33. The Affair

You can only run for so long. The consequences are never too far behind and unlike you, they never get tired. 

As if touched by hot water, Kosi removed his hands from Hope’s arm. Eva noticed the movement but refused to comment on it. She just watched him. 

‘Mi amor, you don’t need this stress. Let me tell them to go away and leave you…’

Eva shook her head and stared at Ebuka. 

‘Even now, with my wedding photo album right here! – proof that I’m married to this man- … ‘ she points at Kosi. ‘… you’re still trying to win me over. I don’t understand why you’re this persistent.’

‘Eva…’ Ebuka began moving closer towards Eva but she raised her hand motioning for him to not come closer. 

‘I’m not in the mood to listen to your lies. All these months I’ve been walking on eggshells around you mostly for old times sake but I can see all that did was cause a rift between my husband and I.’ 

She threw a momentary glance at Kosi before continuing. 

‘I should have been more firm with you so I’ll do what I should have done from the very beginning.’

Noticing Eva’s resolve, Ebuka ignored her initial warning and confidently walked to her side. 

‘Eva, mi amor, you are unwell. Please, don’t say things that you don’t mean.’ 

Eva shook her head refusing to allow herself to be swayed by Ebuka’s words. 

‘Ebuka please, don’t make it worse than it already is.’ 

Despite how strong Eva tried to be, her eyes were glassy with emotion as Ebuka held her face in his hands. 

‘Eva, don’t throw away what we have. I know you care about me. You can pretend not to but you do. Even now, I know you don’t want to push my hands away.’

As he spoke Eva closed her eyes, refusing to look at Ebuka. Kosi and Hope watched, unable to speak, unable to move.

‘Look at me. Open your eyes and look at me mi amor.’

Eva opened her eyes and for the first time ever she saw Ebuka for what he truly was… a man. A man who loved someone who he couldn’t have and had tried everything within his power to get her. 

Without knowing, tears welled up in Eva’s eyes and fell down her cheek. 

‘Don’t do this to me, to us. Please!’ 

The desperation in his voice broke her. 

‘It’s not my fault that I had to leave Nigeria for Spain all those years ago. My family… I was a child, I didn’t have a say. I’ve missed you desperately… then coming back… seeing you again at that ATM stand… I swore I wouldn’t let you go. Then you told me you were, are married…’ 

He let go of her face and hung his head. 

‘It broke me. But even then I decided, I believed that we met for a reason and even if it meant stealing you away from your husband…’ he raised his head, briefly glaring at Kosi before facing Eva once more. ‘… even if it meant being a monster, a beast, I would be anything just to have you by my side.’

‘Ebuka… I…’

She let out a deep sigh and looked out of the window. Her eyes remained focused on the window for several seconds before turning to face Ebuka, a sad smile plastered on her face. 

‘To think my crush, my secondary school crush has been in love with me all these years.’

She looked up and let out a laugh without mirth. 

‘My childhood self would be overwhelmed with joy at this confession.’ 

She tried her best to blink back the tears that threatened to fall down her cheek. Ebuka gently wiped away the one that escaped. 

‘But that’s it, my childhood self. I’m not that little girl in secondary school that was too shy to say anything and watched you from afar. I’m a woman.’

There was a sad smile as she said this. 

‘And this woman met a man a few years after leaving law school, fell in love and married him.’ 

Eva wore a soft smile on her face as she said it. Her eyes were focused on Kosi. Kosi in turn, returned her smile with his. She dragged her face away from Kosi to face Ebuka. 

‘I’m flattered that you still feel something for me but Ebuka, I’m a married woman. I also can’t excuse the fact that you manipulated both me and my husband for your selfish purpose no matter the intentions behind it. Not only that but you were willing to swallow us all up in your lies!’

Her calm face was suddenly filled with anger. 

‘How long did you think you could keep deceiving me? Did you think or hope that I would never remember? What was your plan if and or when I did?’

‘We would have crossed that bridge when we got there!’ Ebuka retorted angrily but Eva shook her head.

‘No! We would never cross that bridge cause the bridge would have never been built! You can’t build a relationship on lies and deceit!’ 

‘Mi amor, please… everything I did, I did for us.’

Eva just shook her head. 

‘No Ebuka. You did it for you. Now can you please leave this room and never come back. After everything you did to make me and my husband’s life miserable, I never ever want to see you again!’

Ebuka looked as though he had been slapped. 

‘Eva. You don’t mean that.’ He began reaching for her but Eva screamed.

‘No! Don’t touch me! Don’t come near me! I should have said this earlier but leave me and my husband alone!’ 

Ebuka’s face moved from shock, to pain to anger in a matter of seconds. 

‘Fine! If that’s what you want then I’ll leave you alone. But know this Eva, I would never, never ever cheat on you the way Kosi did.’ He said this while pointing at Kosi. 

Shocked, Eva turned to look at Kosi, Kosi and Hope looked down, unable to meet Eva’s eyes. 

‘With me I was always honest and clear about my intentions and what I wanted. You knew I wanted you. I knew I wanted you and I did everything I could to have you. But if you would rather be with someone who doesn’t value you, who would have sex with his supposed best friend.’ The disgust in his voice was laced with venom. ‘Then so be it.’ 

Having said that, Ebuka stormed out of Eva’s hospital room leaving a bewildered Eva, a guilty Hope and Kosi behind to sort themselves out.