The Devil In Him - 2

To Read Part One Click Here

Rose curled into a fetal position on the floor and continued sobbing silently as she heard him barfing in the bathroom. There was the sound of running water and then he was back in the room.

“So someone cannot play with you again? Ordinary small push and you are acting like someone that has just been beaten by a mob.” The irritation in his voice was evident and as he staggered past her, he gave her an annoyed kick before collapsing on the bed.

Rose kept on weeping silently as she wondered what kind of life she had gotten herself into. To imagine that everyone thinks she has the best of life with the fancy gifts Daniel is known for showering on her, the exotic parties where she felt more like a mannequin and the walk in closet filled to the brim with designer clothes, shoes and accessories. Was any of it worth this humiliation, Rose wondered to herself. The sound of Daniel’s heavy snoring coming from their king-sized bed was the only reply to her silent question and shakily, she stood up and went to clean herself up.

The next morning, Rose woke up earlier than usual and began preparations for breakfast. When Happy, the maid who was usually the one to start breakfast came into the kitchen, Rose sent her out and said she wanted to continue last night’s celebrations with her husband. Happy smiled at her in envy and did as her madam had instructed. In a methodical manner, Rose fried Daniel’s eggs just the way he liked it and put water to boil for his tea while making sure she started on the toast as well. When the kettle went off, she looked around the kitchen to make sure nobody was watching her and undoing the tied end of her apron, brought out the colourless liquid she had bought from a drug store two weeks back. The liquid was in a little bottle and when she had emptied all its content into the steaming water, she turned it into a jug.

Ladling her tray with Daniel’s breakfast, she made her way back to their bedroom where he was still asleep.
“Honey, your breakfast is ready,” she cooed in a sing-song voice. Anybody watching her would find it hard to believe that she was the same woman who had been sobbing with an open gash on her head last night. Save for the ugly gash which she had carefully hidden with her hair, there was no testimony to last night’s abuse.

“What is it you want, I have a hangover, all I want is just some hot tea. I don’t think I can have any breakfast.” Daniel grumbled from the bed and burrowed deeper into the covers.

“I thought as much, after all the stress of last night, I knew you couldn’t possibly have any appetite. I made you some toast and there is jam and hot water for your tea. Come on dear, just get up and have a bite.”
Daniel slowly sat up and eyed the tray she was holding in her hand. There was a flash of shame in his eyes and Rose felt for a minute maybe he was going to apologise for hitting her last night. Daniel never apologized after hitting her, the closest he always came close to doing this is to usually bring her an expensive gift. Sometimes it would be a diamond brochure or a fancy gold chain, each gift a little usually more expensive than the last. Rose wished he would understand that trying to bribe her for the violence she has to endure doesn’t make up for the things she was going through.

She poured out the water into a small tea cup and began preparing the tea while he grumbled about having a splitting headache but needed to be out of the house for an important meet. Rose smiled mirthless to herself as she realized that he was going out. The poison she had slipped into the tea water was one that no coroner was ever going to find and she felt glad that she wouldn’t have to watch him die. The man at the pharmacy had told her that it usually took about two hours for the poison to work and that it would affect his heart. With the way Daniel worked hard, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that he had suffered a heartache and simply slumped and died.
With an eagle eye, she watched him sip the hot tea gingerly and she felt most of the tension she had been feeling for the last few years ebb away. It was as if the sudden realization that Daniel would soon be dying was relieving her of the inner turmoil she had been battling with. Daniel took a bite out of his toast and gulped the rest of the tea before getting out of the bed and dashing into the bathroom to get set for his meet.
Humming happily to herself, Rose began her own preparations for the day and began singing some of the songs she had always loved as a spinster. When Daniel was dressed, he came to where she was brushing her hair by the dresser and planted a kiss on her lips.

“Have a nice day today honey,” Rose said and he smiled at her. They were like two actors, each playing a role of pretense and trying to ignore the fact that their marriage wasn’t perfect.
“I will see you later tonight dear,” Daniel said when he got to the door.

“Goodbye Daniel.” There was a note of finality in her voice as she said these words and she felt a sense of satisfaction. She knew that when next she would be seeing him, he would be too dead to hit a woman again and she began humming the tune of a funeral song to herself as she continued brushing her hair.

The End

Written By Akinwale Poshkid
Twitter and IG: @thatboyakinwale