Novel Title: Avaritia (DollarSigns)
Chapter 4
Chloe ignored Margaret’s Question, she quietly ended the call and turned off her phone.
As days went by, Chloe was losing her mind. She inquired from all her customers if they know Olinda and where she lives, but no one seemed to have a clue on how to find her.
Chloe got more worried as days rolled by. Constantly she pleaded for God’s mercy and prayed for her husband’s safety.
At the other end, Olinda never rested to win Donald’s heart. “No good wife will agree to sell her husband off for just three hundred thousand dollars. Chloe your so-called wife, doesn’t love you as I do. Donald, I love you so much. The first time to see you, I fell deeply in love with you. Please, marry me. I can do anything for you. Look, my father likes you too. I’m sure my father will make you his heir. I’m the only child of my parent, so you’re the only son of my father now. My mother passed on long ago. Please, marry me. I love you. I will do anything for you, please be mine”, Olinda had told him and out of spite for Chloe, Donald reluctantly agreed to marry Olinda and turn against Chloe.
One-day news came to Chloe that Olinda was getting married. When Chloe saw the names printed on the wedding invitation, she almost collapsed. The supposed wedding was scheduled to happen in four weeks. Chloe lost her breath as she looked through the wedding invitation card. The invitation card proved to Chloe that Donald was safe.
“Olinda Weds Donald?”, She uttered in tears.
“Oh my God, Donald? I hope it’s not what I’m thinking. Oh my word! It’s all my fault. See where my love for money had landed me. Who will I turn to? Olinda can’t snatch my husband from me, no way!”, she said in tears.
Weeks passed and there was still no word from Donald nor Olinda’s whereabouts. Chloe still held the address of their upcoming wedding venue. She was waiting eagerly for that day to come so she could ruin that wedding. Chloe lost so much weight due to worry and crying. She was now a shadow of herself. She lost appetite for food and her insatiable thirst for money had disappeared. She couldn’t spend the millions Olinda paid her anymore. Life has been meaningless to Chloe ever since she got that wedding invitation card. Chloe’s children have had a clue that something was going on between their parents.
Chloe was gradually dying in deep regrets. “Please the Heaven creator, show mercy in me. I regret all my actions. Kindly bring my husband back. I will love and cherish him with my heart. I don’t need money anymore.”
It was over two months that Olinda took Donald away. Donald’s family especially her sister Margaret had started questioning herself why his brother is no longer keeping in touch with the family.
Margaret phoned Chloe, “where is my brother? He is too quiet nowadays.”
Chloe lied, “oh, your brother is on a business trip.
“Business trip? Since when did my brother become a businessman. Is he not a civil servant? I went to his office last week and was told that he hasn’t shown up to work for two months”, Margaret entered and Chloe’s heart skipped several beats. Margaret did not buy into Chloe’s lie.
Margaret visited Chloe and confronted her till she decided to come out plain. She told Margaret everything.
“How could you do this to my brother? A man who loves you so much. He worked hard always for you since he married you. He never sent a dime to our mother in the village. You chop all the money he earns, yet you are not satisfied. Look now, you ended up selling my brother. In as much as I like you, I won’t spare you if anything bad happens to my brother. If you know what is good for you, it’s better to start looking for him because you will see the other side of me. If any harm comes to my brother…”, Margaret uttered angrily and walked away.
Chloe sat on the bare floor crying. She thought of all the times her husband was good to her but never appreciate him because of being overshadowed by love for money and material things.
“God I’m so sorry for under-valuing what I had because of money. Donald is too good a man to lose. I pray he forgives me because I don’t want to lose him. Now, I have realized that Money does not bring happiness. Donald and my children are worth more than gold or money. Please, Lord, I have learned my lesson the hard way”, she said sobbing.
As Chloe sat there crying to God, her children entered the room from school and asked innocently, “Mom! Why are you crying?”
“Your daddy left us”, Chloe said in tears.
“What are you saying, Mom? Dad came to our school today and bought us so many snacks and fruit drinks. He told us that you sold him off. However, he promised to be back for us”, Chloe’s first child said and Chloe almost died of shock.
“Are you sure that your Dad told you that?” Chloe inquired in tears and her children nodded and said “yes”.
“Mom, you never told us that you sold our sweet Dad, which means you know where he is. Please, take us to our father. We don’t want to live with you but with Dad. We are now scared of you because we don’t want to be sold as you did to our Dad.” The children said innocently.
Chloe stared at her children speechlessly as tears were just oozing from her eyes.
END OF CHAPTER 4. Read the next episode, Chapter 5 here, now!
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