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CHAPTER 33: THE ROW
publish date:
2026-05-02 18:30:07JOSH’S POV
The "Royal Hotel" was a lie in every sense of the word. The sign was hanging by a wire, and the air inside smelled of damp mold, stale cigarettes, and the kind of despair that doesn't wash off with water—even the water was running slowly. I looked at the bed. The sheets were a suspicious shade of yellow, and I could hear the skittering of cockroaches behind the peeling wallpaper. My skin crawled. I’ve stayed in five-star hotels in Lagos and London, places where
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LOOM OF THORNS CHAPTER 39: THE SILENCE OF THE STONES
BECCA’S MOTHER’S POV I didn't have a car. I didn't have a lawyer. All I had was the crumpled notes I had earned from selling Pap and beancakes. I had stood at the gate of the Police headquarters for four hours, my wrapper tied tight around my waist as if I were ready for a fight, but the officers behind the counter didn't even look at me. "Please, Officer," I begged for the hundredth time, leaning over the high desk. "Rebecca. She is my daughter. They say she is here. Just let me see her face. Let me see that she is breathing." The officer, a man with a nameplate that said Inspector James, didn't look up from his sports newspaper. "Mama, go home. The girl is in 'Special Custody.' No visitors. Not even her shadow can see her today. Come back when you have a lawyer." "Lawyer with what money?" I screamed, my voice cracking. "She didn't kill anyone! She is a good girl! She has always been! You are holding a diamond in a coal room!" "Madam, if you shout again, I will lock you up for d
LOOM OF THORNS CHAPTER 38: VICTORY AND RECKONING
THIRD PERSON POVThe Vice-Chancellor’s private lounge smelled of expensive mahogany and imported scotch. On the low glass table sat the briefcase, its leather scuffed from the hotel floor, looking out of place in the room's opulence.VC Olayinka poured two glasses, the amber liquid clinking against the ice. He handed one to Chief Adeyemi, who was still nursing a bruised jaw where his son had struck him."To the return of order," Olayinka said, his voice smooth and triumphant. "The police have the girl. The murder weapon—or a reasonable substitute—will be 'discovered' in her belongings by morning. It’s a closed case, Chief. Let the girl take the fall. The public would love to hear a fallen angel story."Chief Adeyemi took a long sip, his eyes fixed on the briefcase. "She isn't just the hawker's daughter anymore, Olayinka. The boy was foolish enough to sign papers. He huffed." What papers?" The VC looked lost."He wedded that thing!" Chief Adeyemi raised his voice. "He thinks a regist
LOOM OF THORNS CHAPTER 37: CHAOS
BECCA’S POV I was sitting on the edge of the bed, the floral pattern of my new dress feeling like a lie. Josh was checking the briefcase again, his back to me, I decided to turn on the small dusty television, mounted in the corner of the room and it crackled to life. The volume was low, but the image was unmistakable. I stopped breathing. It was Baba’s house. The familiar wooden door were crisscrossed with yellow crime scene tape. The dust of the street was being kicked up by the boots of policemen, their faces grim. And then, for a split second, the camera panted to the veranda. I saw a white sheet covering a slumped figure. A starched white agbada sleeve peaked out, stained a dark, drying maroon. "Josh," I whispered, my voice sounding like it was coming from underwater. "Josh, look." JOSH’S POV I spun around, my heart dropping into my stomach. The news anchor’s voice was sharp, professional, and utterly devastating. "...tragedy in the quiet neighborhood of Ita-Iyalode. Polic
LOOM OF THORNS CHAPTER 36: MORNING DEVOTION
JOSH’S POV The morning sun fought its way through the grime on the window, casting a pale, honeyed light over the room. I woke up with my heart hammering, a habit of the hunted, but it slowed when I felt the weight of Becca beside me. As I shifted, the sting on my chest and arms made me wince. I looked down at my skin—red scratches from last night's rendezvous, the evidence of our passion. Then I saw it. On the yellowed sheets, there were small, unmistakable stains of crimson. A new bloodstain to replace the one we’d left on Baba’s floor, but this one didn't represent death. It was a covenant. I felt a surge of pride. I looked at Becca. She was still asleep, her face finally peaceful, though her lashes were still clumped from yesterday’s tears. I moved quietly, turning on the rusted tap in the bathroom. I waited until the water ran clear and lukewarm, then I walked back to the bed and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Becca... wake up, my love." She stirred, her eyes fluttering open
LOOM OF THORNS CHAPTER 35: BROKEN
MARY’S POV The lecturer’s voice was a monotonous drone, bouncing off the walls of the packed auditorium. I sat in the middle row, my pen hovering over a notebook that remained blank. Every time the door creaked open, my heart jumped. Every time someone whispered behind me, I assumed they were talking about me. Then, my phone vibrated in my lap. A private number. I slipped out of my seat, ducking into the narrow, shadowed hallway just outside the lecture room door. I didn't even say hello. "I went to Obada like you asked," I hissed into the receiver, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "I checked with her mother. They were both not there. No news about them, no Josh, no Becca. The mother was very clueless!" "You were sent there to verify, Mary," the Shadow’s voice came through, cold and smooth as a razor blade. "If you couldn't find them, it’s because you lack the competence I require. Perhaps you’re getting soft. Or perhaps you’re looking for a way to join them." "Competenc
LOOM OF THORNS CHAPTER 34: THE ONLY TRUTH LEFT
JOSH’S POV The water from the rusted tap was lukewarm and smelled faintly of iron, but as I squeezed the cheap sponge, I didn't care. I knelt by the side of the bed, gently dabbing at the scratches on Becca’s legs where the thorns had marked her. Each hiss of pain from her lips felt like a jagged blade in my chest. "I’ve got you," I whispered, the words feeling heavy in the humid air. She looked down at me, her eyes red-rimmed and hollow. The anger was gone, replaced by a terrifying kind of stillness. She reached out, her fingers trembling as she touched the collar of my dirt-streaked shirt. "Tonight might be the only night we have, Josh," she said, her voice a ghost of itself. "No more waiting. No more 'when we're safe.' We aren't safe. We might never be safe again." BECCA’S POV The "Royal Hotel" was a tomb, but in the dim, flickering light of the single overhead bulb, Josh didn't look like NUAT'S handsome president, nor like a Chief's son or a hero. He looked like my husb
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