AFTER I DIED, HE LOVED ME

JORIE

Autumn foliage danced down the glassy window where I sat. My nose wrinkled at the smell of disinfectant, and my paralyzed body only sat still in a wheelchair.

My bald head hidden under a bonnet only ached with thoughts of life.

My pale eyes only chose to stay focused on the autumn leaves as though they'd save me if I carefully watched them settle on the floor.

However, when her gentle hands squeezed my shoulders, I breathed softly, shifting my thoughts to the present scenario.

"Hey... it's okay Jorie... you're a fighter." she whispered in my ear, somber.

"Did he call?" My chapped lips spoke as my heartbeat increased. Tunisha turned over to face me with a bright smile but I saw the tears in her eyes.

"He's busy at work." she assured cupping my cheeks but that didn't tend to keep me at rest.

It's been three weeks since I was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, my husband had neither visited and the least he did was call twice or rather I did the calling.

Tunisha's eyes studied me, like she knew I was grieving. "Hey, hey, I don't want to see a teardrop from you." she sniffed and stood upright. "You're a fighter and fighters don't break; who knows, he might visit today."

I'd intended to respond to that because she always says that but then, the door creaked open.

My heart leaped with expectations that it might be him but it was just the nurse coming in. "Visitation time's up. It's time for her medication and rest." the nurse reported with eyes fixed on her chart like she was afraid to look at me.

Even an enemy would pity my condition because I'd dried up like bones, my eyes had sunk deeper and my skin color was like fading chalk.

Tunisha heaved a sigh and grumbled. "I'm sorry I have to leave you." she apologized placing her hands on the chest. Her act made me chuckle because I knew she'd be back.

"It's okay, you have work to do. Thank you for being here." I appreciated her spreading my arms for an embrace.

Afterwards, she strictly told the nurse that I must eat my meal before blowing me a kiss and walking away.

As soon as she was gone, the nurse smirked at me, but a sweet one. "You're so fortunate to have a nice friend."

I stared at the door Tunisha took, as hope returned. She was my world now, always checking up on me when everyone abandoned me.

We knew each other right from college and she had been an angel; I'd never trade her for anything in the world.

"Yes, I do." I trailed my gaze back to her and inhaled. I could see she was trying to set up her tray containing liquid drugs trapped in a jar and strings.

"Please can I be discharged?"

The nurse suspended her hands over what she was doing as she whipped her head to me.

"I'm sorry but your condition doesn't demand that you leave the premises."

I struggled to clasp my hands together, staring at her in the eyes. "Please let me just have a glimpse of my husband; I'm worried." I cried rattled. "I need to know if he's fine; I promise I'll return."

I was literally sobbing and had even held her just so she would let me go. "Fine...after this dosage."

As soon as she was done, she helped me dress nicely and boarded a taxi for me.

"Please do return; we need to look at you critically." she reminded me as soon as I'd taken my seat.

I nodded and waved her goodbye before the taxi began to drive me to my location.

It was a long tiring drive that left me so riddled with weariness and affected my health. I shouldn't have blamed Zac if he couldn't come to see me often.

Beside, he needed to work really hard just so my medications be paid for. My jaggered thoughts were disrupted when the taxi driver pressed the brake.

Looking out the windshield, I smiled and inhaled. Immediately, I jumped down and battled with my feet to get the door.

I didn't have to ring the bell because I knew our password. By now, he'd be at work and so even if I just had a month to live, in my few days, I might as well prepare a meal.

Punching the lock pins to crawl in, once the door opened, I was greeted by a bra on the door.

My smile faded as my strained eyes lifted up to evaluate the place. To my surprise, a gown was shredded on the floor; in fact, everything was scattered like foreplay had just happened here.

I didn't know when I'd left the door and was pacing upstairs with my heart shattered into a million pieces.

My legs stopped moving when loud laughter and giggles came from our master bedroom.

The door was slightly open and my eyes could clearly see them! It was Tunisha, wrapped in arms of my husband kissing him, naked.

My soul left me, as it felt like I'd been hit by a bullet that refused to kill me.

"I can't wait for her to die...then all her properties will be ours!" Zac confessed kissing her forehead while she trailed her fingers on his bare chest.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe as I clenched my dress staring at them like it was my delusion.

"Then I'd become your legal wife!" She cracked and then rolled over him. I could see her ass lifted as she moaned swaying her hips on him while he jerked with his arms around her waist, squeezing her skin.

My hands flew to my mouth as a whimper escaped me. This wasn't real, I tried to convince myself.

Tunisha was more than home to me...it must have been her replica; my husband was at work.

I couldn't control the emotions spilling inside me and just as I intended to come inside, she stopped and kissed wildly on the lips.

"Argh!! She's so stupid...she doesn't know we have been tampering with her medications before being rushed to the hospital!" She added and that pulled me off.

I stormed inside with the little strength I could muster, or rather the adrenaline in me fueled my aggression; I grabbed her hand and yanked her off him.

She fell to the other side of the bed; Zac yanked up, horrified, and she scurried to wrap herself in a bedsheet while panting hard.

Zac crawled down, his cock hung lazily between his legs and my body reacted to it.

He barely had sex with me, claiming he was at work, yet he was having all the fun with her! When I was at the hospital fighting for my life.

"What the fuck Jorie! What are you doing here? Aren't you dead?!" He barked drawing my gaze to him.

My jaw dropped at his assumption as his eyes were furious. "Dead? Is that how bad you wish for me?" I fired feeling all dizzy and weak.

I had to bend slightly to stop my shaky legs from giving out. Zac had grabbed his boxers to wear.

"Oh shit! Don't you know how to give a call if you're coming over?"

What? Was he really saying that? He had no remorse either.

"This is my house and...how...why...argh!!" I didn't even know what to say because my aching heart was giving in to tears.

"For fuck sake! You shouldn't be mad; who would want to end up with an old sick hag like you?"

I was breathing hard now, going into a panic attack yet I didn't want to leave, just to hear everything.

Tunisha had scrambled her way behind him, pulling a frown but there was no regret in her eyes. "You deceived me."

"No, dear, I was keeping him company while you fought for his future, so it's a win-win thing." She mocked hiding her face from me but I faced Zac instead.

"We have been together for 15 years! Right from college! You can't tell me this! Everything I gave you for our future." I yelled rubbing my chest.

Tunisha rolled her eyes, hissing. "You're not sexy, not the kind of girl I'd be proud of, and guess what? Tunisha and I have been together for five years now but you were stupid enough to know that." He defended himself as I shook my head; his words were blurring out of my mind.

It all dawned on me that he just needed me because of my properties. We were colleagues at the same company but he was lazy around while I strove to become the manager, saved to buy shares, and all that.

I loved him so much that even in my will, I shared everything with him and some for Tunisha. They were so heartless, celebrating my death before it came.

"Don't worry, I will give you a beneficial burial, so just go back to the hospital and spend your last days there; there's nothing to be mad at, your time is up." He said aggressively, gawking at me like I was trash.

Tunisha chuckled behind him; her mocking eyes obviously told me I was stupid. "We only needed you because you were smart, easy to manipulate and we are living the life." Tunisha snapped heaving a sigh that broke me more.

I didn't know what I was thinking of but I'd grabbed the floor vase beside the window with all my strength and intended to throw on tunisha for the lies, the betrayal.

However, Zac grabbed my wrist mid-air and roughly shoved me aside.

"Stupid woman!!"

That was it...that act of his had me falling hard to the glass table behind me and it shattered with me diving into it.

I knew I was floating before crashing on it. My eyes were high up at the ceiling as I was vibrating.

I couldn't move my body until Zac's face came into view.

"Zac!! Oh my God! She broke her head on it!!" I heard Tunisia yell frantically like she cared for a moment. "We should call an ambulance!"

"No, no... there's no need for defence, we'd come up with a story besides, she's dying." he assured and right in front of me, he was cuddling her, kissing her all over while my ragged breath was fading.

In a flash, my past life hovered over my eyes. I could see myself running after him in a field of garden, skipping meals to write projects that earned his promotions, giving him my life savings which he lost to scammers, I recall sacrificing my dreams for Tunisha to be the best. I never for once took care of myself...all I wanted was them to be happy and my stress accumulated to cancer.

Life was cruel to me and in the end, I lost.