ADAORA'S DESCENT

Adaora's secrets, which she had been carrying for years, had become a crushing burden. The meticulous façade she had established for the family seemed to be disintegrating, and she could feel control slipping from her grasp. Tayo's insistence was growing hazardous, posing a threat to all Adaora had battled for. 

Adaora sat in the dimly lit living room, marveling at the flickering flames in the fireplace. The silence of the night provided no comfort; rather, it heightened her thoughts. Every creak in the house, every shadow outside the window, caused her pulse to rush. She couldn't determine whether the paranoia was genuine or a result of her imagination. 

Tayo was probing too much, asking questions that should never have been asked, and delving where no one had gone before. It was just a matter of time until she put everything together. Adaora's mind raced with options. What would Tayo do now that she knew the whole truth? Will she expose them? Hand them up to the authorities? Destroy their family's delicate unity? 

She couldn't let that happen. 

The memory of Nneka tormented her, just as vividly as it had all those years earlier. Adaora had tried to forget, to bury it deep inside her consciousness, but the past had a way of emerging. Nneka's laughter, her brilliant eyes, her innocence—all came flooding back in waves of sorrow and remorse. 

Adaora's palm shook as she gripped the edge of her chair. She had convinced herself that it was essential, that all she had done was to protect her family. But as Tayo revealed more and more of the hidden realities, Adaora started to wonder whether she had actually done the right thing. 

The sound of footsteps shocked her, and she turned toward the door. It was Dapo, his face etched with fatigue. 

"She's not going to stop," Adaora said before he could speak. 

Dapo groaned and ran a hand over his hair. "I told her to let it go." 

"She won't," Adaora said sharply. "Do you think a few warnings will be enough to stop her? "She's too stubborn and curious for her own good." 

Dapo did not react. His silence simply added to Adaora's irritation. 

"She'll ruin everything," Adaora said, her voice rising. "Do you get that? Everything we've fought for, everything we've given, will be in vain if she continues to dig." 

"What do you suggest we do?" Dapo inquired, his tone tired. 

Adaora hesitated. The answer remained on the edge of her mind, but she was terrified to utter it out. 

The days that followed were a jumble of high stress and restless nights. Adaora found herself following Tayo's every move and studying every contact. She saw how Tayo would vanish for hours before reappearing with a determined expression in her eyes. She saw Tayo whispering to Chidi, their low words packed with an eagerness that made Adaora's stomach turn. 

The paranoia was overtaking her. Every minute seemed like the countdown to tragedy. Adaora started to envisage possibilities in her brain, such as Tayo addressing the whole family, revealing their deepest secrets and breaking apart the delicate equilibrium they had established. 

She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let that happen. 

One evening, Adaora stood in the kitchen, looking at the knife block on the countertop. The weight of her thoughts crushed on her, and for a short, horrifying moment, she pondered how far she was ready to go to defend her family. 

But then she heard laughing in the living room. Tayo's voice was light and carefree, as if she weren't shredding everything Adaora treasured. The boom brought Adaora back into reality. She clinched her hands, telling herself to remain calm. There has to be another option. 

That night, Adaora approached Dapo in his bedroom. He sat on the side of the bed, head in his hands. 

"We need to do something about her," Adaora replied, her voice icy and determined. 

Dapo glanced up, his eyes filled with a tiredness that mirrored hers. "What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying we can't just sit back and wait for her to destroy us," she answered. "We have to act now, before it's too late." 

Dapo shakes his head. "This isn't who we are, Adaora." 

"It's who we have to be," she retorted. "For the sake of the family. "For the sake of what we've built." 

Adaora's determination strengthened during the night. She couldn't let her paranoia control her any longer. It was time to take charge and prevent Tayo from bringing their world tumbling down. 

But deep inside, she worried whether it was too late. No matter how deeply hidden, the truth eventually surfaced. Tayo was unrelenting. 

Adaora was aware that she was walking a tight line between protecting her family and killing herself. She didn't care. She would do everything to keep the past buried, even if it meant losing her soul in the process. 

As the first rays of morning appeared through the window, Adaora sat alone in the living room, her mind racing with plans and eventualities. The paranoia had not disappeared; it had only developed into determination. 

Whatever came next, Adaora was prepared. Or so she told herself.