Novels by Precious Aguebor

Slowly, I turned around.I only caught a glimpse of what she was wearing: a tailored coat, long dark hair, and part of her face as she walked past the glass doors. I was about to get a better look when my phone rang.I reached into my handbag and pulled it out, still watching the woman as she headed toward the private elevators around the corner.The screen showed: High School Administration Office.I hesitated before answering.By the time I looked up again, the woman had disappeared behind the marble partition.“Hello?”“Is this Sallie Evans? The mother of Kelly Evans?” a woman asked.“Yes, this is she. Is everything okay?”“Mrs. Evans, you need to come to the school immediately. Kelly was just involved in a physical altercation with another student in the hallway. We need you in the principal's office right now.”“A fight?” I straightened. “Is she hurt?”“She’s in the office, Mrs. Evans. Please get here as soon as possible.”The call ended.I lowered the phone and looked toward the

That evening, the house felt heavy again. I was setting the dining table when the front door opened, and Andrew walked in. He walked toward me, removing his suit jacket. When he got close, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, kissing my cheek.“Mmm, smells amazing,” he said, leaning over my shoulder to take a look. “Where’s Kelly?”“She’s upstairs in her room doing her homework,” I said, keeping my voice as casual as possible as I turned to face him. “How was your day at the office?”“Tiring,” he sighed.I poured him a glass of water from the jug, handing it to him.“Thanks, babe. The Chicago team called eventually, and they’ve agreed to move on with the contract,” he said, taking a sip of water.“Oh, that’s good news.”“Yeah, it is. Glad that whole mess is behind us now. What about you? Did you do anything today?”I watched as his hand grasped the glass.“Oh, nothing much,” I muttered. “Well, Jenny actually called today. We ended up grabbing a quick coffee downtown.”Andr

The following morning, I woke up feeling lighter than I had in days. I lazily reached out my hand, trying to touch Andrew, but it was empty. Just as I stirred, trying to sit up, I saw Andrew. He was fully dressed for work, buttoning his cuffs. When he noticed me, he turned around and smiled warmly. He walked over to the bed, pressing a gentle kiss to my head.“Morning, sleepyhead,” he said, teasingly tugging at the edge of the duvet.“What time is it?” I asked, squinting against the sunlight. “Did Kelly get up yet?”“Relax, I took care of it.” Andrew smiled, grabbing his watch from the nightstand. “She ate some cereal, and I gave her some lunch money before she left. She caught the bus right on time.”“You’re a lifesaver.” I let out a breath, leaning back into the pillows.“I try.” He winked, picking up his briefcase. “I’m heading out for the office. See you tonight, babe.”“Have a great day.” I smiled.“Thanks, babe.”After the door clicked shut, I lay there for a few minutes, starin

I stared at the screen for a second longer.DID SHE FIND OUT?My throat suddenly went dry. Who was “she”?I heard footsteps heading down the stairs and quickly clicked the side button, turning the screen off just as Andrew walked into the living room. He looked refreshed from his shower, and he was now wearing a clean polo and shorts.“Hey, babe. Have you seen my work phone?” he asked, looking around. “I think I left it in my coat.”“Yeah, I saw it,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “It was low, so I put it on the charger for you.”“Thanks.” He smiled, walking over to where the phone was. He turned it on, checking the phone casually.I had expected a change in his expression, but there was nothing. He didn’t even look nervous. I stood there just watching his expression carefully. Instead, he casually unplugged it and slid it into his pocket, then turned to me.“Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?” he asked. “Still thinking about this morning?”I felt guilty. I had just apologized

I crouched down, picking up the condom. The condom was still intact, so that meant it hadn’t been used. But why was it here?I turned it over, staring at the brand name. Andrew and I didn’t use condoms. We hadn’t in years, not since I went on long-term contraception after Kelly was born.My first instinct was to connect it to Kelly. Maybe she had hidden it here when she didn’t know what to do with it. Teenagers always passed things around as jokes all the time, right? But I immediately shut that down. It literally fell from Andrew’s shirt, and this was our closet. So, it was impossible for it to be Kelly.“Mom! I’ll be late!” Kelly’s loud voice came.“In a minute, honey.” I took the condom and put it back in Andrew’s shirt.Kelly was already inside by now. She took the coat from my arm.“You’re finally learning how to match colors, Mom.”Before I could think of an answer, she had already turned and left. My eyes moved to the wardrobe again, then to the bed. Staring at my phone, I want

If Kelly hadn't forgotten to turn off her tablet that morning, I might have gone another few days believing my marriage was perfect.That morning, I had gone to check if our daughter Kelly was ready for school.I gently knocked on Kelly’s door. Without waiting for an answer, I opened the door. Kelly was buried under the duvet, the blue glow of her tablet illuminating a face that was entirely awake at 7:15 AM.“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice carrying that sharp tone of a mother.Kelly didn’t flinch. She just tilted her head up. “Good morning, Mom.”“It won’t be good if you miss the bus and I have to drive you to school again!” I warned. “Look at the time, Kelly. Move.”She let out a dramatic sigh, like I was forcing her into manual labor instead of sophomore geometry. She finally threw back the blanket and headed for the bathroom. The door slammed shut a second later.I shook my head and was about to leave when I noticed she had left the tablet still running. I walked over, pla