89

CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE.
Adele left straight to their Grandmother’s room to talk to her. All what Jamal just told her a while ago was taking a toll on her and she didn’t know what to think or do.
Everything had been planned from the start without her knowledge and her Grandmother whom she trusted very much had been an accomplice.
“Grandma, is it true?” She asked the moment she opened the door and saw her grandmother lying on the bed.
“Adele.” Grandma Devon called as she quickly stepped down from the bed and walked over to Adele who had now closed the door and was standing at the center of the bedroom. “Why are you in tears, what happened?” Grandma Devon panicked and Adele kept looking at her in awe.
She had known everything.
From coming back home, to getting a job, the mysterious phone which she had encouraged her to use when she hesitated and then the sudden marriage. Jamal had been the brain behind all of that and she had known, but she decided to hide it from her.
“Why?” Adele as more tears trickled down her cheeks, confusing grandma Devon all the more.
“Come here honey. Come have a seat and tell me what’s making you cry.” She said as she urged Adele to go sit on the bed with her and Adele calmly followed her to the bed where she sat down. “Tell me, is it Jamal? Is he the one making you cry?”
“It’s you and Jamal.” Adele answered breathlessly and Grandma Devon was shocked.
“Me? How?”
“You knew these things all along, but you hid them from me. Why?”
“My God Adele, will you hit the nail on the head already? You’re gonna make me piss my pants out of nervousness. What did I do? Tell me right away so I can apologize and make things right. Please child!” Grandma pleaded worriedly.
“When I finished college, I told you I wanted to stay in the UK and work, but you insisted that I come back home and I did. When I came back home, you mysteriously found a good job for me and I thought it was all you. The Samsung phone, you insisted I used it even when I told you it was delivered to me anonymously and that was because you very well knew who sent the phone. That’s why you insisted I used and took good care of it. The arranged marriage, it wasn’t your idea.” She burst into tears. “Grandma, it had been Jamal all along. He had been pulling the strings from the very beginning and you made me believe it was you. Do you know how cheated I feel right now? I feel like an absolute fool who has no control over her life!” She cried bitterly and Grandma Devon’s heart shattered into a million pieces!
She felt guilty for what she had done, but she knew she did it for her own good.
“Adele.” She called as she sat by Adele’s side and held her hands in hers. “My child. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Adele asked, hiccupping. “Grandma, sorry won’t fix this. It goes way back, it’s deeper than you think. I’m terribly hurt right now, I don’t even know who to trust anymore.”
“You can trust me! You can trust your Grandma. I know what I did was wrong and keeping it away from you was even worse, but Adele, my child, I did it for your sake. I did it all for you to make your life better. When Jamal told me about the guy who gladly took money he gave to leave you, I was heartbroken. That’s when I found out that he was in love with you. He asked me not to tell you. Before Jamal became the monster he was one year ago, he used to be a very sweet guy and I knew that you would be safe with him. I knew that you would be happy with him, that’s why I accepted to do all that he asked me to do. I agreed to make you come back home, I told him about your obsession with Samsung phones and I was enthralled when he asked me to announce an arranged marriage between you and him. I did all of that because I wanted nothing but the best for you, Adele. And I’m sorry that I didn’t let you make your choices in life, I’m sorry that we controlled you to that extent, I’m sincerely sorry, but we had to do what we thought was right. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive us someday.”
“Grandma.” She cried bitterly as she crashed into her grandmother’s arms. “I only wished you could have told me.”
“I couldn’t. It would have spoiled everything, my dear. Things had to be the way they were. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay grandma. I know you only ever want the best for me and you did what you thought was right. Thank you for caring so much about me. Thank you for loving me so much grandma. Thank you very much.” She cried in her grandmother’s arms and she calmly stroked her hair.
“When I took you from that orphanage. I promised myself that I was going to shower you with all the love and care and attention that you deserved. I love you with all my heart Adele and I want you to be happy. That’s why I did all that I did and I will do more, just to see you smile.” Said Grandma as she calmly stroked her hair.
Several moments passed and Adele was finally calm again.
She disengaged herself from her grandmother’s hug and looked up at her.
“How come you are so good at keeping secrets?”
“The years I’ve lived on the earth have taught me to do so, my dear.” She replied and Adele smiled.
A knock sounded on the door and Adele averted her gaze to it.
“Who’s it?” Asked grandma.
“Jamal.” Jamal replied lifelessly from the door and Adele casted grandma a surprised look.
“He’s here for therapy.” She said smiling. “Mind if I talk with him for a while?”
“Of course not, Grandma. Good night.” She kissed her on the cheek and walked to the door.
When she got there, she breathed in and out as she prepared herself to open the door and face Jamal. Once she did, she plastered her gaze on the floor and walked out and even when Jamal called her name, she did not stop to look at or answer him.
Jamal calmly let her go and walked into his grandmother’s room to talk with her.
“Are things that bad?” He asked as his grandma walked over to him.
“No, but you have a lot of begging to do. How did she find out in the first place?” Asked Grandma Devon, curious and Jamal nervously scratched his head.
“She insisted on coming with me to see the guy who tried to rape Shannelle. It was her ex boyfriend. The same guy I had paid some time ago to stay away from her.”
“What?” Grandma was shocked to hear that. “That bastard has the guts to approach another one of my daughters?”
“Don’t let it bother you grandma, he’s being taken care of. So when we went to see him, he mentioned that I was the one who made him leave Adele and she got curious. When we got back home, she asked and I couldn’t lie, so I had to tell her the truth.”
“That must have been hard for you to do.”
“No” he shook his head. “The hardest part was telling her I was the one who asked you to propose the marriage between us. The second hardest thing I had to admit, was the fact that I have been in love with her for nine years! I freaked her out, grandma and she’s mad. Is she going to leave me?” He asked frightened and grandma quickly shook her head.
“Of course not!” She flatly denied. “It hasn’t gotten to that level . She’s just upset that she was fooled by the both of us. That you have been controlling her life for a while now, but that’s not enough for her to decide to leave you. This is a problem that can be fixed tonight with an apology and a promise never to do it again.” She assured him and he gave her a curious look .
“Raedly grandma? She’s not that mad? She’s not going to leave me?”
Jamla was scared.
Since the moment Adele found out that he had paid Henry to break up with her, he had not been fine. His soul walked out of his body the moment she posed that question and it only returned now that Grandma Devon had assured him that Adele was not going to leave him.
He could now breathe properly.
He had been scared to the bone that she would leave him again.
“Just go in there and talk to her. Go.” Grandma urge and he quickly left her bedroom.
As he ascended the staircase leading to their floor, he prayed hard in his heart.
He prayed to God to soften Adele’s heart and make her accept his apology.