“Are you going to punish us because some photographs are missing?”
“No.”
I looked directly at him.
“I’m going to find out why they’re missing.”
His smile disappeared.
Then my phone rang.
Everyone froze.
I looked at the screen.
The name displayed there made Selina’s face change instantly.
DR. MARCUS ADEYEMI
Phedra stared at me.
“That’s my doctor.”
“I know.”
“How do you have his number?”
I didn’t answer.
I stepped away from everyone and accepted the call.
“Hello, Doctor.”
His voice came through quietly.
“Damian? Where are you?”
“Home.”
There was a pause.
“Have you seen your wife?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“Then you know.”
I closed my eyes.
“Tell me everything.”
Phedra watched me.
Selina watched me.
Godfrey watched me.
The doctor sighed.
“Your wife has been trying to continue treatment without adequate nutrition. Her condition has deteriorated significantly.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“How serious?”
“Very.”
I looked at Phedra.
She was staring at the ground.
“Can she recover?”
“If treatment continues, there is a chance. But she needs immediate care.”
“What stopped her treatment?”
Silence.
Then the doctor said something that made the entire world seem to stop.
“Money.”
I turned slowly toward my mother.
The doctor continued.
“Her treatment wasn’t paid for.”
“How much did she need?”
“Not what you think.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Damian, the amount wasn’t impossible. There were several payment arrangements available. Your wife repeatedly told us she was waiting for money from you.”
I stared at Selina.
The doctor continued.
“She said her husband was sending money every month.”
My mother suddenly looked away.
I asked, “Did she ever tell you she was being mistreated?”
“She was afraid.”
My chest tightened.
“Afraid of what?”
“Of causing a family conflict.”
I looked at Phedra.
Four years.
Four years of working in another country because I believed I was protecting her.
And all this time, she had been protecting me from the truth.
The doctor gave me the hospital admission instructions.
I wrote everything down.
