09/25/2025
Chidi rushed out of the hospital and headed straight to the junction, searching every corner and calling Ada’s name. She was nowhere to be found. His chest tightened where else could she be? The only place that came to his mind was the village. Without wasting a second, he drove off.
When he got there, the quiet of the village pressed down on him. Then he saw her mother. The moment Ugochi spotted him, she screamed and ran forward, her face lined with worry.
“Copper Chidi where is my daughter?” she shouted, her voice breaking.
Chidi froze. “Ada is not here?” he asked, already sensing the answer.
Ugochi’s body shook. “You took my daughter away from me where did you keep her?!” she cried, collapsing on the ground.
Her wailing pierced through him. Chidi felt trapped, humiliated. Realizing Ada wasn’t in the village, he quickly jumped back into his car and drove away, leaving Ugochi weeping helplessly in the dust.
Back in the city, his search led nowhere. Sandra had been arrested, the house stood empty, and despair pushed him to his bar. He sat in a dark corner, drinking until his eyes blurred.
Memories rushed in like a flood: how Ada once emptied her mother’s shop for him… how she gave him three hundred thousand naira for the fake contract… how she washed his clothes, brought him food in the school where he served, and always walked him home. He remembered the day he took v!rginity the tears that fell from her eyes and shame clawed at his chest. He wept bitterly, clutching himself.
Then he thought of Emeka. Maybe she was there. He rushed over, but Emeka hadn’t seen her. His next thought was Obinna. If Ada was anywhere, maybe it was with him. Chidi headed to the hospital.
The moment he pushed open the office door, he froze. Ada was there, sitting quietly beside Obinna.
“Obinna!” he barked, charging forward. He punched him hard in the chest. Obinna staggered but tried to fight back. Ada quickly stepped in between them.
“Chidi, stop this madness!” she cried, holding Obinna’s arm.
But Chidi grabbed Ada’s hand and dragged her outside. Obinna followed, shouting, “Leave her alone, Chidi!”
“Let go of me!” Ada shouted, yanking her hand free.
“Ada, please,” Chidi begged, his voice breaking. “You have to come with me my mother is dying. She needs you. Please don’t say no to me.”
Ada’s eyes blazed. “After everything you did to me, you still have the nerve to show your ugly face?”
Chidi fell to his knees right there in the hospital compound, tears streaming. “Ada, forgive me. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but please… My mother misses you so much. She’s changed. Don’t let her die without seeing you.”
Ada turned to Obinna. He stood still, arms crossed tightly, his jaw set. His silence was louder than words.
Ada whispered, almost to herself, “I will go with you.”
Chidi’s eyes widened. “You will?”
“Yes,” she said softly, avoiding Obinna’s gaze. “I don’t want your mother to die.”
Obinna stepped forward quickly, his voice shaking. “No, Ada. Not after all they did to you. Don’t do this to me ada, please don't leave me.”
“Stay out of this!” Chidi barked.
Ada looked torn but finally followed Chidi.
At the hospital, Mrs. Collins broke down the moment she saw Ada. Tears ran freely down her face as she clutched Ada’s hands.
“My daughter, forgive me… please forgive me,” she begged.
Ada’s eyes softened. “It’s okay, Mama. I forgive you.”
“You do?” Mrs. Collins asked, almost in disbelief.
“Yes, Mama. Please stop crying and get well.”
Mrs. Collins hugged her tightly, sobbing with relief. “Thank you, my child. Please, come back to us.”
Ada nodded gently. “I will, Mama.”
Later, Chidi insisted on accompanying Ada to Obinna’s house to pack her things, afraid Obinna might stop her. They arrived while Obinna was still at work. Ada quickly packed her clothes with Chidi’s help.
But just as they stepped out with her bags, Obinna walked in. He froze.
“No… Ada,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Please, don’t leave me like this.”
Ada’s eyes filled with tears. She looked down at the bags in her hands.
Obinna stepped closer, his voice cracking. “Ada, remember how I cared for you when no one else did. Remember how I stood beside you when the whole world rejected you. Don’t throw that away. Please.”
Ada’s lips trembled. “Obinna… I’ll never forget. But Chidi’s mother she needs me.”
Obinna’s voice rose, desperate. “What about me, Ada? Don’t I need you too? I love you with everything in me. Don’t walk out of my life.”
Chidi grabbed Ada’s wrist sharply. “Ada, enough of this. We’re going.”
Ada looked from one man to the other. Then, with sudden determination, she pulled her hand free from Chidi.
“No, Chidi,” she said firmly. “I can’t go with you.”
Chidi stiffened. “What are you saying?”
Ada dropped her bag and stepped toward Obinna. She cupped his face gently, her voice breaking. “Obinna, you loved me when no one else did. You stood by me when the world turned against me. I can’t walk away from you.”
Obinna’s eyes widened with hope. “Ada… are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” she whispered. “This time, I choose you.”
Chidi’s chest rose and fell heavily. He clenched his fists, fighting tears. “So… after everything, you still pick him over me?”
Ada nodded slowly. “Yes, Chidi. It’s over.”
Obinna pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as if he would never let her go again. Ada buried her face in his chest, sobbing.
Chidi stood still for a long moment, then turned and walked out without another word, his shoulders heavy with pain and anger.
Sandra on the other hand was facing her own reality behind the cold iron bars of the women’s prison.
Her cell was crowded, the smell of damp clothes and unwashed bodies hanging heavy in the air. Sandra, who once moved freely in Mrs. Collins’ rich house, now sat on the hard cement floor with a wrapper tied around her chest.
She muttered to herself angrily, “So after everything I did, this is where I ended up? Me, Sandra, locked up like a common criminal? And all because of that woman Mrs. Collins. She’s the one who destroyed me.”
An elderly inmate, Mama Nkechi, chuckled and said, “Eh-eh, young lady. Na Mrs. Collins put you here? Abeg, no blame anybody. Na your hand work carry you reach here.”
Sandra snapped at her. “You don’t understand! That woman dealt with me. She made everyone see me as evil. If not for her, I would still be enjoying life. She is the reason I’m here.”
Another inmate, Ifeoma, spoke from the bunk above. “Madam, forget that talk. Even if she dealt with you, na police carry you come here. Na wetin you do land you here, no be mrs Collins woman.”
Sandra hissed. “You people won’t understand. Mrs. Collins was jealous of me. She always wanted to bring me down. And now she has succeeded.”
Mama Nkechi shook her head, laughing dryly. “Hmm, pride go kill you. Instead of you to calm down and pray, you still dey carry bitterness for heart. You better learn how to survive in here, because revenge no dey buy freedom.”
Sandra’s eyes glistened, but she refused to let her tears fall. She whispered fiercely, “I will never forgive her. Never. If I ever get out of this place, Mrs. Collins will pay for everything. I swear it.”
The iron door slammed shut for the night, and Sandra curled up on the cold floor, her anger burning hotter than her fear.
To be continued.....
WHEN LOVE BLINDS EPISODE 24.
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