72

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO.
Jamal and Adele spent the entire weekend out of the city having quality time together and making up for lost time. They cried, rejoiced, made love and did many other things they had always wanted to do together.
By Sunday evening, they were back at Adele’s apartment and we’re packing to move into the mansion.
“I’m nervous.” Adele whispered to Jamal as she folded her clothes on the bed and packed into her box. Those were all clothes she had bought throughout the year from the moment she ran away from the mansion because she didn’t leave with any clothes. The rest of her things were still in their bedroom at the mansion.
“Why are you nervous?” Asked Jamal, concerned.
“The only person who will be happy to have me back home is Grandma. The rest are probably going to curse me for returning.”
“Adele, I have told you this, the house is yours now and if anyone makes you uncomfortable in any way, just let me know and I will kick that person out. I mean it.”
“But, I don’t want you kicking anyone out because of me.” She cried.
“Then they had better behave.”
“Jamal.” She whined, but Jamal didn’t pay her any attention. He focused on folding clothes and packing in the box on the bed. “Jamal, please don’t do anything outrageous, remember they are your family…”
“And you are my family too.” He calmly cut her off as he looked at her. “My love, those people have been disrespecting you for so long now and it has got to stop. I wasn’t hard on them before because of what I was going through, but now I’m free, I will see to it that they give you the respect you deserve whether they like it or not!” He firmly asserted and Adele pursed her lips together and stayed quiet.
She knew at that stage, nothing she said would change Jamal’s mind and by the way, it would really be good if her in-laws learned to respect her, so she was going to let him handle matters the way he wanted.
“Grandma has been calling me non-stop!” Said Adele as she looked at her buzzing phone on the bed.
“Don’t pick up, I already told her you are with me. She just wants to gossip right now.”
Adele laughed so hard that a tear rolled down her cheek. She was so shocked at the accuracy of Jamal’s words. Grandma was definitely calling to ask her how her weekend with Jamal went.
“My God, Jamal! Why are you so smart?” She asked and Jamal just smiled at her.
“I was born this way.” He shrugged. “Also, I don’t want her to know we are coming, I want it to be a surprise to all of them.”
“I second that. I’m not going to pick this call.” She Said as she put her phone on silent and covered it with a dress so she won’t be too bothered when it rings again.
They both spent the entire day packing and making sure not to forget anything at the apartment and when they were done, Jamal called Sean to come pick them up.
Throughout the ride, Adele’s hand was on her chest, struggling to suppress her heart that was threatening to hop out. One year ago, when she left that house with her guards for her hospital appointment, she had a plan in her mind to find a way to escape and never return, but there she was, going back with the same man she had sworn never to forgive. What an irony.
“Are you alright?” Questioned Jamal as he calmly places his hand on hers. Adele turned to look at him and quickly shook her head.
“No, I’m not. I’m nervous as hell. I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack.” She cried. She smiled as he pulled her into his arms and began stroking her beautiful hair.
“First, you have no reason to be scared because it’s your house now and everyone living in it will be getting orders from you, second, I’m here with you and I won’t let anyone do anything to you. Just relax and watch everything go smoothly as it should.” He whispered those words and Adele felt a wave of calmness wash through her. Her heat stopped threatening to hop out of her chest and her sharp breaths became calm and steady. Jamal’s words made her feel a lot better and as she closed her eyes, it was just a matter of seconds before she fell asleep.
She was exhausted from all the packing and talking they did all day.
When Sean arrived at the mansion, he parked in the driveway.
“Adele.” Jamal called as he gave her a gentle tap on her shoulder. Adele, who wasn’t deeply asleep, shook and woke up.
“Hmmm.” She answered as she withdrew from Jamal’s arms and tried to arrange her hair with her fingers. “Have we arrived?” She asked sleepily and Jamal nodded.
“Yes, we have.”
“Oh ok.” Jamal opened his side of the door and they both stepped out of the car. Adele stood tall in the compound and smiled when the familiar smell and feel of the Dominick mansion hit her. She looked around in awe.
Not much had changed. The building was still as enormous as before and the compound well kept as always.
“Are you ready to go inside?” Jamal asked from her side and she nodded. He led the way to the main door and of the house and Adele followed closely behind.
When she took the first two steps into the living room, she stopped on her tracks and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath.
“From today…” she said in her mind. “I won’t let anyone in the house intimidate me. I didn’t leave because I wanted to, but because they pushed me away. Now I’m back and I’m going to take my crown and rule like the queen I am. If anyone has to leave this house again, it’s going to be them, not me. After all, I am the lady of this house now. I am Mrs Adele King.” A sly smile formed on her face as she said those words to herself.
“Welcome back home, Mrs. King.” The guards and other servants greeted as she walked past them and she smiled broadly and waved as she followed Jamal further into the living room.
Aliya and Shannelle who were watching TV, stood up from their seats in shock when they saw Jamal and Adele walk in.
“What is going on here?” Demanded Aliya as she walked over to the couple. Sean and other servants were transferring their stuff into their bedroom while they stopped to talk to Aliya and Shannelle.
“What do you see happening?” Jamal asked, smiling and his mother frowned all the more.
His father and Grandmother soon joined them.
“Adele.” Called Grandma Devon as she went over to Adele and engulfed her in a warm hug. “You made the right decision my dear, welcome back home.” She said, withdrawing from the hug and Adele smiled at her.
“Thank you grandma.”
Aliya and Shannelle were both fuming on their spots. They wanted to cause a scene by dragging Adele out of the house, but they didn’t have the audacity to execute that plan because they knew Jamal would throw them out of the house.
“You are welcome back home, Adele.” Mr. Dominick welcomed and Adele flashed him a forced smile.
After hearing all that he did to her husband, she hated the man and wished she never had to see his face again. He was a cruel and heartless man and he was the one who awaked the monster in Jamal.
He was the one of the main roots of all the pain she went through in the hands of Jamal and she depised him.
“I told you all I was going to bring her back home, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did!” Grandma answered enthusiastically.
“Well, here she is and I hope you all…” he said looking at his sister and mother. “Can treat her better this time around. Remember, she is my wife and disrespecting her means disrespecting me and you all know how unforgiving I can be when I’m disrespected, especially by my family. Let’s all learn to live in harmony like the happy family we are.”
Aliya couldn’t take it anymore. She let out a loud snort and left the living room and Shannelle followed.
“See you all at dinner. Let’s go love.”
“Okay.” Adele agreed and followed him up the stairs.
There was so much tension in the air and she didn’t like it.
When they got to the door of their bedroom, Jamal opened the door and they both walked into it. Tears welled up in Adele’s eyes as she looked around the bedroom she missed so much.
That was where everything happened.
That was where everything started and ended.
That was the first room she ever spent the night with a man. The room in which she lost her virginity. The room in which she conceived her first offspring and the same room in which she lost it. Every sad and happy moment was experienced in that bedroom and it was special to her.
She only hoped that this time around, this would be better and the bedroom will record better moments henceforth.
She went into the walk-in closet and was shocked to see that all her things were still intact in her section. Even her makeup table still had the things she had left on them the day she left.
“You kept my stuff?”
“Of course I did! I knew I was going to bring you back home, so there was no need to throw them away. Adele, letting you go has never been an option.”
“Oh, Jamal…” she cried as she crashed into arms and sobbed hard.
“Welcome back home, Mrs. King. I promise to be a much better husband henceforth. I promise.” He whispered to her and he meant every word.
He had gotten his wife back and nothing was going to take her away from him again.