The Undercover episode 22

Episode 22(final)

THE UNDERCOVER

Judith’s response left me stunned.

“I DON’T FREAKING CARE ABOUT YOUR K1DS. I DON’T FREAKING CARE ABOUT YOUR K1DS”. The words echoed in my head multiple times, piercing into my heart like an arrow. Even after she had released her grips on my arms, I still stood firmly in front of her, resisting the pressure from the men who were roughly pushing behind me and urging me to keep moving.

I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. How could she say that? Those were our children she was talking about – innocent, precious lives we’d brought into this world together.

But then, that explains why she’s always been cold towards the twins since their birth. She didn’t even breastfeed them. Honestly, Judith has been hinting at something all the while, but I’ve been too blind..too carried away to notice.

“You don’t care about the kids? Your own blood?”. I asked, calmly.

“I don’t care about them”. She repeated, her expression still cold and unyielding.

“But why? What have those innocent children done to deserve this cold treatment from you?”. I fummed.

“There you go again, Patrick. You’re trying to blãckmail me emotionally”. She complained.

“Look, Judith. I am going to jail right now. What is your plan? What becomes of those kids?. Who will take care of them? How are they going to cope without either of both parents by their sides?. Judith….”.

“Mr. Patrick!. She screamed, interrupting me.

I paused.

Her eyes were filled with hate.

.. Now listen to me and listen well. First of all, my name is not Judith. Iam Fransisca Moses, Detective Francisca Moses and I am sure that is not the name you have in the fake marriage certificate that was issued to you by the fãke lawyer”. She blurted.

“Hmmm?”. I hummed.

“Yes, a fake lawyer, fåke union, fãke family members. Patrick, everything about you and I were fãke. I am not your wife, I have never been your wife, and I can never be your wife. The love, the kids, everything was just a game. The earlier you accept it, the better for you”. She explained.

At that moment, I realized that the devi¡l was actually a woman. And to think that I had children with her made my stomach rumble.

…And Patrick, I’m done having this conversation with you. Can you please lead this man away from here, his presence disgusts me?”. She said to the men.

In response to her command, the men gave me a rough push from behind, and I was whisked out of the room.

As I was dragged downstairs, humiliation and despair washed over me. The sound of my children’s wails and Celina’s sobs echoed through the hallway, piercing my heart.

We passed by the parlor, and my gaze met Celina’s tear-stained face. Her eyes, usually bright and full of warmth, now brimmed with anguish.

My children, clinging to her, screamed and reached out for me. Their tiny hands stretched toward me, desperation etched on their faces.

My chest constricted, suffocating me. I yearned to comfort them, to assure them everything would be alright. But I was powerless, shackled and helpless..

I tried to speak, to offer some reassurance, but the words caught in my throat. The men in black kept moving, pulling me away from my family.

“Mama Mama!”. Their voices echoed as Judith, Stella and their boss walked down the stairs to join us.

I wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t moved by their cries. She opened the door and commanded the men to lead me away.

Once outside the compound, my gaze drifted toward the school bus pulling up to the gate. The door swung open, and he stepped out with a backpack swung over his shoulder, my 12-year-old stepbrother, whom I thought I was helping by bringing him over from the village to the city to give him a better life, since he seems to be the most brilliant of all his mother’s children.

My heart swelled with a mix of emotions – anger, disappointment, and betrayal.

As our eyes met,I saw a flicker of guilt in him. But it vanished instantly, replaced by a blank stare.

“How could you, Samuel?. I thought we were family”. I whispered to myself.

Before I could say anymore, the men
flanked me from behind, pushing me forward into the waiting police van. This story belongs to Joy Ifunanya.

Judith and Stella joined their boss in another car outside.

Sitting between the men, I glanced back and saw Samuel still standing at the gate, watching us. My gaze lingered on him until we disappeared from view.

As I was dragged into the police station, the familiar faces of my colleagues met me with shock, disappointment, and disgust. Their eyes, once filled with respect and camaraderie, now reflected betrayal.

I couldn’t bear to meet their gaze, my shame and guilt suffocating me.

Among them, I noticed Sunday staring at me with a look of pity. It was then that the pieces fell into place. His sudden disappearance from the house, the urgent call, his evasive behavior, and even the cryptic message warning me against Judith – everything pointed to him…he knew them, tried to warn me, but they got to him before he could do anything.

The sound of clanging steel echoed through the corridors as I was pushed into a cell. The irony wasn’t lost on me – I had spent years putting criminals behind bars, and now I was one of them.

As the door slammed shut, I scanned my new surroundings. The cell was cramped, with grimy walls and a cold, hard floor.

And then I saw them – the bank managers, the middlemen, the entire network of individuals I had lured into the corruption. They looked at me with a mix of surprise and resentment.

When did they capture these ones? I wondered.

“Welcome to the club”. The manager in whose bank I was first warned about the undercover, sneered, interrupting my thoughts.

Their smirks fueled my self-loathing. How had I fallen so far?

I slumped against the wall, the weight of my actions crushing me.

“What have I done?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

The silence that followed was deafening.

CONCLUSION
After a series of court hearings, a day was finally fixed for the final verdict.

As I stood before the judge, my heart raced with anticipation and fear. My life played before me like a tape.

“God, is this how I am going to end?”. I sobbed. But then, the unthinkable happened.

“….Ten years”. The judge declared, his voice firm but measured.

I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.….I had resigned myself to a life sentence, prepared for the worst.

Though all the treasures (both money and landed properties) were to be taken away, tears of joy streamed down my face as I struggled to comprehend the verdict. Ten years. It was a second chance.

The courtroom erupted into a mix of gasps and murmurs.

Meanwhile, Mrs Jennifer Okafor, the widow, stood stoic, her eyes fixed on the judge(I too was surprised to see her in court).

“You’ve been found guilty of mμrder, and have been sentenced to life impris0nment,”. The judge pronounced, his expression stern.

Her composure crumbled, her face contorting in despair. The next minute, she fainted and the medical team attended to her.

As I was led away in handcuffs, I scanned the crowded hallway, searching for familiar faces.Then, I saw them – My aged father am his young wife (My own mother had given up the ghost barely a year after my marriage to Judith, and I’m glad she did because she couldn’t had survived the hum¡liation), My sisters, Madam Mary and Celina, standing together, holding the twins.Celina’s eyes locked onto mine, tears streaming down her face.

“Papa!”. The voices of the twins wailed in unison, stretching out their tiny hands.

Kindle enough, I was granted a few minutes to speak to my family.

“I’m sorry, papa”. I apologized to my father in a cracking voice.

“It’s okay, son. We are solidly behind you, myself and all your siblings, including your younger brother, Divine,…”. He was saying but was interrupted by his wife.

“Samuel”. She corrected him.

“Samuel, yeah. He told us everything that happened. And believe me, he is deeply sorry. Please, you have to forgive him, my son”. My father pleaded.

“It’s okay, papa. I hold nothing against Samuel. He is just a child”. I said.

And that was the truth. I had learnt to stop blaming people for the decisions I have taken.

My father smiled tearfully, and gave me a hug.

“Thank you so much, son. Even if I do not live to see you out, I will be happy wherever I find myself”. He said.

“Thank you, sir”. His wife said.

At that instant, Judith and Stella walked past us. They were dressed totally in black and sunshades. Judith slightly pulled her shade and gave me a knowing glance, as if to say, ‘Nice doing business with you, Sarge’ . I watched as they exited the courtroom, and that was the last time I ever laid eyes on them.

Madam Mary drew my attention back to us as she moved closer to me.

“Don’t worry, sir. You’re going to come out of this stronger. And as for these little ones, don’t ever worry yourself about them. I will take care of them until you’re back home”. She said, firmly.

“I’m sorry, uncle”. Celina nodded, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Your time is up”. A hãrsh voice said from behind me.

“Thank you, Mary,” I managed to choke out.

The twins’ cries echoed through the hallway as I was led away.

Madam Mary’s words echoed in my mind👇

“I will take care of these little ones until you’re back home”.

Hope and determination ignited within me.
I would turn my life around. I would come home to my family, to my children. Ten years is a chance to redeem myself… to make amends.

The end

Thank you all for reading © Joy Ifunanya’s

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