Chapter 23: Scary night

Jahin's POV

I got to my car and my driver was waiting for me outside so he could open the door for me but I dismissed him then opened the door myself. I took off my shades in devastation and I also took off the hoodie. I could not believe anything that just happened, the only time I have ever felt this nervous in my life was the day I left Haya.

My driver asked me if we could get going but I said no, I need to see if Haya safely gets a cab that is going to take her straight to campus. I suddenly feel the need to protect her from any kind of danger or I do not know what but I want her to be safe the same way I did years ago.

"But sir the Chinese investors, you told me you need to seal that deal no matter what." my driver Morris said.

"I know what I said Morris, park the car near the spot where people who are from the airport can find a cab," I said while taking out my computer and accessing the chip I put into Haya's pocket.

"Okay boss," he replied.

I own an art house that is striving here in Cape Town. The Chinese tourists I am meeting are investors who are going to help me build more branches overseas. An art-house is a movie theater that shows films from unusual sources or genres, often including foreign films, independent films, and classic revivals.

I lived with my mom and dad back in Pretoria but I was not happy. My dad would not come home sometimes, my mom would get worried and end up hurting herself because she started getting depressed. My dad would come back saying he had an important business meeting in Johannesburg but I knew he was lying. My mom knew it too but she chose to continue staying with him even though it meant going through all that again and again.

"You do not give up on the ones you love," she said while cleaning up the blood coming out from the cuts she inflicted on herself because of an episode of depression and anxiety.

One day I found my dad talking to a woman on the phone, he saw that I was listening then hung up the phone and slowly came towards me.

"Are you going to tell your mom?" he asked approaching me with his hands formed as fists.

"Why do you continue to torture mom like this, I look at your wedding pictures every day before I go to sleep. What happened to my parents I ask myself each day before I slumber." I said with tears dripping down my face.

"Boy! you dare cry in front of me? for what? a stupid marriage that should have never even taken place. Your mother and I were two teenagers who thought they were in love but I got married to her because she fell pregnant with you at a young age." he replied.

"Leave! just go! you are hurting mom a lot, she is slowly dying inside and as for me I can not bare to look at you anymore," I screamed at the man who is supposed to be a father to me.

He quickly ran towards me then took both of his hands and choked me against the fridge. I could not breathe, I remember feeling like air had suddenly been taken away from me. I saw Haya's face as I closed my eyes giving in to the devil who was snatching my life away from me, I knew that if I did not fight back I am never going to rest in peace because there is a girl I need to love.

I formed fists with both my hands, I used my right hand to punch my dad on his private part and he managed to let go of me quickly because he was in pain he could not bare. I liked the way I felt seeing him in pain, I got on top of him and started punching him in the face, and during that moment I blacked out. I remember my mom screaming when she entered the house and found me on top of my dad with blood all over the floor.

She pushed me aside and laid her head on top of my dad's chest on her knees crying out loud. She forgot about me, she did not even care to look at the hand marks on my neck from being strangled. She just called out my dad's name begging him to wake up, I could not bare to see her lose herself each time a tear dropped down her cheeks.

I stood up, called the police, and made sure I gathered all the evidence I had revealing that it was self-defense. I got everything that was inside of the house proving that my dad emotionally abuses my mom and me.

I packed my bags, wrote the police a letter about everything that has been happening in this household. I managed to unlock my dad's phone, I found bed pictures of him and a young woman he was cheating on my mom with. I sent all the evidence into my other phone and put a note on it for the police to check it.

I looked at my mom crying and my dad passed out on the floor covered with blood. I opened the door and started walking. It was late at night, around 9 pm so there were not a lot of people on the street. I passed by Haya's house, I looked at it for a while remembering her seeing me pass by through the door then coming outside and climbing the wall to greet me with a smile.

I started walking until I reached the highway, I did not know where I was going or who to ask for help but I knew I could not stay at my house with my parents anymore. I needed to start a life for myself, I decided to leave because I was starting to believe that maybe my relationship with Haya is going to end up being like my parent's relationship and I did not want to hurt her.

I bought airtime, dialed my distant cousin's number, and called him.

"Hello," I said once the line was internationally connected.

"Hey cuz wassup?" he spoke through the speaker.

"Something bad just happened and I think I killed my dad," I replied.

"What? where are you right now?" he asked.

"I am on the highway that is close to my house, I have been hitchhiking trying to get help but do not worry. It was self-defense but my mom is traumatized. I left the evidence on the kitchen table for the police to see once they reach my house. I caught my dad speaking to a woman and he threatened me not to tell mom." I said.

"Okay, I will talk to my dad just now, send me your account number. We will send you money, get yourself an Uber and head to Johannesburg in Sandton, I will send the location. My dad has a penthouse there, stay there for a few days until we see what to do with your dad and mom." he replied.

Samuel is my distant cousin, his dad is my uncle but not my mom's brother. He is my other grandfather's son so my mom and him are cousins. My uncle's name is Mathew Michaelson he is known as the biggest business tycoon in Florida United States.

He owns casinos, hotels, and clubs. He studied business management at Harvard even though he used to live in Pretoria. He passed his grade 12 with 6 distinctions and got an international scholarship. He got to Harvard and made South Africa proud by getting a masters in business management.

I sent my cousin my banking details and within 30 minutes I had already received thirty thousand rands. I ordered an uber and made my way to my uncle's penthouse in Sandton.