I was unable to publish last week due to some unforeseen circumstance, I apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your understanding
CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVEN
Escape
Dressed in a nude fitted crewneck T-shirt and a tailored pair of joggers, I watch the sun dip below the horizon, leaving the sky painted in deep indigos and purples, with faint stars beginning to twinkle as the night gradually wraps around me like a velvet cloak, comforting and mysterious. I stand on a terrace of a resort in Ibiza, enjoying the cool evening breeze as the palm trees sway gently and their silhouettes dance against the subtle reflection of light on the nearby pool. I can hear soft ambient music blending with the distant sound of waves lapping against the shore, reminding me of the party I called for my family and teammates. I just wanted us to relax and dine before we are thrown into another year of hectic footballing schedules.
Ibiza was known for its legendary nightlife, which offers a balance between tranquility and elegance while providing a sense of peaceful escape, but this does not feel like an escape. It feels like a prison. At least, that is what it feels like to me. It is keeping me away from where I truly want to be. I would give my right hand if I could be tangled with Bewaji right now on the bed. I would do anything to achieve that.
“Are you planning to be late to your party?” a warm voice said to me, and I turned toward it to find Alice. Dressed in a pink gown, which is quite different from what I am used to seeing her in, Alice waved to me with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Hello to you too, Alice,” I greeted her. Then she moved closer to me.
“That is a new look on you,” I pointed to her dress as she stood next to me, facing the horizon.
“Well, I have a girlfriend who makes a big deal out of what I wear.”
“You look beautiful, by the way,” I complimented her, and she rewarded me with a genuine smile this time around. Then there was silence as we both soaked in the sight before us.
“So what, you are avoiding me now?” she broke the silence, and I gave her a weary look.
“It is not about you. I just have something I am working on.”
“Want to tell me about it?”
I shrugged.
“Are you going to ask me about her?” she inquired lightly, even though I knew the situation was far from light.
I sighed heavily. “How is she?”
“She was heartbroken when you didn’t show up.”
Damn it! I shouldn’t have opened this door.
“You know, she is spending the holidays alone. That shouldn’t be happening,” she continued as her tone of her voice start to change.
“What will you have me do, Alice?” I voiced out frustration. “You know the reason why I didn’t come?”
“Yes, I do. Your mistress stopped you, but you need to know that Bewaji is your fucking wife,” she blurted out with a glare.
“And Frances is my…” I trailed off, not sure what to call her now. I searched for the right word in my mind, but came up short. What is Frances to me now? Is she like my mistress, like Frances called her?
“I am done having this conversation with you,” I murmured and started to walk away.
My chest tightened and stomach twisted watching my wife huddled up with my teammate. Watching her smile brightly at him made my heart hammer so hard that it felt like it might burst. How could she do this? My teammate? A storm raged inside me that no one could see. Every instinct in me screamed to move and say something, but I couldn’t. I have everything to lose if I do, and I can see Frances and her family watching my reaction. I can’t misbehave, so I anchored myself in place, even though my muscles coiled with tension beneath my calm exterior.
To anyone else, the room seemed normal, but inside me, time had slowed, and it became difficult to watch the woman I love in the arms of another man. I turned to Frances, hoping she could distract me. Soon after, Bewaji left with Marcus behind her. A few minutes later, Alice followed the trio, and when I could pretend again, I left the party too.
I felt a strange helplessness, with a dizzying mixture of betrayal and anger, as I looked around for my wife and soon found her in a heated argument with Alice.
“Maybe I am at fault, but you should have told me about this party,” Bewaji retorted angrily.
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to feel left out.”
“Maybe, but you should have told me. As my friend, you are supposed to have my back through thick and thin, but you always put Kylian first…”
“Don’t turn this on me,” Alice cut in sharply.
“A friend of Kylian is not my friend. The fact that you kept this party from me is a betrayal to me.”
“Bewaji, wait…” Alice shouted. “Bewaji, I am talking to you.”
But Bewaji turned to look at her with a stone-cold face.
“If you come after me, I swear to God, I will kill you,” she threatened Alice as she left. Alice watched Bewaji go with a troubled look, then I came out of my hiding place.
“So much for spending the holidays alone,” I interjected, letting my anger show. She turned back to face me, equally angry.
“You do not get to be angry,” she bellowed.
“You promised me that there was nothing between her and Marcus. Does that seem like there is nothing?”
“No, no, no!” she yelled as she moved toward me, pointing her index finger at me. “You do not get to blame. You are the architect of everything that happened to that young woman. Everything that has happened is your fault. Today is on you.”
I scoffed. “So I am the reason why she decided to parade herself with Marcus. That’s my fault?”
“What did you expect when you wouldn’t show up for her?” she shouted.
“Stop shouting! People will hear you,” I cautioned, looking around.
“I have not even started, Kylian.”
I let out a painful sigh as my friend refused to reason with me.
“Why are you acting like this, Alice? You know the reason why I didn’t come.”
“But she does not,” she retorted. “She thinks you don’t care about her, she thinks you don’t love her.” She closed the gap between us. “But I know you do. You love her, and I know it would break your heart to let her go… all you have to do is show her,” she said in a soft voice, a tone she used when she was trying to confuse me.
Alice! Always saying the truth.
I moved away from her, shaking my head, refusing to accept her point.
“Showing her means telling her that she is important.”
“And that is a problem, why?”
“Why are you acting like you don’t understand what is at stake here?” I snapped. “Frances is important. I have built my career around her. What do you think would happen if I let her? I lose everything.”
“I do know that you would send her straight into Marcus’s hands if you continue like this,” she warned me.
“Then help me, Alice.” She shook her head. “You know she is important to me. Help me keep her.”
“I said no,” she yelled. “I never was on board with this plan. Even before I met the young lady, I knew playing with her emotions was wrong on every level, and now, I do know her. I don’t want to be part of it anymore.”
My heart dropped. “Excuse me?”
“Bewa is beautiful, kind, loving, and smart. Maybe too smart for her own good, but she is. And I think… no, I don’t think, I know she is it for it. Overall, she is my friend, and I don’t want to hurt my friend anymore.”
“What are you saying?” I inquired in confusion.
“I am saying I need you to pick someone.”
“Alice!” I exclaimed.
“Let me finish,” she murmured. “Whatever decision you make, I will stand by you. If you pick Bewa, I promise I will do everything in my power to help you salvage your career. And if you feel that career is more important and you pick Frances, I promise to hold your hand when you mourn the loss of the one thing that has ever happened to you. But this thing you have going on with two women, I won’t be a part of it any longer,” she said sternly.
“You can’t be serious?”
“Oh! I am, and you have until the end of the Euro’s qualifier,” she warned me and left.
TO BE CONTINUED ON NEXT SATURDAY, 9.00PM WAT.
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