"I'm sorry, I should have talked sooner, I should have said something, just please wake up!"
Still, nothing.
Just the cold pavement. Just the echo of her voice.
And the sound of distant sirens, rushing in too slow.
Meanwhile, across the city, the restaurant Thomas had chosen was nothing short of breathtaking.
With high ceilings draped in velvet and golden chandeliers casting soft glows, it was the kind of place where elegance lingered in every corner. The low hum of classical music wove through the clink of cutlery and murmured conversations. Sarah sat across from Daniel, glowing in a new outfit she'd changed into after work, something deliberately bold, figure-hugging, and more revealing than professional.
Daniel noticed. Of course he did. But he said nothing.
Their meals were served, rich and artfully plated. Sarah kept smiling, pushing conversation with calculated charm, but Daniel only gave curt nods or brief, distracted responses. He looked at his watch too often, as though eager to be somewhere else.
"I'm really glad we could do this," she said, voice soft, hands folded delicately on the table. "It's been a long time coming."
Daniel gave a tight smile. "You earned it. I keep my word."
That was it. No warmth. No compliment.
Minutes later, Sarah excused herself. "I'll be right back," she said sweetly.
She slipped past the kitchen doors and found the server station. With a soft whisper and a bundle of crisp old cash pressed into the waiter's hand, she leaned in and slipped a small pill into one of the glasses of wine.
"Make sure this goes to Mr. Lewis," she murmured, her tone silky and sweet.
The waiter, either convinced it was a harmless supplement, common enough in high-end places, or well aware of what it truly was, nodded without question. Either way, the money had sealed his silence.
Sarah returned to the table, her smile barely hiding the glint of triumph in her eyes.
Moments later, the drinks arrived.
She watched, heart pounding, breath shallow, as Daniel reached for the glass. She leaned in slightly, every nerve in her body tuned to the moment. This was it.
Just one sip.
One sip and Daniel Lewis would be at her mercy.
One sip, and she'd be in his arms, in his bed, finally tasting the fantasy she'd craved for so long.
It was simple, really. A sip would make him hers, confused, guilty, needing to make things right. And she'd be there, the solution to the mistake he never meant to make.
Go on, Daniel, she whispered inwardly, eyes locked on him like her entire life depended on it.
And in many ways, it did.
Daniel picked up the glass, lifting it halfway to his lips.
Then his phone buzzed.
He paused, glanced at the screen, his expression shifted instantly, the color draining from his face.
"Excuse me," he muttered, already answering the call as he rose to his feet.
In the next breath, he was gone, walking out without a backward glance, without explanation, without care for the woman left sitting in stunned silence.
Sarah blinked, her breath caught in her throat.
"Damn it!" she hissed, raking her fingers through her hair as the rage surged up, hot and bitter.
Her heart pounded in her chest as her eyes darted back to the wineglass, still full, still glistening under the candlelight. Untouched.
Ruined.
She clenched her jaw, fury burning in every nerve. What the hell could have happened? What could be so urgent that he'd walk away from her now, tonight, just when everything was falling into place?
Who ruined this for her?
"Nene hit someone!" Laila's voice rang through the walls of the Jalloh residence, trembling with shock and disbelief. Her body was still shaking from her mother's manic outburst.
"I didn't mean to," Jariatu said, her voice small and terrified. "I,I don't know what came over me. I promise, I didn't mean to hit her." She reached out to hold her daughter, but Laila stepped away.
She had seen it all, her mother behind the wheel, the pressure on the gas pedal, the strange, almost serene smile. It was deliberate. Laila didn't need to be told.
"I saw you, Nene. I saw how you looked when you hit her." Her voice cracked. "That was my teacher… and you didn't even stop. You didn't check if she was okay."
"I panicked… I really did," Jariatu insisted, desperate now. "I swear, I wasn't thinking. I just.."
"Go to your room, Laila," Alhaji Jalloh said, stepping into the living room, his voice stern but calm.
Without another word, Laila obeyed her father, retreating upstairs. The silence that followed was heavy.
"What happened?" he asked, turning to his wife.
"I saw her," Jariatu said through tears. "She was happy, Baba. Laughing, eating ice cream like she hadn't taken my son's life. Abdul's face, his body, just flashed in front of me, and I snapped. I lost control… I tried to kill her. But that governess, she got in the way…"
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
Alhaji didn't flinch. "Did anyone see you?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "I was fast… I don't think so."
Panic flickered across her face. "Do you think I'll go to jail?" she asked, suddenly breathless. "Daniel, he'll never let this go."
Alhaji's expression didn't change, but the tone of his voice darkened. "I won't let that happen. You won't be jailed, and no one will trace this to you. But you should've controlled yourself, not just because it's wrong, but because now it puts our family at risk."
"So what now?" she asked, her voice rising. "Daniel will find out. You know he will."
"Then you and Laila will leave the country," he said, resolute. "I'll handle everything else."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Go pack. Amadou will take you both to the airport. You'll stay out of sight until things cool down. When it's safe, I'll bring you back."
And just like that, Jariatu turned and hurried up the stairs, wiping her tears.
Alhaji turned toward the hallway and called out, "Amadou!"
His younger brother appeared from one of the side rooms.
"Call the driver. I'll meet him in my study. And get Jariatu and Laila to the airport, don't waste time. I'll have the tickets ready before you get there."
Amadou nodded and moved quickly. For a man like Alhaji Jalloh, powerful, well-connected, pulling strings and forging exit routes was as easy as brewing a cup of coffee.
By the time Daniel reached the hospital, it was already past three. The sun had begun its slow descent, casting long shadows through the city streets. The air outside still simmered with heat, but inside him, it was all cold.
His footsteps were rushed and uneven as he stormed through the hospital corridors. When he received the call from Lady Bell saying Esther had been in an accident, his world had shifted, his thoughts scattered, focus shattered. He barely remembered leaving the restaurant, only the weight in his chest and the ringing in his ears.
"Daniel!" Lady Bell's voice broke through the hallway the moment she spotted him.
But it wasn't her voice that stopped him.
"Daddy!"
He froze.
That voice, small, soft, trembling.
Betty. Speaking.
His eyes widened, heart slamming against his ribs as he turned.
Betty was running toward him, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Daddy!" she cried again, flinging herself into his arms.
For a second, he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.
His daughter's voice.
After years of silence.
Years of praying, hoping, doubting, there it was.
It hit him like a wave, the sound he'd longed for more than anything. His hands trembled as he held her, overwhelmed.
But the joy came laced with something else, grief.
Because Betty hadn't just spoken. She had screamed. Her voice had broken through only after something had shattered her completely.
"Daddy," she cried again, clinging tightly. "It Esther, she's hurt, she .."
Daniel's throat tightened.
The elation of hearing his daughter's voice, finally, clashed violently with the image of Esther lying motionless in some emergency ward. He was caught between the miracle of one and the possible loss of the other.
He looked at Lady Bell. Her eyes were red.
"The doctors haven't said anything yet," she informed him quietly, her voice weary.
Daniel swallowed hard. "What happened?" he finally asked. All this time, he'd only known fragments, enough to shake him, not enough to understand.
"She saved Betty," Lady Bell said, tears threatening again. "A car sped toward them, Esther pushed her out of the way and took the hit. Witnesses say the driver didn't even slow down. Just… drove off."
Daniel's jaw clenched, his fists curling at his sides. His entire body tensed with fury. Someone had done this, intentionally or not, someone had hurt Esther. Someone had endangered his daughter.
And now Esther was in there, fighting for her life because she'd put his daughter's safety before her own.
He owed her everything.
He would find who did this. And when he did, they'd regret ever breathing the same air as him.
"Mr. Lewis?"
Daniel turned sharply at the voice behind him. A police inspector stood there, his regulation belt pulled tight over a round belly, flanked by three uniformed subordinates.
"Have you caught whoever did this?" Daniel asked directly, his tone clipped and cold. He wasn't in the mood for pleasantries or procedure.
"We're working on it, sir," the inspector replied. "But we'll need statements, from both the victim and your daughter, if she's up for it. That's why we're here."
Daniel looked down at Betty in his arms, concern flickering in his eyes. She'd only just spoken for the first time. What if forcing her to relive the trauma..
"I'm willing, Daddy," Betty said softly, cutting through his thoughts. "If it helps Esther get justice."
He nodded silently, the pride and ache in his chest threatening to crush him.
"Inspector, what do you want to know?"
The man pulled a notepad from his pocket and gestured to the officer beside him. "Let's start simple. Where did this happen?"
"Just outside the school grounds," Betty answered. "We went out for ice cream."
"And the car, did you see it clearly?"
"It was coming straight at me," she said, her voice tight. "Esther saw it and pushed me away. Then… it hit her." Her voice wavered, thick with guilt. "She didn't even think twice."
"And the driver? Could you see who it was?"
Betty shook her head. "No. It all happened so fast. I, I wasn't looking at the driver. I was looking at Esther."
Daniel's hand rested gently on her back, steadying her.
"Inspector, I suggest you pull surveillance from that area," Daniel said sharply, anger simmering in his voice. "There's bound to be something. And when you find them…" His tone turned icy. "I'll deal with them myself."
"We'll do everything we can, sir," the inspector replied with a respectful nod. "Until then, we'll leave you to your family."
He turned and left with his team in tow, their shoes echoing down the sterile hallway.
A few tense moments passed the door to the emergency ward opened, and a doctor stepped out, removing his surgical cap. His expression was calm but serious.
"Mr. Lewis?" he asked.
Daniel stepped forward instantly, gripping Betty's hand in his. "Yes. I'm her guardian… Is she okay?"
The doctor nodded reassuringly. "She made it through surgery. The bleeding in her brain has been stopped, and the operation was successful. There was a blunt force trauma to the side of her head, most likely from the impact when she hit the ground. We had to relieve the pressure and control the bleeding."
Daniel exhaled, but the tightness in his chest remained.
"She's stable for now," the doctor continued, "but she's in a medically-induced coma. Nothing alarming, this is often done to allow the brain to rest and recover after trauma. We'll monitor her closely overnight. If there are no complications, she could regain consciousness by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow…" Daniel whispered, staring past the doctor as if trying to fast-forward time.
Betty clutched his hand tighter. Her eyes were swollen from crying, her voice barely a whisper. "Is Esther going to be okay?"
The doctor offered a kind smile. "She's strong. And she's lucky she got here when she did. Right now, she needs rest. You'll be able to see her in a little while."
He gave a final nod and walked away.
Daniel remained rooted to the spot, the relief of her survival barely settling in before a wave of guilt hit him like a truck. His mind replayed everything, how close he'd come to drinking that wine, how far Sarah had gone, and how none of that mattered now.
Esther had nearly died saving his daughter. She hadn't hesitated, hadn't thought of herself.
And here he was, safe, whole, while she lay unconscious, bandaged and hooked up to machines because she had done what he could never repay.
He looked down at Betty, who now leaned into him, her tiny body trembling again. She'd gained her voice, but at what cost?
"Miss Cole ," he whispered, his heart heavy, "please come back to us."
The quiet hum of machines filled the dim hospital room, punctuated only by the soft, steady beeping of the heart monitor. Esther lay still, pale against the white sheets, her head carefully bandaged, her face calm, almost too calm.
Outside, the city had fallen into night. Streetlights flickered beyond the windows, and the occasional siren wailed in the distance. Inside, time moved slowly.
Daniel sat by her bedside, elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him. He hadn't moved in hours.
Earlier that evening, he had turned to Lady Bell and gently said, "Take Betty home. She's been through enough today. She needs rest… and so do you."
Lady Bell had tried to argue, but one look at Daniel's face had silenced her. Betty had kissed Esther's hand before leaving, whispering, "Thank you," before clinging to her father one last time.
Now, the silence left him alone with his thoughts, and the guilt.
He studied Esther's face, trying to memorize every feature, willing her to wake up. Her bravery haunted him. She had thrown herself in front of a speeding car without thinking. For Betty.
He rubbed his palm over his face, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "You didn't deserve this," he whispered. "You were supposed to be safe. I should've protected you."
The weight in his chest grew heavier.
"I owe you more than I can ever repay," he said quietly. "Please, Esther… just wake up."
The machines answered in their mechanical rhythm.
And so he sat, through the night, through the silence, through the guilt, with only the sound of Esther's heartbeat to keep him grounded.