Handyman Needed

While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

Katie Oettgen

As I lay on the floor of our manor, bleeding out from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I used my last ounce of strength to call my husband, Cole. I begged him for help, my vision blurring. But the only thing I heard was the clinking of champagne glasses and his mistress's giggle in the background. "Stop the drama, June," Cole snapped, his voice cold. "We're about to go on stage. Don't call again." He hung up, leaving me to die alone on the Persian rug while he accepted an award with another woman on his arm. I woke up in the hospital days later. My baby was gone. They had removed my fallopian tube. Cole finally arrived, smelling of expensive scotch and his mistress's perfume. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry. Instead, he leaned over my hospital bed, pressing his knee into the mattress until my fresh stitches tore open and bled. "You embarrassed me by calling an ambulance," he hissed. "My mistress, Alycia, says you're faking it. Clean yourself up." He left me bleeding again to go announce a $10 million donation to Alycia's "groundbreaking" medical research. I stared at the TV screen, numb. The research Alycia was taking credit for? It was mine. I wrote that patent years ago under a pseudonym. They thought I was just a poor, orphan housewife who needed Cole's money to survive. They had no idea I was actually a billionaire scientist hiding my identity. I pulled the IV needle out of my arm. A drop of blood fell onto the divorce papers I had been hiding. I didn't wipe it off. I signed my name right over it. Then I walked into the bank, reactivated my dormant account with $128 million, and bought the penthouse directly overlooking Cole's house. The mourning widow is dead. The avenger is born.

Romance Crime Revenge Pregnancy Enemies to Lovers Pregnancy Personal Growth

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Have you ever wondered what life will be like if you weren't born the way you were?

Have you wondered why people judge others for a situation they can't control?

If you haven't, then welcome to my life.

Welcome to my world, the world of Rabel Ichie Uzoamaka, the shunned maiden of Mabudazou.

“Witch”, I hear a villager mutter as I passed her by,

“Ekwensu's(is an evil proprietor; he's the god of all things evil) child,” another spat.

Without saying anything about that, I continue with my journey.

I've grown used to the way they treat me in our small town.

It doesn't help that I dyed my white hair black to blend in with others, but despite that, the villagers still single me out every time; every single damn time.

I pause at Mama Nneka's house to drop a herb for her; her daughter Nkechi is seriously down with fever.

A single dose of my Akwukwo Ede administered to her by me can clear her fever in a few hours.

Her mother is willing to take the medicines I drop on her doorposts, but she's not willing for me to directly treat her child.

The Miri use I've been giving her is enough to keep the fever at bay, but not fully heal her.

Walking past Mama Nneka's house after I dropped the medicine on their doorpost, I walk towards the house of my friend Soso.

I hope she isn't in Akwukwo if she is, I won't forgive myself for not being at her house earlier.

“Rabel!” Soso happily rushes towards me, enveloping me in a breath-stopping hug she smiles up at me, “I thought you weren't coming today,” she pouts cutely.

I stoop low to embrace my best friend *if there's a word like that* she's the only one who doesn't fear me in the entirety of Mabudazou.

“How can I afford to miss your warm hug soso?” I poke her cute chubby cheeks. “ You're my ray of sunshine; the only person I will sail the entire world just to be with you,” I smile at her.

It's not an exaggeration of words when I say those.

She's the only person I will sacrifice both my safety for her.

She touches my dyed hair, “why did you change your hair colour? I like the other one better!” she looks at my said hair with hatred in her eyes.

I touch said hair, "I want to try out a new look.” I lied to her for not the first time since I started hanging out here with her.

Likewise, I dyed my hair to make the animosity the villagers have toward me lessen, but instead of having the desired effect, it had the opposite.

She smiles like the kid she is, “it looks good on you though,” she shrugs while giving me aside smile.

“ Am glad you like it,” I genuinely smile at her.

“ Mummy said Ekwensu must have taken you back to his lair when I complained about your lateness today,” she gently lay her head on my shoulder, "I was heartbroken when I thought you won't visit me today.”

“ Don't worry about that, Dearie; I won't miss a day without you.”

I open my bag of goodies," guess what I brought for you today?” I smile more brightly than I've done since I last saw her yesterday.

It's always a game we play each time I pay a visit to their house.

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