot, Ebony returned to the building but headed to the restaurant on the ground floor. The new, state of the art hospital had been constructed to cater to the needs of the new, middle to upper class Lagosians in Ikoyi, a leafy suburb of Lagos. The space boasted clean lines and sleek surfaces with modern technology. Emergency generators were set up to deal with power cuts and the staff proved courteous and professional.

  Gleaming tables and polished floor greeted her in the cafeteria. She picked up a bottle of Coke from the self-service counter and queued up to pay. After she made her purchase, she found a table and was about to sit when her phone rang. As it happened, she didn’t have to dig for it as she’d taken the phone out earlier to show Felix their wedding photo.

  The caller ID didn’t show up but she didn’t mind as she answered it.

  “I hear congratulations are in order,” a muffled male voice spoke. She didn’t recognise it.

  “Sorry, who is this?” she asked in confusion.

  “This is someone with your interests at heart.”

  “Tell me your name.”

  “My name is not important for now. What I have to say is.”

  Annoyed, she puffed out air. She’d had the odd crank call in the States but none since she moved to Nigeria. She should’ve expected that reprieve wouldn’t last for long.

  “I don’t have time for this—”

  “I wouldn’t hang up if I were you. Not if you want your husband to live.”

  What? She glanced around her as a cold finger of fear slithered down her spine. The people in the café paid her no attention. None was on the phone.

  “What do you know about my husband?” she asked in a low voice, gripping the phone tighter.

  “I know that he is awake from his coma.”

  This got her attention. Nobody outside of the immediate family and the medical staff treating Felix knew of his current condition. So who was this man?

  “How did you know that?” She stood up, ignoring the bottle of Coke she hadn’t even drunk from yet, and raced to the lift foyer.

  “How is not important. But I speak the truth, do I not?”

  There was something about the man’s accent. It didn’t quite sound Nigerian and she struggled to place it.

  She didn’t respond as she jabbed the call button for the lift.

  “What do you want?”

  “I want to help you.”

  “Help me. How?”

  Hurry! She willed the lift to arrive quicker so she could get upstairs and check on Felix.

  I hope Kola is with him.

  “I think we could help each other.”

  She ignored the lift and headed for the stairwell.

  “Look. I don’t know who you are and I’m not interested in whatever you have to offer,” she said as she ran up the stairs.

  “Oh, come on, Ebony. I thought you had more backbone. Are you going to let Felix get away with humiliating you like that on your wedding night?”

  Her blood ran cold and she stumbled on some steps.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know he walked out on you. Don’t worry about how I know. But I can guarantee you, your husband’s behaviour is an Essien trait. His father did the same thing to his mother. Essiens do not understand the words ‘fidelity’ or ‘monogamy’.”

  Panting, Ebony leaned against the wall on the second floor landing and closed her eyes, fighting back the rush of tearful emotions.

  “Why are you telling me all this?”

  “I can help you get back at your husband for what he did to you.”

  “I don’t want to get back at Felix.”

  “Don’t you? After he humiliated you and broke his promises to you?”

  She remembered that night and her anger swelled. She fisted her hand to her side and clenched her jaw. Felix had hurt her more than she’d thought any man could. He’d ripped her heart out of her chest. For the first time in her life, she’d wanted to hurt another human being. Hurt him.

  Until she’d turned up at the hospital to find him hooked up to so many machines, fighting for his life. And she’d known her wish had hurt him. Nearly killed him. That guilt ate at her ever since.

  “No. I don’t want to punish Felix.”

  “How noble and romantic. Let me put it another way, then. How about punishing him in other to save his life?”

  “What?”

  “If you don’t do as I say, you will be responsible for your husband’s death. And I’m sure you don’t want another person to lose their life on your account, just like your brother and father.”

  Every cell in Ebony’s body froze and she held her breath. This person on the phone knew way too much about her. She couldn’t let anything happen to Felix.

  “What do I have to do?” Her voice sounded breathless.

  “Simple. Ask Felix for a divorce.”

  She gasped.

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Of course you can. Everyone will understand. Your marriage is not consummated and he abandoned you on your wedding night to seek out alternative company. You’ve been the good wife and stood by him while he was ill. Now you can move on with your life without him.”

  “You don’t understand. Felix and I are not—” She held her tongue, stopping herself from spilling the beans the second time that day. She’d promised Felix never to discuss the circumstances of their marriage with anybody.

  “No. You don’t understand. If you don’t divorce him, then I will have to eliminate him. Make your choice, Ebony. I give you one month. Then I want to hear about your impending divorce.”

  “Why...why are you doing this?” She struggled to speak past the stone lodged in her throat, her body trembling like a leaf in the breeze.

  “Retribution. The Essiens owe me and it’s time to collect.”

  The phone line went dead and she slumped to the cold stone floor in a heap.

  Chapter Three

  He’d married the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

  Even before Felix woke fully from his sleep in his hospital bed, the thought played over and over in his mind. Whilst he couldn’t remember the intricate details of the marriage, he remembered there had been urgency for him to get married—his board of directors had given him an ultimatum. However, the last thing he recalled showed him how he’d still been searching for the right candidate.

  Yesterday’s events replayed in his mind. Ebony turning up at his bedside, and then Mark and Dad’s visit. He hadn’t told either of them about his memory loss. They had been worried enough about him and his recovery. Telling them about his amnesia would have compounded matters. He didn’t want anybody doubting his competent ability to run his business.

  Moreover, he needed to buy himself some time to figure out what had gone wrong. If the media got a hold of that information, the impact on the business would be massive. So he had no choice but to keep it to himself for now.

  Well, Ebony knew, too.

  “She’s a part of you.” His father’s words yesterday.

  The pain in her eyes when he’d refused to accept they were married had roused intense protectiveness within him.

  He’d had to reveal the amnesia to her and reassure her he wasn’t just trying to be spiteful.

  A familiar scent drifted into his nostrils. Sweet and flowery. Ebony. He remembered the way she’d leaned over him, giving him a hug, her warmth and scent playing havoc with his body. Even now, blood rushed south at the memory. He stifled a groan and turned onto his side.

  “Make it right for her.” More of his father’s word
s.

  Ebony had avoided him after his father’s visit, and when she returned to his suite last night, it had been only to say good night. Apart from a brief phone call this morning, she hadn’t visited him. Dad had ordered her to take a break and enjoy the day. So she was probably doing as the old man had said, retail therapy or beauty regimen.

  Acute pain hit his chest and he rubbed it with the heel of his palm.

  You miss her. The thought whispered in his mind and he tried to shake it off.

  No. He didn’t know her, couldn’t remember anything about her.

  Except that, as soon as he’d seen her yesterday, he’d wanted to hold her, kiss her. Love her.

  This time, he let out a low groan and opened his eyes.

  A side lamp lit the room in soft, diffused glow, shadows playing in the corners. The curtains covered the window. Behind it would be night sky. The digital clock scrolling across the blank TV indicated the time as 21:33.

  The gentle, regular sound of someone breathing in sleep caught his attention. In a darkened corner of the room, Ebony lay curled up in a chair, her arm under her head on the crook of the armrest, the book she’d been reading discarded on the floor. She looked so fragile, so beautiful in sleep. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Something held his heart in a vise. A smile curled his lips as warmth settled on his shoulders like a blanket. She’d come to see him, after all.

  Is this what she had done every day? Sleeping in that chair couldn’t be comfortable. She should be at home enjoying the comfort of a bed. Preferably with him in it. His grin widened.

  Whether he remembered her or not, they’d gotten married. His wife. His responsibility. He needed to take care of her.

  He reached across to the bedside cabinet and picked up his phone to type a text message to Kola.

  Where are you?

  A reply came back almost instantly. I’m right outside.

  Felix sent another one.