Chapter 28: FINALLY OPENED UP TO HIM.

Chapter 28: FINALLY OPENED UP TO HIM.
The car sped through the evening streets, headlights slicing through the dim orange glow of the sinking sun. Darius leaned forward, his voice firm as he gave the driver quick instructions.

“Take this short cut. We need to get out of this city fast and head into ours,” he said, his tone carrying both urgency and exhaustion.

The driver nodded, saying nothing. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as he followed the directions. Jenna sat quietly beside Darius, her heart racing faster than the vehicle itself. Her mind was heavy with thoughts of Betty lying in the hospital bed, the danger that seemed to follow them, and the secret she was still holding back from her husband.

Their plan was simple, at least on the surface. They would first stop at Darius’s mansion so he could bathe and change into fresh clothes. Then, they’d head straight to the hospital where Betty was waiting. The plan had been Jenna’s idea; she knew her sister needed them, but she also knew Darius couldn’t face Betty in his current state, tired, wounded, and still smelling faintly of antiseptic from his own long stay in the hospital.

The driver accelerated once they hit the highway. Slow driving on a road like this could get them killed or worse, caught. He pressed the gas, weaving between cars with practiced precision.

After countless turns, tolls, and pit stops, the glittering skyline of New York finally stretched before them. Darius’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles.

“Home,” he whispered under his breath. It had been nearly a month since he last saw the city, almost a month trapped in a hospital bed, and his soul ached with relief.

But even as the lights of the city wrapped around them like an embrace, Darius knew life here had not stood still. Things change. People change. And with a governor who had been pushing reforms for years, he could only wonder what New York looked like now, both politically and personally.

The mansion was still several kilometers away, and the sky had already dipped into shades of indigo. The clock ticked past six, then closer to seven.

Beside him, Jenna’s thoughts churned. She worried about Betty, of course, but even more about how to tell Darius the truth. How could she break the news in a way that wouldn’t crush him? She loved her sister, but she was also Darius’s wife and that complicated everything. Betty held a special place in his heart, a place Jenna could never truly replace.

Jenna bit her lip. How do I tell him? How do I keep him strong without breaking him? The truth pressed against her chest like a weight too heavy to carry.

When the car finally rolled into the driveway of their mansion, the clock read a few minutes before seven. Jenna’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror, checking for tails. The message she had received earlier still haunted her. Were they being followed? Were enemies close? She scanned every shadow, every passing car, desperate for peace of mind. But peace was a luxury she hadn’t tasted in days.

She had heard people talk about “opps” before, a slang word she barely understood until now. Oppositions. Enemies. People who wanted you gone. Now she didn’t just understand the word she lived it.

When she was satisfied no car followed them, she and Darius pushed open their doors before the driver could even reach for the handles. They didn’t have time for pleasantries.

“Man, get these bags inside,” Darius ordered briskly as he stepped out, pulling Jenna close by the hand. Together, they hurried into the mansion without looking back.

The driver sighed, nerves gnawing at him. He didn’t like this job, not one bit. Something about it screamed danger. Still, he obeyed, hauling the bags in with shaky arms.

He tried to lighten the tension in his own head by pretending he was in a movie, like Baby Driver, that getaway driver who sped criminals away from bank heists. But the thought quickly soured. Unlike the movie, this was no script.

These weren’t actors. And the men chasing Darius and Jenna weren’t about to let anyone off with a happy ending.

So once his duty was done, he left fast. He didn’t even use the same road he had come from. He wasn’t about to risk running into whoever was after his passengers. “I don’t want problems,” he muttered under his breath. “Not my business. Not my fight.”

Inside, Jenna and Darius wasted no time. They rushed upstairs, shutting their bedroom door firmly and locking it twice. Curtains drawn, eyes fixed on the window, they listened to the eerie quiet that had settled over the house.

“What the fuck is going on?” Darius finally snapped, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. His face was pale, his eyes bloodshot.

Jenna turned to him quickly, trying to calm him down. “Honey, please. You need to rest. You’ve been through so much already. I’ll explain everything at the right time. Right now, you just need food and rest. Before we leave for the hospital, I promise I’ll tell you what’s happening.”

Her voice cracked at the edges, tears pooling in her eyes, though she fought to keep them from falling. She needed to be strong, at least for him.

Just then, her phone rang. The loud vibration startled her so much she nearly dropped it. Her heart leapt into her throat.

Who now? Who else wants to disturb my peace? she thought bitterly.

It was her mother.

Jenna quickly excused herself, leaving Darius in the room as she answered the call in the kitchen.

Her mother’s voice came through, thick with tears and exhaustion. She told Jenna everything the doctor had said, her words heavy and urgent. She confessed she couldn’t stand another night in the hospital without seeing her daughters and Darius.

“Ma,” Jenna said softly, forcing steadiness into her tone, “Darius just got out of the hospital today. We’ll be coming soon, I promise. Just… hold on a little longer. We’re on our way.”

Her mother exhaled shakily. They talked for several more minutes, but Jenna eventually had to cut it short. They had no time to waste the longer they stayed, the more dangerous it became.

She hung up and hurried to prepare food. Time was against her, but she couldn’t let Darius face what was coming on an empty stomach. She threw together a quick meal barely fifteen minutes’ worth of cooking and set it on the dining table.

“Come, eat,” she called.

At that moment, table manners meant nothing. They sat side by side, eating quickly, chewing through both food and unspoken words. Jenna’s hands trembled as she lifted her fork. Her chest burned with the truth she was about to unleash.

“Darius,” she said carefully, her voice low. “Promise me you won’t stop eating when I tell you what I have to say.”

He glanced at her, frowning. “I won’t.”

She hesitated, her throat tightening. Her lips moved, but the words stuck like glass.

“Uh… I can’t say it,” she whispered.

“Why?” Darius pressed, his fork pausing midair. “Just try.”

Jenna’s hands shook. She took a deep breath, then forced the words out. “Betty… lost her memory. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you since we met in the hospital.”

Tears broke free, streaming down her cheeks before she could stop them.

Darius froze. His jaw clenched, eyes wide in shock. His fork
clattered to the plate.

“WTF!” he roared, his voice echoing through the mansion.