Chapter 122 CHAPTER 122
Please let her go
“Excuse me—please, I’m looking for Detective Morenike,” Tessa said, almost breathless as she pushed through the swinging glass doors of the police station. The faint smell of old files and disinfectant clung to the air. It was past midnight, yet the front desk still buzzed with murmured voices, papers, and the hum of ceiling fans struggling against the Lagos humidity.
The officer at the reception desk looked up. “Madam, she’s in Interrogation Two. Who should I say is asking?”
“Tessa. Tell her it’s about Ayisha Bello.”
The officer nodded and disappeared down the narrow corridor. Tessa exhaled shakily, rubbing her palms together. Her phone had been vibrating nonstop, missed calls from Julian, messages from Chloe, updates from the hospital but she couldn’t think about any of that now.
All she could think about was Ayisha. She had been looking for her for days now. Thank God she could find her.
Ayisha, who had been caught in the web of Ethan’s madness. Ayisha, who had trusted the wrong people and ended up behind a steel door.
“Tessa?”
Detective Morenike appeared, her expression calm but wary. “You came. I wasn’t sure you would.”
“I couldn’t just leave her here,” Tessa said. “She’s not a criminal.”
Morenike’s lips twitched into something between sympathy and fatigue. “No one said she was. But her story doesn’t line up with what your friend Chloe reported. The CCTV from Deez Café shows two women sitting together before Ethan appeared and then chaos.”
“I know,” Tessa said. “But Chloe has a habit of twisting things. Please. I’ll sign whatever papers you need. I’ll take responsibility for Ayisha.”
The detective studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Fine. She’s been processed. You can bail her out tonight but be warned, if Ethan resurfaces and there’s any connection—”
“There won’t be,” Tessa cut in. “I’ll handle it.”
Five minutes later, a side door buzzed open. Ayisha stepped out hesitantly, her hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes were swollen, rimmed with exhaustion. She looked smaller than usual like life had pressed her into herself.
“Tessa,” she whispered.
Tessa crossed the distance between them and hugged her. Ayisha froze at first, then melted into the embrace, trembling.
“It’s okay,” Tessa murmured. “You’re out now.”
When they pulled apart, Ayisha’s voice cracked. “He was there, Tessa. Ethan. He was at the café. He looked at me like… like I was next.”
Tessa’s grip tightened on her arm. “You’re safe now.”
“Am I?” Ayisha asked softly. “You don’t know him. He’s not going to stop. And Chloe she set me up. She wanted me there so Ethan could find me. I don’t even have anywhere to go anymore.”
The despair in her voice made Tessa pause. She’d spent weeks trying to avoid other people’s storms—Ares’s anger, Lady Bianca’s collapse, Chloe’s deceit but somehow, she always found herself standing in the middle of the rain.
She took a deep breath. “Then you’ll come with me.”
Ayisha’s eyes widened. “To your hotel?”
“No,” Tessa said. “To Ares’s mansion.”
Ayisha blinked, stunned. “Are you serious? After everything?”
“Especially after everything,” Tessa replied quietly. “No one would think to look for you there. And besides… you need a roof. Somewhere safe until we figure out the next step. You saved my kids from being burnt.”
Ayisha hesitated, guilt flickering across her face. “Tessa, I don’t want to drag you into this.”
“You’re already in it,” Tessa said, voice firm. “We both are.”
The drive was long and mostly silent. The city was half asleep, the usual chaos dulled by the hour, the streets silvered with rain. The rhythmic sweep of the wipers filled the silence between them.
Ayisha sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window. Her reflection looked ghostly in the glass. “You shouldn’t be doing this,” she said after a while. “You have kids. A life now.”
Tessa kept her eyes on the road. “I am with Ares because of you. Julian is with the children. The house is big enough for all of us.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It isn’t,” Tessa said. “But I’ve learned something these past few weeks, people can either let pain define them or redefine them. I’m tired of being afraid.”
Ayisha turned her head, watching her. “And what if Ethan comes after you because of me?”
“He’s already after me and my family.”
There was something about the way she said it, quiet but iron strong that made Ayisha fall silent.
The rest of the drive passed in a blur of city lights, tollgates, and rain.
Tessa walked down the corridor, her steps slow. She paused by the children’s door, listening to the soft rhythm of their breathing inside. A faint smile touched her lips before she turned away.
Her phone buzzed again, another missed call from Ares.
She ignored it.
For once, the silence of the mansion didn’t feel lonely. It felt… purposeful. Like a pause before something was about to change.
In the guest room, Ayisha sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her trembling hands. She could still hear Ethan’s voice in her head, the way his eyes had burned through her at the café.
“He’s not going to stop,” she whispered to herself.
But then she looked around, the soft glow of the lamps, the distant hum of safety and for the first time since that day, she felt a flicker of hope.
Somewhere out there, Ethan was bleeding. Hiding. Desperate.
And somewhere here, Tessa had given her a chance to start again.
She drew in a deep breath and lay back on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling until sleep finally pulled her under.
Downstairs, Tessa locked the front door, turned off the hall light, and leaned against the wall. The storm had finally passed.