33 He'll Return

I thought being married to Jordan was the worse of all that could ever happen to me. I never imagined that any other horror could top that nightmare.

Well, that was until I had to be around Aggela after Helena had told her all about my sham marriage to Jordan. It was worse than any nightmare I had ever imagined, and I couldn't even understand why. For some reason, I felt like I had lost to Aggela, even though there was no defined competition. Clearly, I was not competing for Jordan's affection or attention, as I was never in the running for his heart to begin with. If any one of us had the right to lay claim to Jordan, then it was Aggela. Because while she at least had a relationship with him in the past, no matter how ma Nana saw it, I was just a captive. His captive.

I felt like a fool for continuously forgetting that. I was a captive and Aggela was the mistress. She was way ahead of me!

And yet, I felt like I had lost to her.

I stayed in my room for the rest of the day and most part of the next day, just to avoid seeing Aggela walk around with a mocking sneer on her face. In my solitude, I began to wonder why she had even come around in the first place, and why she was still hanging around even in Jordan's absence.

"Why is this Aggela still here? Is this how she often visits? In Jordan's absence?" I asked ma Nana that evening, when she brought my dinner up to me.

"That one?" Ma Nana grimaced maliciously. "She come here when and how she please. She believe that this place will be her home one day, so she come even when Anax is not here." She explained.

"You think your boss knows she is here?" I asked again.

"Sure!" Ma Nana nodded vigorously. "Anytime the desperate woman come around here, she will call boss first and beg him to come back. Sometimes, she gets luck, and he is around when she come. But if he is not here when she come, he never comes back no matter how much she beg. So she just stay here and nuisance about until she get tired and go." The old maid said to me. "This time too, I think she will waste her time here and leave when she tires out. Boss have serious business where he go." She added with a wicked smile.

For some reason, that gave me comfort. Knowing that Jordan often ignored Aggela in the past, and the promise that he would probably ignore her again, it gave me some comfort. And yet, I felt so defeated.

"You think she will leave soon?" I asked timidly.

"Of course!" Ma Nana cried. "Usually, she stay around for a few days or a week at most. But with your presence now, I think she will leave in a hurry! She must be uncomfortable that you are mistress of the house now." She laughed.

"I don't think she would leave in a hurry though." I said in a faint voice, looking down at my feet.

"What? Why? Why do you think she will not? Your presence is making her loose rest, I tell you. Why do you think not?" Ma Nana asked as she came over to my side to seat on the bed, beside me.

I heaved a heavy sigh as I looked up, but remained silent for a moment.

"She knows." I said at last.

"Knows what?" Ma Nana asked in confusion.

"Aggela knows that my marriage to Jordan is a sham." I said.

"What? How? Who told her? Did you tell her?" Ma Nana exclaimed.

"No. Not me. Why would I tell her?" I groaned. "Daren's mom told her." I replied.

"Who is Daren mom?" Ma Nana asked, looking even more confused.

"Helena! Jordan's sister." I yelled in exasperation. Ma Nana gasped, putting her hand to her chest.

"Helena! That snake!" She cursed. "What did she do that for? That woman is no good! Pure Evil." She hissed.

I looked down at my feet again, slouching depressingly.

"Oh, my poor poor child." Ma Nana said, putting her hands on my chin to lift my face up. "Aggela, that vile woman. She will gloat over this forever! But you my child, must never drop your chin. Do not let her bully you." Ma Nana advised me.

I was going to answer her when the door suddenly gave way and Aggela strolled in.

When I looked up, she was sneering down at us. That gloat filled sneer that I had been desperately avoiding.

"Growing up as a child, did no adult ever tell you to knock on people's door before you walk in?" Ma Nana angrily fired at her.

"Oh, sorry." Aggela said, placing her hand over her lips in a show of innocence. "Was I supposed to knock?" She asked.

"Yes. You are supposed to knock, Aggela. This is the room of Annax bride, you should knock before you enter. Every time." Ma Nana said.

"If she is Anax's bride, then shouldn't she be in Anax's room?" Aggela asked, making quotes in the air with her fingers, then she crossed her arms as she smirked and continued. "Besides, I heard my name. I didn't think I would need any permission to enter, since I was invited." She shrugged.

"No one invited you." Ma Nana argued.

"Oh please!" Aggela scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Aggela, that vile woman." She said, quoting ma Nana's last statement.

"Were you listening to us behind the door?" Ma Nana asked in utter shock.

"I was passing by, and you were talking really loud." Aggela rolled her eyes again.

"You were listening to us." Ma Nana insisted.

"Whatever. Just know that I am not wasting my time, this time around." Aggela said. "Jordan is on his way back as we speak. I called him this morning, and he's coming back. When he gets here, we'll see who the real mistress of the house is." She announced, then she turned around and walked away before we could even process her words enough to reply.

"That little wench!" Ma Nana cursed in her absence. "She was listening to us the whole time!"

I wasn't listening to what ma Nana was saying. I couldn't listen. I couldn't hear her above the loud pounding of my heart in my chest, and the sound of blood coursing through my veins.

Jordan was coming back.

My heart was beating fast and yet, missing beats.

I felt a sudden flush on my skin, and it seemed like someone had turned up the heat in the room.

Jordan was coming back.

I didn't know whether to be happy or saddened by that news.