“Tell me I’m a genius,” Easineya said the moment Nasilele, whom she had called over, shut the office door behind her.
“You’re a genius? Why?”
“I think I just figured out how you’re going to get Lemba back.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Get pregnant.”
Nasilele blinked, her mouth falling open. “Brilliant plan…”
“You don’t sound enthusiastic. I thought you’d jump at the idea.”
“It’s been over two months since we broke up — and another three before that since he touched me,” she said. “I don’t see how that’s great.”
“That’s because you didn’t let me finish,” Easineya said, sliding open a drawer and placing two small medical vials on the desk.
Nasilele gasped. The implications settled over her like a cold fog.
“I’m a genius, right?” Easineya asked again.
“Easi… he’s your brother. We can’t—”
“Do you want him back or not?” Easineya cut in, sharp.
“Of course I do,” Nasilele admitted, her voice trembling.
“Then it’s settled,” Easineya said, brushing aside her hesitation. “Our goal is simple: you and Lemba. Together. Forever.”
She tucked the vials into her bag.
“Now, how about lunch? I’m starving.”
TELI’S GARDEN
Thugs ran amok, smashing flowerpots against the concrete and tearing through Teliwe’s carefully tended plants. Sticks and metal rods shattered the larger shrubs. Roots were ripped from soil that had taken months to cultivate.
Her workers huddled in corners, nursing wounds, powerless against the swarm.
Teliwe stood still.
There was nothing she could do.
She tore the sleeves from her shirt and pressed the fabric to the deep gash on one worker’s forehead, steadying him as he trembled.
In less than twenty minutes, the once-prosperous garden lay in ruins.
Only the bench remained intact.
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Later, Chonta Chona and Edina stepped carefully over shards of clay and broken stems.
“Teli, are you okay? What happened?” Chonta asked, sitting beside her.
“I don’t know. They just… came,” Teliwe said quietly.
Edina’s voice shook with fury. “This has Nsemiwe written all over it. You must call the police.”
“With what evidence?” Teli sighed, running a hand through her afro. “They’ll ask questions, write a report, and file it away.”
“At least they’ll investigate,” Chonta insisted, pulling out her phone.
Teli nodded, though she knew better.
This wasn’t random.
It was a warning.
ZIMBA RESIDENCE
Two days later, Easineya opened the door.
“Hi. Teli, right?”
“Yes. I’m here to see Mrs. Zimba.”
“Oh, you just missed her. But she was expecting you. Come in.”
Teli chose to wait in the garden.
Inside, Nasilele fidgeted.
“Who was that?”
“The landscaper,” Easineya replied lightly. “Ready?”
“I’m not sure. What if something goes wrong?”
“It’s not going to kill him. Relax,” Easineya said with a small laugh. “Your timing is perfect. This is our one chance.”
Timing was everything. They wouldn’t get to make this mistake twice.
Nasilele inhaled sharply.
LEMBA’S STUDY
“Hey,” Nasilele said softly, stepping inside.
Lemba looked up from his laptop. “Nasi?”
“You didn’t go into the office today?”
“No.”
Silence stretched between them.
“You can’t even hide your displeasure when you see me anymore,” she said.
“Nasilele,” he sighed. “You’re a good woman. I spent most of my life with you. But this desperation-”
“It’s not desperation,” she interrupted. “It’s love.”
The door opened.
Easineya walked in carrying a tray.
“Hey, you two. Back together already?”
Lemba shot her a sharp look.
“Relax. It was a joke,” she said lightly. “Here. I made your favorite punch.”
He took the glass, muttered a thanks, shut his laptop, and walked out of the room.
The door clicked closed.
Easineya turned to Nasilele with a grin. “I’d suggest you start undressing.”
“Very funny,” Nasilele said dryly, moving to the window instead.
She looked out over the garden.
“The landscaping is beautiful. Your mother has exquisite taste.”
“She does,” Easineya replied, folding her arms. “She found this gardener who’s apparently a miracle worker. My parents can’t stop talking about her. Every other sentence is her name.”
“Oh?”
“They’ve taken quite a liking to her. At this rate, they might adopt her.”
She laughed softly.
Nasilele’s smile faded.
Her gaze locked on something outside.
The color drained from her face.
The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
Easineya stiffened. “Nasi? What’s wrong?”
“It can’t be,” she whispered, stepping back as if she’d seen a ghost.
“What?”
“That’s her.”
“Who?”
Nasilele turned slowly, panic in her eyes. “That’s Teli. Your brother’s Teli.”
Easineya went still.
“Are you sure?”
“I’d recognize her anywhere.”
Her breathing quickened.
“You can’t let them meet. He can’t know she’s here. If he sees her—”
She didn’t finish.
She didn’t need to.
Outside, unaware of the storm brewing inside, Teli moved calmly through the garden.
Inside, everything shifted.
ZIMBA’S GARDEN
Easineya walked toward the bench, her expression composed.
Teli looked up from her notebook.
“Teli.”
“Yes?”
“I’m afraid my mother won’t be able to see you today,” Easineya said smoothly. “Something came up.”
“Oh. She was expecting me.”
“Yes,” Easineya replied evenly. “Plans change.”
Her eyes moved over Teli slowly, assessing.
“We’ll call you when it’s convenient. No need to linger.”
The words were polite.
The meaning wasn’t.
“Is everything alright?” Teli asked.
“That depends,” Easineya said lightly. “It’s usually better when the past stays where it belongs.”
Teli didn’t fully understand but she knew she’d just been warned.
“If there’s an issue with my work—”
“There isn’t,” Easineya cut in, her smile thin. “Your work is… impressive.”
A pause.
“It’s just important that certain boundaries remain clear.”
Silence hung between them.
“I’ll come back another time,” Teli said.
“Yes,” Easineya replied. “You should.”
She watched Teli leave.
Almost.
She had almost walked into that house.
Not again.
Easineya waited until the gate closed.
One crisis contained.
LEMBA’S BEDROOM
Upstairs, the drink had begun to take effect.
Heat crept under Lemba’s skin. His thoughts blurred at the edges.
When the door opened and Nasilele stepped inside, slowly unbuttoning her trench dress, restraint gave way to impulse.
He pulled her toward him.
She responded without hesitation.
Within minutes, they were tangled in sheets, urgency replacing reason.
Downstairs, Easineya stood near the staircase, listening.
She smiled faintly.
The hardest part was over.
It was an intense afternoon for Nasilele and Lemba.
For Lemba, it had been instinct- his body reacting to something he couldn’t fully control, heat clouding reason, urgency overriding thought.
For Nasilele, it had been something else entirely.
She gave herself to the moment completely; arching, clinging, moving against him as though it might be the last time she would ever feel him this close. Every breath, every sound, every shift of her hips carried months of longing and the quiet fear of losing him.
When the haze finally burned out of him and the restless heat faded, Lemba collapsed back against the sheets, exhausted. The artificial fire that had driven him was gone.
Nasilele remained still beside him.
She hadn’t truly felt him the way she used to-not the tenderness, not the slow familiarity of his hands exploring her like home. What she’d received had been urgent.
Consuming.
But strangely distant.
A small flicker of disappointment stirred inside her.
She had imagined something softer. Something that lasted.
Still, as she lay there with her head resting lightly against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, she pushed the doubt aside.
This would be the first of many nights, she told herself.
A beginning.
Not an ending.
Even as his arm remained limp at his side-not wrapped around her ;she allowed herself to believe she had just reclaimed her future.
HOURS LATER
Night had fallen, the world prepared to put to rest another day but chaos reigned in the Zimba residence.
Lemba’s chest heaved as he glared at Nacilele, kneeling on the bed, completely exposed. He gripped the sheet around his waist like a lifeline.
“Don’t you dare come closer!” he growled.
“Lemba, why are you being like this?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Being like this? Being like this? Are you insane? You drugged me and forced yourself on me!”
“We made love,” she said softly. “We made sweet love… like before.”
“God, Nancy… What is wrong with you?”
“I love you, Lemba…”
He stared at her in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
She got off the bed, strutting toward him, trying to touch him. He turned his head, refusing to meet her naked body, and stepped back.
“Please, don’t be like this. Don’t ruin the beautiful memory we shared,” she pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.
“What you did… it’s called rape. If I had done this to you, the police would be at my door. What made you think this was okay?”
“I just wanted to remind you how good we are together. And it worked. You loved it-you showed me you still love me too.”
Lemba pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, forcing himself to take steadying breaths.
“Get dressed. And get the hell out of my room,” he said, his voice tight but controlled.
“Babe…” she murmured, taking a step toward him.
“Now!” he bellowed, startling her. She stumbled back.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she sobbed, tears rolling down her flawless dark cheeks. “You still love me…you didn’t resist me…”
“You manipulated the situation,’’ he bit out. “That is not love. I haven’t looked at you like a woman since we broke up.”
She sprang up, raising her hand to slap him. He blocked her, roughly pushing her back. Her legs hit the bed, and she fell hard, glaring at him.
“Whose idea was this? Easi?” he demanded, his anger barely contained.
She shook her head fiercely. “Easi had nothing to do with this. I swear!”
He chuckled bitterly at her attempt to protect her friend. They were alike in ways she didn’t realize.
“Get out,” he said, voice final.
“Lemba…” her tears threatened to break through again.
He grabbed her, shoving her out of his room, sheets flying, then shut and locked the door behind her. He paced the room, each step a measure of fury, imagining who he might throttle if given the chance.
When he had calmed enough to think, he called the company’s interior decor team .
Within the hour, they had stripped the room bare and replaced everything-making sure nothing, not a single trace, reminded him of her presence.
THE NEXT MORNING
Lemba barely touched his food.
Across from him, Easineya’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she studied him, wondering just how much he knew.
“It’s a shame your Teli couldn’t join us,” Easi said to her mother, her tone as dry as the bread on her plate.
“What’s with you?” Edina asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It looks like you’re trying way too hard to set up my idiot brother with the gardener,” she replied smoothly.
“And what’s wrong with that?” Edmond interjected. “The only problem is… he’s in love with another Teli.”
“The standards of this family have really dropped,” Easi said, leaning back, her voice laced with sarcasm. “He wants to bring in a hooker, and you’re trying to pair him with a gardener.”
Lemba’s eyes narrowed at her.
“Easi!” Edina cautioned sharply.
“We trust your brother’s judgment,” Edmond said calmly.
“No, you don’t,” Easi said, a sharp laugh escaping her. “Or you wouldn’t be trying so damn hard to set him up with the gardener. At least the gardner is leagues above the hooker. You’re just too timid to admit your fears.”
“So,” Edina said, ignoring her daughter, leaning forward, “you should know there’s a high possibility that Lemba’s Teli and the gardener might be the same person.”
Lemba shot his mother a look, brows raised.
“I meant to tell you… we’ll talk later,” Edina murmured, sidestepping.
“And I imagine her side job is to be a hooker,” Easi added, catching the flicker of hope in her brother’s eyes, her tone dripping with venomous delight.”‘Seems she’s not raking in ennough from turning the soil.”
“Easi, enough,” Edmond warned.
“No, Dad. Someone has to knock sense into him. We can’t encourage this madness any longer, he needs to find a good woman to settle down with…”
“Naci and I…we’re over,” Lemba hissed, his jaw tight.
“ Is that so?” Easi said casually, a teasing edge in her voice. ”It didn’t seem like it when you fucked each other like a pair of wild rabbits in heat yesterday.”
”Easi, language !” Edmond admonished angrily.
Lemba’s fingers clenched around his fork, his glare cutting through the table.
“Lemba?” Edina asked worriedly, seeking clarification. If Teliwe the gardener was hisone night stand and he was having casual sex with Nacilile, it complicated everything.
“Keep her and her crazy friend away from me,” he said, rising abruptly, pushing back his chair. He left the room, leaving a stunned silence behind him.
”Oh how pitiful Naci is, dumped for some cheap hooker!” Easi shouted after him but he ignored her taunts.
”Now you are going over board,” Edina said, slaming her hands on the table.
Easi pullked back the chair roughly.”Nothing good will come out of him hooking up with that cheap floozy. You will remember my words someday.”
She threw her napkin on the table and stormed off to the dusasppoint of her parents.
”Easi!” Edina shouted afte her.
Edmond poured a glass of water for his fuming wife, gently patting her back.
🕸🕸🕸
Easineya’s phone rang just as she was about to get some shut eye after pulling an all nighter at the hospital.
She answered immediately.
“Naci?”
All she heard at first was crying.
Not soft crying. The kind that comes from the stomach.
“He said what I did was-” Her voice broke. “He said it was rape.”
There was a sharp pause.
“That’s ridiculous,” Easineya snapped instantly. “You didn’t attack him. You didn’t force him.”
“I just wanted him back,” Nasi cried. “I thought if he remembered how we were-”
“And he did remember,” Easi cut in. “Don’t let him twist this.”
Silence on the other end, but the crying didn’t stop.
“I can’t lose him,” Nasilele whispered. “Easi, I’m not strong like you. I can’t just move on. If he leaves me, that’s it for me. I swear I won’t survive it.”
“Stop talking like that,” Easi said sharply, protective now. “You are not falling apart over one man.”
“He’s not just one man,” she sobbed. “He’s my future. My whole life.”
Easi closed her eyes briefly.
“ He erased me, Easi. Like I was nothing.”
That hit.
Easi’s voice hardened.
“He doesn’t get to erase you.”
“Help me, Easi,” Naci begged. “Please. I can’t do this alone…if he leaves me…’’
“He won’t,” Easi said, with more confidence than she felt. “He has to take responsibility for you.”
‘’He hates me…you should have seen the way he looked at me…’
Easineya stood very still for a moment.
Then her expression changed.
Protective. Furious. Ready for war.
‘’Don’t worry, he will do right by you.’’
🕸🕸🕸
Lemba was in his study when the door flew open.
He didn’t bother to look up.
“Get out.”
Easineya didn’t.
“You blocked Naci?”
‘’Since when do I report to you?’’
“She’s a wreck…she’s falling apart,” Easi shot back. “Crying. Shaking. You blocked her on everything?”
“How is that my problem?’’
Easi walked forward and slammed shut the laptop.
He slowly looked up, his eyes cold. “Get the fuck out .”
“Not until you explain why you’re treating her like she’s trash.”
“Oh I don’t know, maybe because she showed up at my house and drugged me.”
“She was desperate.”
“She violated me.” He enunciated each word slowly, barely keeping his anger at bay.
Easi didn’t flinch.
“You’re exaggerating.”
His chair scraped loudly against the floor as he stood.
“Exaggerating?” His voice was low now. Dangerous. “She took away my choice.”
“She wanted you back.”
“She didn’t get to decide that for me.”
“She thought you still loved her!”
“I don’t.”
That landed.
But Easi recovered quickly.
“You did,” she said. “Or you wouldn’t have responded.”
His jaw tightened.
“You don’t get to twist this.”
“You don’t get to destroy her over it,” she fired back. “She hasn’t slept. She thinks her life is over.”
“That’s not my responsibility.”
“It became your responsibility the moment you touched her back.”
Silence.
His breathing changed.
“You think this is romantic?” he asked quietly.
“Why are you acting like she assaulted you in an alley,” Easi snapped. “This was messy, yes. Wrong, maybe. But not evil.”
His hands curled into fists.
“You don’t get to decide what it felt like.”
“And you don’t get to pretend she’s some predator,” she shot back. “She loves you.”
“Love doesn’t drug someone.”
That hit harder than she expected.
But she pushed through.
“She panicked. She made a mistake. And now you’re punishing her like she committed murder.”
“I’m protecting myself.”
“By humiliating her?”
“She humiliated herself.”
Their parents appeared at the doorway, drawn by the raised voices.
“What is going on?” Edina asked.
Neither sibling looked at her.
“She blocked him because she was scared,” Easi said, pointing at Lemba. “And now he’s cut her off like she’s disposable.”
“I blocked her because I don’t feel safe around her,” Lemba said evenly.
That silenced the room.
Edmond frowned. “Unsafe?”
Lemba didn’t take his eyes off his sister.
“She drugged me.”
Edina’s hand flew to her mouth.
Easi scoffed. “You’re making it sound—”
“I was dugged, lost my mind ,” he continued. “And she was already my bed. No doubt this was your daughter’s brilliant plan.”
The air shifted.
Edina looked between them in horror.
“Is this true?” she asked quietly.
Easi hesitated. Just a fraction.
“I don’t know what you are talking about. Moreover, she didn’t mean it like that.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Edina stated.
Silence.
Lemba’s voice dropped.
“She crossed a line. And I will not be guilted into pretending she didn’t.”
Easi’s eyes burned.
“She is breaking down right now because of you.”
“And I am done being manipulated by tears.”
That did it.
She stepped closer, almost shaking with anger.
“If she hurts herself—”
“She won’t,” he cut in.
“You don’t know that!”
“And if she does, that is not on me.”
The words were ice.
Even Edmond stiffened at that.
Easi stared at her brother like she didn’t recognize him.
“You’ve changed,” she said quietly.
He sneered. ” Why? Because i refuse to play your sick manipulative games?”
Silence swallowed the room.
Finally he moved past her, opening the door.
“This conversation is over.”
He walked out.
Easi stood there, shaking-not from fear.
But rage.
🕸🕸🕸
Lemba walked into the office lobby and stopped.
Nacilele stood near reception, eyes swollen, mascara smudged, fingers twisting around her handbag strap.
The receptionist looked uncomfortable.
The moment Nacilile saw him, she stood too fast and nearly stumbled in her heels.
“Lemba.”
He turned, heading in another direction. She ran after him.
“Lemba, please. Just five minutes. I’m begging you.”
He stopped and turned to face her. His expression didn’t change.
“I blocked you for a reason,” he said flatly
“I know. I know. I deserve it. I was stupid. I was desperate. But don’t shut me out like this. Don’t erase me.
Employees were pretending not to stare.
“You’re causing a scene,” he said quietly.
“I don’t care!” she cried. “I can’t live without you. I can’t sleep. I can’t breathe. I’ll die without you.
His jaw tightened.
“Security.”
Her face went pale.
Two guards approached.
“No,no, please-Lemba, tell them to stop!” She clung to his arm. “I love you. I made a mistake. I’ll fix it. I’ll do anything.”
He removed her hand from his sleeve like it disgusted him.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” he hissed
The guards pulled her back. She struggled, heels scraping against the marble floor.
“Lemba! Please! Don’t do this to me!”
“Remove her,” he ordered.
They dragged her toward the elevator. She was crying now, not caring who saw. Her hair fell into her face, her body weak, slightly unsteady, still not fully clear from whatever she had taken to calm herself.
The elevator doors slid open.
And he turned away.
She twisted to look at him one last time.
The doors closed.
🕸🕸🕸
Edmond had stepped out of a board meeting in time to witness the last of it.
When he walked into his son’s office, the sight stopped him at the door.
The place was a mess.
Everything had been swept off the desk. Papers littered the floor like fallen leaves.
A shattered glass lay near the wall, the water from it slowly spreading across the polished tiles.
A chair had been pushed back so violently it had toppled over.
Lemba stood near the window, his back turned, shoulders stiff.
For a moment Edmond simply watched him. He had rarely seen his son lose control like this.
Lemba had always been the composed one-the man who handled problems with cold precision.
But now the tension in his posture told another story.
“Was that necessary?” his father asked quietly.
Lemba didn’t turn to acknowledge his presence.
“Yes.”
“She’s unstable.”
‘’I don’t see how that’s my problem.’’
‘’You two have a history…’’
‘’That did not give her the right to violate me,” Lemba replied flatly.
Edmond nodded.’’ I just don’t want you to regret everything later.’’
“This is mercy.”
Edmond studied him.
“You’re being very cold-hearted…its not like you.”
Lemba finally turned, eyes cold.” She deserves this and much more.’’
🕸🕸🕸
Downstairs, Nacilile stumbled out of the building, shaking.
Her head felt heavy. Her thoughts blurred. She hadn’t slept. She hadn’t eaten.
She had taken something to steady herself-something that clearly wasn’t working.
She got into her car anyway.
Hands trembling, she dialled Easi but there was no reply.
Nacilile sat in the driver’s seat for a long time before turning the key.
Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
People walked past her car.
Normal.
Unbothered.
The world hadn’t ended
But hers had.
She started the engine.
Her phone buzzed in her lap.
Easi.
She answered immediately.
“He threw me out,” she said before Easi could speak. Her voice sounded far away.
“In front of everyone. Like I was nothing.”
“Where are you?” Easi demanded.
“In the parking lot.”
“Good. Stay there.”
“I can’t.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “I can’t sit here like some pathetic ex he discarded.”
“Naci, listen to me-”
“I loved him,” she said, her voice breaking. “I gave him everything.”
“You still need to calm down.”
“I am calm,” she whispered.
She wasn’t.
She pulled out of the parking lot.
“Naci.” Easi’s tone sharpened. “Are you driving?”
“Yes.”
“Pull over.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are not fine.”
Tears blurred her vision again. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear them.
Cars moved around her.
Horns. Traffic lights.
Her breathing was uneven.
“I just need to get home,” she said. “I just need to lie down.”
A light ahead turned yellow.
She didn’t slow down.
“Naci,” Easi said sharply, something in her voice changing. “Answer me properly. Are you okay to drive?”
“I said I’m-”
A horn blasted from her left.
She turned her head too late.
A truck.
Too close.
Too fast.
Metal collided with a deafening crack.
The world spun.
Glass shattered.
Her scream tore through the phone.
Then crushing silence.
The line went dead.
Easineya stared at her screen.
“Naci?”
Nothing.
She pulled the phone away slowly.
Then called back. The call went straight to voicemail.
INKED IMAGINATION
