Julia sank in the sofa opposite Lanre. He has to empty his mind to someone. Maybe he would be a little relieved of the burden in his heart.
He sighed and looked at Lanre who patiently waited, staring at him to take his time and organize his mind before saying anything to him.
Lanre is a doctor. He is used to seeing people sighed audibly before saying what is bothering them. And as a doctor, you have to learn to be calm with your patients.
If they are not saying it, you will paraphrase your question and ask them in another way, that way, one will get the answers needed.
“Rita lost her baby due to depression. That’s what the doctor said” Julia said and paused. Lanre nodded. He already knows because that was what Theresa told him.
But he didn’t say so to Julia. There was no need saying his sister told him so. That information is not necessary.
“I caused it. I treated her badly and neglected her. I brought other women into the house and deliberately wounded her heart. I said horrible words at her just to belittle her.
It wasn’t quite a month after we got married at the bureau that I asked her to sign a divorce papers but must live in the mansion and fake the marriage.
My brother must not know that we’ve been divorced. She played along with my script and I thought I was free and lived the way I like without playing along as I told her to do.
I hardly sleep at home. You know that I like partying and getting drunk, sleeping with women and enjoying my bachelor’s life.
But I failed to realize something; what goes around, comes around. I was hurting her and thought I was on top of the world.
My attitude towards her led her into depression and the result of it is losing my baby. I was hurting Rita but excited about having a child, you see how irrationally I had thought.
I want the child but am upset with its mother. Punishing the mother because I was offended by her actions. I didn’t realize I was killing the baby gradually until it all ended.
My heart aches, my soul is heavy. I regretted my actions but it’s late. The milk has been spilled and nothing can be done to salvage the situation…” Julia’s eyes went teary.
Lanre was quiet. Julia’s story is pathetic. He wished he had confided in him before now, when the baby was still there and breathing inside its mother, he would have been able to advise him about the danger of making a woman sad and unhappy during pregnancy.
But it was coming late. Why was he just telling him when the harm had been done? He feels sorry about his present situation.
And he can’t blame Julia. When he was upset with Rosa, he did the same, hurting her. But this was different, Rosa was not pregnant.
“Junxie Li is angry and would have banned me from being part of the family if dad hadn’t intervened. Mum said she doesn’t want to see me in the residence.
Rita’s brother and mother begged me to stay away from Rita. But I still love her very much. That’s the reason why I punished her.
I can’t do without Rita anymore. I feel so devastated. My family frowned at me and Rita wouldn’t want to see me.
But the height of it all is that whenever I close my eyes to sleep, I only see Rita sobbing. I cannot sleep and to stay awake, I am worried…” Julia added.
The root of all that has happened so far is his behavior towards Rita. “Why did you treat Rita badly?” Lanre asked.
“She deliberately decided to be pregnant. I knew I made love to her without protection but she could use contraceptives.
She wants us to be married and I was not ready. But I love her. When she began to threaten me that she would abort the Pregnancy, if I did not marry her.
That was when Junxie forced the marriage to take place. He doesn’t want that pregnancy to be lost because it’s Li’s baby.
But when this happened, my brother was mad at me. The baby is finally lost? He blamed everything on me and he was right about it” Julia explained.
Lanre stared at him with a pitiful eye. No wonder his mind was clouded. Who wouldn’t be worried in this situation?
“First, Julia, your health is important. You have to take deliberate steps towards calming your troubled mind. There isn’t much a doctor can do for you if you are not willing to help him to help you.
Talk to my sister, she would persuade Junxie Li for you. What I have discovered about life is that a woman loved by her man can penetrate his heart.
Call your mom and talk with her. Apologies to her. She wouldn’t be happy too because you made her lose her expected grandchild.
As for Rita, keep calling her even if she wouldn’t answer. Send her messages as often as you can even if she’s not replying to you.
If she blacklisted your cell phone number, get another one and send her messages of apologies. Talking to her on her blog or social media. Try whichever way you can and tell her you are sorry.
But meanwhile, do something to make yourself happy. Go to gyms, play games and exercise, get involved with things that excite you.
That way, you will think less and happiness will find its way back to you. Your health is your wealth. That’s the most important part of the whole thing.
But in the meantime, I will give you some pills, take only one daily if you discover you couldn’t sleep. But don’t live it as a routine.
Do the things I said and if it fails, only then will you use the pills. Is that clear?” Lanre explained.
Julia nodded. He would try to do as Lanre has said. He hoped it would work. “Your sister, you mean Theresa Mo?”
Lanre nodded. “She’s my biological sister. She’s my twin” Lanre declared, beaming with a smile.
“What? Theresa Mo, my sister in-law to be your sister?” Julia is surprised. He didn’t know.
“Yeah. A lot of stories. I was adopted and I decided to investigate my origin. It led me to have the same parents as Theresa.
She also said that my dad always says she has a twin brother but he was dead. But I wasn’t dead, I was whisked away immediately after I was born.
I loved Theresa immediately when I saw her. I feel responsible for her and to protect her. And that’s why I don’t know why I had to help with Tim and Lee.
But now I know. I was attracted to her because we are siblings, twins at that. Looks like we might end up becoming a family rather than friends Julia” Lanre explained.
Julia smiled. He remembered how Lanre had called him and insisted that he offered his friend a job. He would have easily believed that they were lovers.
But later on, he realized they are just friends who share a platonic relationship. But looking at him now, he saw the semblance. Their eyes are the same.
“I’m happy you found your sister Lanre. You deserve to have a family like Theresa. She’s an ideal woman and my brother is such one lucky man to have her” Julia said.
Lanre smiled and thanked him. He likes it that Julia is singing the praises of his sister.
He offered Julia a pill next and said he would become sleepy soon. But he might wake up late because it was midnight already.
Julia took the pills and soon was feeling heavy. He stood up and drowsily went upstairs. When he arrived at his room, he threw himself on the bed and slept off.
Lanre followed him in. When he saw him sleeping, he decided to return to his apartment. He asked that one of the bodyguards watch over him.
Lanre returned home that night and slept a few hours more. But it wasn’t quite long after Julia slept that he woke up.
He was covered in sweat and his heart was beating fast. His chest was going up and down in rhythm.
This is trouble!