Bury my sins 26

EPISODE 26

TITLE: “BURY MY SINS, NOT ME”

(AT OFFICER PAUL APARTMENT)

Loveth decided to visit Officer Paul at his house after they made amends, thanks to Grace's efforts. As soon as Paul noticed Loveth entering his house, he stood up and welcomed her with a bright smile.

"I'm glad we're okay now," Officer Paul said, hugging her tightly and pulling her close.

"Me too, Paul," Loveth replied, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. They both settled on the couch in the living room, facing each other in silence and smiling sheepishly.

"So, tell me, what really happened that day?" Officer Paul asked, looking perplexed. "Your expression always showed you wanted to be with me, but you kept pushing me away sometimes loveth, making it difficult for me to understand you fully."

"Pushed you away?" Loveth replied, equally perplexed. "I think there's been a misunderstanding, Paul. I don't remember pushing you away. That's not something I would do in my right frame of mind. Can we talk about it deeply? I can't recall anything from the day you first asked me to be your girlfriend."

Paul looked down, took a deep breath, and spoke, trying to remind Loveth of that day. "I asked you out," he said shyly. "Your response was that I should never call you again, that you never loved me, and that you could never be a consolation prize to replace Abimbola. You also said some mean words to me." Paul's voice wavered as he explained.

"Really?" Loveth said, surprised. "Maybe I was just playing hard to get," she said defensively. "I love you, Paul, and I always will." Loveth admitted her feelings openly and began to cry. "I'm confused and don't know what's wrong with me lately, Paul. Could you believe that I tried jumping into a r*iver while on a bridge? I also don't know how I got there or what led me there. I am totally confused, Paul, and I cannot recollect anything." Loveth's voice broke as she cried more.

Paul stepped closer to her with a concerned face and hugged her tightly. "This isn't you, Loveth. I noticed something seems off. We need to figure this out together and find out what's happening. But don't worry, I should be able to help if my instincts are right."

Loveth shook her head and tried to wipe away her tears. "I don't know, Paul. It's like there's a blank spot in my memory. Sometimes it feels like my actions are not voluntary, and sometimes I am losing myself, but then I am fine the next moment. I have no idea what I am saying or doing."

Paul gently took Loveth's hand and tried to calm her down, squeezing it reassuringly. "We will get through this, Loveth. You are not alone. I care about you too much to let you go through this alone."

Loveth looked up at Paul with uncertainty in her eyes. "What if I pushed you away unknowingly, without realizing it? What if it becomes all hazy again and I deny even knowing you?"

"You won't push me away because I will never leave again," Paul said firmly. "Leave me alone to piece things together, and I am sure we will figure it out soon."

The new lovers were still hugging each other tightly, trying to comfort themselves when Abimbola's evil ghost suddenly appeared in the room and possessed Loveth again. 

Loveth's eyes were immediately filled with malice as soon as Abimbola possessed her, and she was about to start misbehaving through Loveth’s body when her eyes caught sight of something.

Her eyes caught sight of a symbol that only she and Paul knew about when she was alive. It was their secret sign of love, a cross made with their hands.

Abimbola's ghost, possessing Loveth already, didn't understand why Paul was making that sign the moment she got into  Loveth's body.

The symbol was more than a gesture with their hands; it was a promise they made to each other during one of the happiest moments of their lives before Abimbola's death.

(PAST MEMORY - 10 MONTHS AGO)

Abimbola and Officer Paul were seated by a lake on a warm summer evening, enjoying the cool outdoor breeze. To seal their love for each other, they crossed their hearts with one hand and put the other hand on each other's chest.

"Always and forever," Abimbola said, smiling. "Always and forever," Paul replied, smiling too.

"This is a symbol of our love, Paul. Do not forget it,” Abimbola said. “And I won't forget it either. We will always be there for each other."

(BACK TO THE CURRENT SCENE)

Abimbola's evil ghost, still in Loveth's body, stared sadly at the symbol Paul was showing. Her initial plan after possessing Loveth was to end her completely, but the sign caught her attention because of how much it meant to her when she was alive. And Slowly, she crossed her hand over her chest and put her other hand on Paul Chest, replicating their symbol of love together through Loveth's body.

"Always and forever," Paul said sadly, with tears streaming down his face. "Always and forever," Abimbola, through Loveth's possessed body, replied.

"It's really you who is in there, in that body," Paul said sadly, tears streaming down his face. "I know it's really you, Abimbola. Please remember you are not evil and remember the happiness we shared together."

Abimbola, through Loveth's possessed body, looked at the symbol she had made to replicate Paul's sign too. Her ghost softened as she realized who she truly was before—she is a lover, not a killer.

"Please, I beg you, let go of your hate and anger. It's time to move on and find peace in afterlife," Paul said with tears in his eyes.

At that moment, Abimbola's ghost stepped out of Loveth's body, clean and pure this time. She had rediscovered herself and concluded to let Paul move on with his love life. 

Her ghost stood sadly, watching Paul as she began to fade away slowly. And her last words before vanishing from the room were, "Always and forever, Paul."

As she disappeared completely, Loveth who had been possessed earlier regained her consciousness and wondered why Paul was crying bitterly. She hugged him tightly, comforting him, promising never to push him away again or deny knowing him.

(AT THE DESIGNER WORLD EVENT SHOW)

On World Designer Day, the venue was buzzing with excitement as designers from all over Africa gathered to showcase their work. 

Chioma's ghost, including Aminat, Gabriel, and Bosco, were all sitting in the stands. They came to support Chioma because she desperately wished to see her boss win an award for the work they had collaborated on together. But Chioma had no idea that her dreams were about to be shattered by the person she trusted most.

When it was time for Chioma's boss to climb on stage to showcase her talent, her boss didn't show the one she and Chioma had jointly worked on together when Chioma was alive. Instead, she showcased Chioma's original craft and took the accolades for herself while the crowd applauded her after her presentations.

"That's my design," Chioma's ghost yelled, but no one could hear her except for Bosco and Aminat. "That's my design, Aminat," Chioma said again. "How did she get hold of it when I have never shown it to her before?"

Chioma felt a deep sense of betrayal. She trusted her boss so much, and even when her boss was awarded the best designer of the year, she climbed on stage to take the award without even dedicating it to Chioma, without any acknowledgment or mention of her name.

"She is living my dream," Chioma's ghost yelled angrily, and she slowly began to transform into an evil ghost just like Abimbola, resenting the world deeply already. 

Aminat quickly intervened, talking into the empty space and pleading with Chioma amidst the noisy event to leave vengeance to her and not do it herself. 

Thankfully, Chioma's ghost adhered to Aminat pleas and vanished from the scene, not even realizing her boss was involved in her death too.

After the event ended, Aminat decided to confront Chioma's boss after seeing her walk into the restroom. She was just in time to eavesdrop on her phone call and Aminat recorded everything.

"You should have seen the faces of the crowd when I was presented the award of best designer of the year," Chioma's boss said excitedly over the phone.

"Didn't I tell you?" the voice on the other end replied. "I told you your apprentice had the potential to win with that craft in her hands. If you hadn't followed my advice and taken her out of the way, she would have become a boss over you on a day like this, winning endorsements and leaving you all alone in that godforsaken fashion shop of yours."

"I'm glad I followed your advice," Chioma's boss said excitedly, jumping up and down. "I am a millionaire now, and it's party time," she said before ending the call.

To be continued…..