Chapter 34

NARRATED

Nqaba gets in his car and drives off to the police station. Lindi came through with arranging for him to see Milani. As he parks, he see Detective Mbhele standing outside. He gets out and walks over to him. The greet each other and walk into the station. Mbhele takes him to one of the interrogation rooms where Milani is waiting. He is nervous about seeing her but for him to completely heal, this is one of the things he has to do. After all that she has done, he has to face her one last time. Detective Mbhele doesn't walk in with him. "I'll give you some privacy. I'll be right out here." the detective nods signaling that it safe to go in. Nqaba took a deep, walked in the room and sat opposite her. He greets her and she greets back. She is surprised to see him. She didn't expect to him here. "What are you doing here?" Those are the first words she manages to utter after a moment in silence. "I want to know "Why?" Why did you to it all?" That question caught of her off guard. She is wondering how to answer it. The answer is simple but she is trying not to sound blunt but what other choice does she have? She has never been subtle about anything with him and she can't start now. "Because I could and you never fought back." She says it fast as if she is being rushed to say something, as if something is burning in her mouth.

Nqaba raises an eyebrow to her response, "So you wanted me to fight back." It's more of a statement than question. "If I fought back, would you have stopped? If I hit you back would you have not had me arrested?" She opens her mouth to say something but she doesn't. "Wait don't answer that. I'll tell you the answer. If I had fought back you would have had me arrested and made everyone believe that I was the problem, that I was abusive. You see Milani, one of the that my mother taught me is to never lay a hand on a woman because no matter the reason, no one would ever believe me as a man. That's why I chose to go to the police and open a case but then you made sure those case files disappeared, little did you know that I had copies. The first time I told my parents about you hitting me, my mother said "don't ever hit her back. If you do, she'll run to the police and the law will take her side. Now you know why I never did besides the fact that I loved you."

"But you stayed. Why did you stay? You could have just left." He raises his eyebrow again. Would have have let me leave. I mean now, it took threats from police officers for you sign the divorce papers. If my lawyer didn't use the detectives to get you to sign, you would have not signed. You kidnapped your own child Milani to prove a point." For the first time she doesn't know what to say. Nqaba is because is speaking the truth but she won't admit it. Her pride won't let her.

Milani shifts uncomfortably in her seat, the weight of Nqaba's words pressing down upon her. It's true; she has always wielded her influence like a weapon, but the reflection of herself in Nqaba's calm anger forces her to confront the choices she has made. "You think you know me, but you don't understand the pressures I was under," she finally says, frustration cracking her voice. "You didn't see what it was like to be trapped in that world." Now this Nqaba knows very well. She want him to sympathize.
Nqaba studies her, his heart heavy with a mix of sorrow and disbelief. "Trapped? You never gave me a chance to help you, to fight for us. You chose to push me away, you chose to be a monster. You were trapped Milani. You chose to be in that life, you chose live the life, you chose to embrace the evil in you." His words hang in the air, a painful echo of a past he cannot shake.

"And what would that have meant?" Milani exclaims, her eyes flaring with defiance. "Would you have fought against your own family for me? You have no idea the lengths they would go to keep their image intact. I had to protect myself." Now this is diabolical. Nqaba is at a loss with her words.
"Protect yourself against my family? Milani I really love smoke whatever it is that you are smoking that is making you so delusional. Protect yourself! Are you serious now? Nqaba's voice is low, the depth of his pain palpable. "You can't pretend that your actions haven't consequences. You've hurt me, but more importantly, you've hurt our son. My family was nothing but loving towards you. You are the one that didn't want them. Really Milani, you are going to shift this and make it my family's fault."

At the mention of their child, Milani's expression falters, and for a moment, the facade cracks. "I did it out of love," she whispers, vulnerable yet defensive, clinging to the notion that she had good intentions buried beneath layers of bitterness. "I thought keeping him away from you was protecting him." She knows she is grasping at straws here. She is trying not to be villain but it seems she is making matters worse.
Nqaba leans back, disbelief etched on his face. "So by kidnapping him, you were protecting him, from what exactly? The people that actually love him, that actually care about him. And what about the scars he carries from your decisions? Do you think he won't see through your lies?" A cold silence envelops the room, thick with unresolved tension.

Milani's gaze drops, guilt washing over her or is it something else, but her defenses rally. "I wanted power. I wanted to prove I could be more than just a shadow. And I made mistakes, but don't act like you're innocent in all of this."
"Oh but I am innocent, the only I am guilty of is not leaving this marriage sooner," he admits, his tone dropping. "But I wanted to move past it, to heal. You had the power to change this narrative, yet you chose vengeance over love."
"In this life, love doesn't guarantee safety," she snaps back, masking her vulnerability with a hardened exterior. "And safety is all I ever wanted. Control is all I ever wanted."
Nqaba watches her, recognizing the battle between vulnerability and pride raging within her. "And I'll fight for it—for him, for us—me and him. I will not let you do what you did to us again. This is the end Milani," he states firmly, the resolve shining through the cracks of their communication.

As she meets his gaze, lingering uncertainty flickers in her eyes. The possibility of reconciliation does not exist on the edge of his words, a fragile thread woven amidst the fabric of betrayal and lingering affection. She sees it, the affection that was once warm and loving, is cold and distant, disappearing into thin air, never to heard from.
"I came here to look you in the eyes and tell you that I gave the police the final nail to your coffin. The gun you had, they now have it. I've asked them to charge you with attempted murder for stabbing me twice. I have opened another case of abuse against you. They have pictures, videos of what you use to do to me. It's ove Milani, the game is over. You are going to jail for a long time."

"You can't do that Nqaba. I am your wife. You can't do this to me. What's going to happen to Lwandle? I can't spend my life in prison. Nqaba you will not do this. If you know what's good for you, you will make sure that I get out of here. If you continue with this, I'll destroy Nqaba, I'll take everything from you." She breathing heavy. She is trying to take more controlled breaths but she id failing. The walls have not just cracked, they are falling apart. Everything that she put together with perfect precision, every plan there was, everything has been dismantled. Nqaba has dismantled her and she didn't even see it coming.

Nqaba stands, looking at her a while, "You've already done all that Milani. I was your pawn in your game, your were both the King and Queen but now… "He lets the words linger a little. With a smirk on his face, he walks to the door, holds the handle, "CHECKMATE Milani." She turns to look at him and sees it on his face. It is over. A pawn made a checkmate move in her own game. She lost.

***

Emihle had requested to see her Det. Mbhele. She made a decision and that decision involves her being a free woman together with her husband. She is looking at the detective, she needs to do this now before she changes her mind.

"I'll give you my father and his operations and I'll give you Milani Cele and her operations for my freedom and a reduced sentence for husband." The detective looks at her thinking that he should play this smart because all of them are going to jail but to everything on her father, she need to talk. If they had enough on her father, he wouldn't bother. Even the looming threat was a hoax. "Ok, I have spoken to the prosecutor about a deal for you that also includes protective custody. Now tell me what I need to know about your father. There's nothing you can give me on Milani that I already don't have."

She takes a deep breath, "My father has a deal with the Mexican cartel. His is mostly part of the human trafficking side of the business. I have all the information in my cloud server. Children that have been taken and where they were taken to. Everything that you need. I was never involved but I know about it. I collected information and kept it for a rainy day.
The detective's eyes narrow, the weight of Emihle's words settling in. "We need more than just names; we need proof. Can you access that data? Where is it stored?" Emihle nods, the urgency of the situation firing a spark in her eyes. "I can get into the server from my laptop, but I need my laptop brought here." The detective considers this, his mind racing while he scans her trying to see a twitch of a lie or deception but he sees none of that.. "Where is the latpto?" he asks, leaning forward.

Emihle bites her lip, reluctant. "It is at my house. I can go with you…." "No!"
"Too risky. I cannot risk you escaping once we are out there," he interrupts, pacing the small space. "I'm going to get you to a phone and you'll call whoever you need to call and tell them to bring the laptop here. You see Emihle, I am not going to have any of my officers go there and walk into a trap. Make sure the laptop comes here and if they anything funny with it, I'll know."

She nods, a spark of excitement igniting. "No funny business I know.."
The detective nods slowly, formulating a plan. "Alright, . You do your part. Meanwhile, I'll get the proseutor to put something on paper for you." There's a moment of silence, the heavy atmosphere filled with a mix of trepidation and determination. "Do you understand what's at stake?" he adds, locking eyes with her, eyes blazing with intensity. If anything that you give me is false, if any of this is just rouse for you to be free just know that I have enough to bury in the deepest and most dangerous part of the female prison.
Emihle's heart raced as the weight of her choices bore down on her. She had always feared her father and the empire he built, a shadowy web woven through the desperation of countless lives. "I can do this. I will do this," she whispered to herself, steeling her resolve. The detective's gaze softened slightly as he recognized the desperation in her eyes. "We'll have the laptop here, but once it arrives, we'll need to act fast. Time is not on our side, Emihle. Your father will not take kindly to your collaboration with law enforcement," he warned, the gravity of the situation echoing in his voice. She also nods in agreement.

"Good," he said, returning to the seriousness of their situation. "What does your father look for in the operation? Where are the weak points?"
"The shipments," she replied, biting her lip. "He's been moving products under the radar, evading authorities by using small vehicles at odd hours. Their locations are stored securely, but I have access. And by product I means children."

The detective's interest peaked. "This could be the break we need. I just need you to remain focused. You must understand how critical your role is in this—losing your nerve now could jeopardize everything."
Emihle took a deep breath, the reality of her choice settling in. "I won't back down. I need to do this for me and for those children.

"Alright then. We will make this work," he said, as a small hint of respect emerged. "Let's set these plans in motion." An understanding passed between them, a silent alliance forged in desperation and betrayal. As Emihle sat in the cold interrogation room, a new sense of purpose enveloped her, the urge to dismantle her father's empire propelling her towards uncertain freedom. As for the detective, his plan is working perfectly. Daughter turned against father and he needs her to against her husband. He doesn't need to do it but if they sell out each other, the case will be in court for a little while and they will be sentenced quickly. He wants it over and done with fast. Funny how the case started as Double Jeorpardy and now he's bringing down some of the biggest drug lords and human traffickers. Families will finally have closure.