Juana’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded violently against her chest as her trembling fingers pointed towards Frank.
“No! No! This can’t be true!” she wailed, staggering forward.
“Frank, don’t tell me you have a hand in this! Don’t tell me you—” Her voice broke as fresh sobs run their ways down her cheeks.
“Don’t tell me you impregnated your own daughter!”
Frank’s face twisted in shock. His mouth opened, but no words came out at first. When he finally spoke, his voice was shaky, laced with desperation.
“I... I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” he stammered, shaking his head frantically.
“Taiwo is my daughter. I would never do such a thing!”
Juana’s eyes burned with fury. “Who is telling the truth between you both?!” she shouted.
“She is looking at you! That means you’re responsible! And now you stand there, pretending to be innocent?”
Kehindey, who had been silent all along, felt his legs weaken beneath him. His heart pounded so hard it echoed in his ears. He leaned against the wall, unable to support his own weight, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
Frank turned to Juana, his face pleading. “Honey, I swear to you, I don’t know anything about this. I’m not responsible for her preg—”
A sharp slap cut his sentence short. The sound echoed through the room like thunder.
“Shut up!” Juana screamed. “Shut your filthy mouth! I don’t believe any of you right now!”
Her hands flew to her head, fingers gripping her hair in frustration. She turned back to her daughter.
“Taiwo! Who is responsible for this pregnancy?”
Taiwo swallowed hard, her body trembling. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she muttered a single word.
“Dad…”
Frank staggered backward. “What? What did I do?!” Frank said, defending himself.
“Dad… if only you cautioned us… If only you had corrected me!” Taiwo sobbed. “If only you disciplined me, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Juana’s eyes narrowed with confusion. “I don’t understand. What are you saying?”
Frank’s face twisted in frustration. “Stop speaking in riddles, Taiwo! Hit the hammer on the nail!”
Taiwo took a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper. “Dad, if only you had punished Kehindey and me when you caught us having an affair…”
The room fell into a deafening silence. Juana’s hands dropped to her sides. Kehindey’s breath hitched, his body stiffening in fear.
Frank stood frozen, his eyes widening in horror.
Juana blinked rapidly. “What did you just say?”
Taiwo sobbed harder. “You caught us… countless times. But instead of disciplining us, you just talked softly and let us go.” Her voice cracked as she continued.
“You exposed us to things we were too young to understand. You and Mum never hid your intimacy from us. We witness you getting intimate countless time, even when we are in the room with you.
And we thought it was something normal. Something legal we can practice.”
Kehindey lowered his head in shame. “We were just curious at first… but when mum became suspicious, we wanted to stop.” His voice trembled. “But we are already addicted to it.”
“We are sorry. Please forgive us. I don’t know it will result to this.” Kehindey said feeling remorseful.
Juana stumbled backward, her legs almost giving way beneath her. A sickening wave of realization crashed over her. Her heart shattered into a million pieces.
Frank dropped to his knees, his body trembling as he covered his face with his hands. His voice came out in a whisper.
“This… this is my fault. I failed as a father. I failed you both.”
Tears rolled down Juana’s cheeks. “I should have seen the signs,” she muttered. “I should have paid more attention. I should have asked questions instead of trusting blindly.”
The doctor, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.
“Crying won’t undo what has happened. Right now, we need to focus on what to do next. This should be two months pregnancy, and I believe she has been taking pills to flush it out which result to her sickness.” The doctor said.
Juana screamed. “Pills?!!!”
Taiwo nodded weakly. “Yes mum, I was scared, and a friend gave me some pills to get rid of it.”
Juana gasped, clutching her chest. “Oh, my God! You could have died, Taiwo!”
“What should we do now?” Frank asked.
“At this stage, it’s dangerous to take such pills. I strongly suggest keeping the baby. Any further attempts to flush it out could risk both her life and the child’s.” The doctor suggested.
Frank wiped his face with his palm, his body visibly shaking.
“The big mistake has been made. Then… we will have to live with the consequences.” Frank murmured to himself.
Chapter 9 Let\'s Enjoy