“Can someone tell me what’s going on here?” Vanessa said, feeling a mixture of panic and curiosity boil within her.
The air thick with unspoken concerns and an uncomfortable silence settled over Vanessa as both her mother and Tanisha deliberately ignored her questions.
Her mother’s eyes seemed clouded with worry, and her brow furrowed in a deep frown as she was lost in her thoughts. Vanessa sensed her mother’s unease, feeling the weight of her worries. Her gaze moved from her mother to Tanisha and both women remained mute as none of them was willing to explain the look on their faces.
It was as if Clara’s worst fears had come to pass, despite her best efforts to keep both Vanessa and Tanisha away from Peter’s family. After all her attempts to drive her children far away from Gloria Peter, fate had still found a way to bring them together.
The tension in the room grew thicker as Vanessa remained in the dark, waiting for a reasonable explanation for their reaction.
“Mother, how did you know Mrs Peter and her family?” Vanessa asked, as she struggled to reconcile her mother’s reaction with what might have happened between her and Peter’s.
“I also got entangled with Corey Peter, just like you did with his son.” Clara began to explain her tragic experience to her daughter.
“Entangled? In what way?” Vanessa asked, as she was eager to hear the whole story.
“When I was younger, I met Corey Peter, he was charming and warm-hearted. He is everything a woman can dream of.” Clara said with a warm smile on her face, but a flicker of pain was evident in her eyes.
“We started our relationship with love and light just like I’ve always dreamed of. I was blinded by love that I forgot about the class difference between Corey and me.” Clara sighed before she continued.
“I got pregnant thinking that would make his family accept me as his wife, but I was wrong. One day, his engagement to Gloria was all over the news, and I was the last person to know about it.” Tears dropped from Clara’s eyes as she let out the secret she had kept from Vanessa.
“Mom, you don’t have to do this.” Tanisha said as her hands moved to her mother’s shoulder in a comforting way.
It was not surprising to Vanessa that she was always the last person to know things that had happened before. Just like how it happened between her and Carolyn, she didn’t know her mother had a history with Darryl’s family.
“I have to say this now.” Clara dismissed Tanisha’s attempt to stop her.
“Back then, I fought hard to be with Corey because I was with his child. I tried my best to understand that his marriage with Gloria was a marriage of convenience. Along the line, I became the other woman, the mistress. All my attempts to have a family for my child’s sake failed as Gloria came into my life to threaten me.”
“Gloria did what?” Vanessa blurted out in anger. She never liked Mrs Peter, but after hearing what her mother had said, she would never like Mrs Peter. Nothing in this world can make her like her.
“Don’t worry my child. You of all people should know I don’t back out easily. I fought back until Tanisha was seven. I made sure Tanisha grew up around her father and her other children, but after a while, I met your father.” Clara paused.
“Corey didn’t stop after I got married your father. He wanted to be in Tanisha’s life by all means. His wife advised him to fight for custody of my child just to take me out of the picture, but their attempt failed because your father and I left town with you and your sister. We went far away from Corey Peter and his family.”
“And my dearest little sister found them without stress.” Tanisha said, interrupting her mother.
“If you had not kept this from me, I would have stayed away from them. I’m sure I won’t even cross paths with any of them.” Vanessa countered her sister’s accusation.
“Now is not the time to point fingers at anyone.” Clara interrupted her daughters exchange.
Clara’s desire to protect her daughters from the reality of meeting her past had failed, but she would never allow Vanessa to continue her relationship with Darryl or anyone related to him.
“Take the ring off your finger. I feel uneasy about it.” Clara said to Vanessa.
“I’ve tried, but I can’t take it off. It is locked, and the key is with Darryl. Vanessa explained.
“He is just like his father. Always willing to tie people with them.” Clara hissed.
“Darryl is still as childish as ever. You are made for each other,” Tanisha said.
Vanessa rolled her eyes at her sister’s comment. She was in no mood to reply even if she had a perfect comeback to put Tanisha in her place.
“I will find someone who can unlock the ring. I have to break your connection with him.” Clara said firmly.
“To break my connection with Darryl, you have to break more than the ring,” Vanessa said.
“What do you mean by that?” Clara inquired with a furrowed eyebrow.
“We are married under the law. I signed an agreement. To break everything connecting me to Darryl, I have to terminate the agreement.” Vanessa explained.
“I don’t care about the fake paperwork he gave you to sign. All I know is that I don’t want to see you with Darryl Peter or anyone related to him. You will have to stay here for now and don’t tell anyone that you are here,” Clara retorted.
“Can I talk to Carolyn?” Vanessa inquired.
“Ask yourself if Carolyn is loyal to you or Darryl before you tell her anything,” Clara replied.
The buzzing sound of Clara’s phone interrupted the intense conversation she was having with her daughter. She fumbled for her phone to check who the caller was, and she hissed at the sight of the name flashing on her phone.
“Who is it?” Vanessa and Tanisha echoed in unison.
Clara flashes the face of the phone to Vanessa, showing her who the caller was.
“Talk of the devil.” Clara said before turning off her phone.
“I have a shop to run, and I will need as much help as I get.” She said, facing Tanisha.
“You should go home and rest. The baking contest starts tomorrow, and you will be of help since you are around.” Clara said to Vanessa before leaving the office.
“Welcome back home little sister.” Tanisha winked before walking out of the office.
Vanessa was left alone with her thoughts on how to pick up the pieces of her life.