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Wrong decisions

Author: Gail
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-20 19:20:01

Chapter 9 – Mathapelo’s Reckoning

The living room clock ticked past midnight, its rhythm unusually loud in the otherwise silent house. Mathapelo sat slouched in the armchair, a nearly empty wine bottle clutched loosely in her hand. The children were asleep, the household seemingly calm, yet tension hummed through every corner. Her strict rules had been enforced with iron precision, yet beneath that discipline lay chaos fueled by her drinking and growing frustration.

Her youngest, Lethabo, had been caught sneaking snacks before dinner. Normally, this would have been a minor offense, easily corrected. Tonight, however, Mathapelo’s temper flared, amplified by alcohol and exhaustion. “You think rules don’t apply to you?” she snapped, her voice harsh, shaking the fragile silence of the house. Lethabo shrank back, tears forming in his eyes, and Mathapelo instantly regretted the volume and venom of her words.

Her marriage to Rethabile, already strained by her dependency, felt more frag
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