Clarence drove like a mad woman.
Throughout her journey, she prayed that April hadn’t done something stupid. She had a lot on her plate and with the court case against Rafael, she didn’t need any mishaps. When she heard the smugness in April’s voice, sleep was driven from her eyes.
Clarence was deep in thought as she drove the streets of South City with her pregnancy in full view. Everything seemed perfect until she rammed into something. Shocked at the collision, she stepped on the pedal and the car came to a screeching halt.
That was not all, with one look at the side mirror, she saw a bloodied version of a woman who lay on the floor, seeming lifeless. “No.. no.. no..” She muttered and switched gears.
She couldn’t handle it. She was close to winning against Rafael. She was close to sealing the deal and becoming his wife. She couldn’t be charged for murder, she was pregnant and everything would go down the drain.
Clarence only thought of the disaster it would bring to her life. Not once did she think of the poor lady who had been knocked to the ground by her vehicle. Or the fact that she was losing blood and life as the seconds rushed past.
Instead of taking responsibility, Clarence drove off the scene, dialling her grandfather’s number for the first time with her hands shaky and breathing paced. She had not been a good granddaughter, she only caused pain to her grandfather and since her sister died, she hadn’t visited him once.
However, this case was not something she could handle on her own. She needed help, and her grandfather was the only person she could trust to have her back. He wouldn’t want his only living granddaughter to spend the rest of her life in prison.
No matter their terrible relationship, he couldn’t forsake her in times like this.
Clarence abandoned her quest and drove to her grandfather’s house when he didn’t pick her up. She attributed his refusal to pick up to the fact that it was too early and he was probably having his beauty rest.
It was the early hours of the morning, and thanks to that, she believed if she was quick enough, everything would be handled before it escalated. Meanwhile, someone who witnessed the events recorded the accident. When Clarence drove away, the hidden witness called 9-1-1 and reported the accident.
The police who were on their way to the estate were notified of the incident and immediately made a detour. Soon enough, they approached the scene and when they saw a bloodied woman who was said to be running from the same estate they had received a distress call, they penned it to be the same woman.
Thankfully, she had a faint breath, and the medical team carried out emergency actions before driving to the hospital. The police split up; some followed them to the hospital while the others continued their journey to the house.
June was in her room when she heard the blare of sirens from the windows. It seemed like the police were everywhere, June stepped out of her room and came face to face with her mother.
Together, they rushed to Sheila’s room and found it empty with the windows wide open. “This is not good,” June rushed out of the room with her mother on tow.
Due to the chaos around them, they didn’t see the folded paper by the side of the bed. June walked downstairs and found the men looking around in search of Sheila.
“What happened?” She asked and one of them answered.
“She escaped.” He gritted. “I heard some noise during the early hours of the day. I went for a brief stroll and found her window opened.”
June cursed under her breath. “How long have you been looking for her?”
“Two hours.”
“Dang it. We need to file a report immediately.” June couldn’t believe she’d been used. “Let’s hope she hasn’t gone far and we can find her.”
Evelyn looked sorry at the distraught look on her daughter’s face. “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. If I had been nicer…”
“Don’t say that mother.” June reprimanded as she walked up the stairs. “Don’t make excuses for her.” She swore. “Sheila warned me against trusting her, she said a lot of things that should have been considered as a red flag last night. But as usual, I let my emotions becloud my senses.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, child.” Evelyn said, “I believe she couldn’t have gone far. We would find her.”
“I hope so,” June muttered, got into her room and got dressed. Evelyn also prepared herself to leave but June stopped her. “I need you to be here. Just in case this is a false alarm and she does come back.”
Evelyn nodded. “Sure. I will remain here. Good luck-”
While the words were still in her mouth, Lucy came barging in with a serious expression. “My lady!” She said as soon as she saw June. “Have you seen the news? That lady, the one who killed my father-”
“Sheila,” June said, desperate for the news. “What happened?”
“She was knocked down by a vehicle!” Lucy informed them and June felt her breath seize.
“W-what?”
Evelyn couldn’t believe her ears. “Don’t speak carelessly. Calm down and tell us what happened.”
“According to the news report, some wicked driver hit her in the early hours of the day and zoomed off,” Lucy reported. “The scene was recorded by the person who called the police.”
“Is she alive?” June asked, shaking from the build-up of nerves. “Did they kill her?”
“I don’t know,” Lucy said with a downcast expression. “The police rushed her to the hospital minutes after it happened. That has got to count for something right?”
June didn’t like the way things were moving. Everything seemed to be going wrong. She rushed out of the room and headed downstairs. On getting outside the house, the entire streets were packed with police vans.
“What’s going on?” She asked a bystander who turned to her with the details.
“Someone was killed. The police are trying to clean up the situation.” While the elderly man spoke, the police brought out a body belonging to a man. Everyone watched as the police dragged the body of the young man who was said to have been murdered.
The house was sealed and soon, the police took off. Meanwhile, Clarence arrived at her grandfather’s house in tears. “Please Grandfather! Help me this once!” She begged on her knees as she recounted the situation.
The old man was once an army general sat with a frown marred on his face. This child of his had only brought him pain and disrepute. From a young age, she chose the rebellious road and no matter how hard he tried to train her into a decent human, it was all in vain.
“Please! I can’t go to jail. I would die in there with my state. Have mercy upon me!” Clarence wailed.
“Did you kill her?” The old man asked after a while.
Clarence seemed confused. “I don’t know. I ran away as soon as I could.” She shook like never before. “I couldn’t let anyone catch me in the act. I also need to dispose of the car. They could trace it to me from the car.”
“Please, Grandfather. I promise to be a good child. I already have a case in the court with Rafael. If this comes out, all my hard work goes down the drain.”
To say that Clarence’s Grandfather was disappointed didn’t cut it. As he listened to her words, his failure to provide good guidance as a father stared back at him. Not once did this child think about the one she hit with a car.
Not once did she mention how the family of the one she may have killed would be faring with the news of their loved one demise. All she wanted was to have it covered up and continue with her mission to marry her late sister’s husband.
He wept in his heart as he looked at the only surviving grandchild of his family. There and then, he made a decision. He was better off without her. Since she was so daring to get pregnant outside of wedlock, she might as well be fearless to face the consequences of her crimes.
With a hardened expression, he scolded her. “You hit someone with your car and have the effrontery to show up in my house asking me to cover up your crimes?” He roared and Clarence shook her head, fear gripped her as she saw the made-up look on her grandfather’s face.
Did she make a mistake in seeking out her Grandfather? Was he not going to help her? She thought fearfully. “I regret having you as a granddaughter. You have brought shame to this family and you will face the consequences of your actions.”
“Pray that you have not killed anyone. I’d hate to see you put away for the crime of murder.” The old man stood up and Clarence held his feet.
“Please, grandfather! I am your blood! Don’t do this to me! This child can’t survive the prison!”
“Then this child shouldn’t have killed someone!” He roared and kicked her hand from his feet. “You will remain here while I make some calls and verify the level of your crimes.” He turned to a security man who stood by the corner. “This child is not allowed to leave this property. The police will be here shortly.”