“About what?”
Silence.
Nkiru felt fear now.
Not anger.
Fear.
“What?”
“Her son.”
“Kede?”
“Yes.”
“What does her son have to do with you?”
Toby looked at the floor.
“Tami and I were still together around the period she became pregnant.”
Nkiru’s entire body went cold.
“Say what you are trying not to say.”
“She believed Kede might be mine.”
The room became silent.
“Might.”
“Yes.”
“That is why you went to Abuja.”
“Yes.”
“Six months into our marriage.”
“Yes.”
“To see your former fiancée because she told you she might have given birth to your son.”
“Yes.”
Nkiru stared at him.
“You came home afterward.”
“Yes.”
“You slept beside me that night.”
Toby could barely answer.
“Yes.”
“Did you know?”
“There was a DNA test.”
“And?”
“It said I was not his father.”
“Show me.”
Toby looked confused.
“What?”
“The result.”
“That was years ago.”
“Show me the paper that allowed you to return home and erase an eight-year-old child from our marriage.”
Toby found the copy in an old document file.
Nkiru read.
Alleged father: Tobechukwu Eze.
Probability of paternity:
0.00%.
Exclusion.
Then she noticed something.
“Who is O. Awe?”
“Technician, I think.”
“Did you submit your own sample?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Tami’s father arranged it.”
“Dapo?”
“Yes.”
“Did you go to a laboratory?”
“No.”
“A man came to the hotel.”
“Did you see identification?”
“No.”
“Chain-of-custody form?”
“I signed something.”
“This copy has no signature from you.”
Toby took the paper.
Nkiru watched his face.
For the first time, he looked frightened by the document rather than reassured.
“Where is the original?”
“I never had it.”
“What?”
“Dapo gave me this copy.”
Nkiru stepped away.
“You accepted a private DNA result arranged by the father of the woman whose marriage would be threatened if you were Kede’s father.”
“I wanted to believe it.”
“That is not the same as believing it.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Nkiru shook her head.
“You are only beginning to know.”
The next morning, she went to headquarters without an invitation.
Tami was in her office.
The assistant tried to stop Nkiru.
Tami heard the voices.
“Let her in.”
Nkiru entered.
Tami closed the door.
“You should not be here.”
“Your family reopened my husband’s investigation.”
“I heard.”
“So did everybody else.”
Nkiru placed the DNA report on the desk.
“Explain.”
Tami’s face changed.
“Where did you get that?”
“My husband.”
“You asked him?”
“Apparently that is something people in your family do occasionally.”
Tami sat.
Nkiru remained standing.
“Kede was born during your marriage to Deji?”
“Yes.”
“But you suspected Toby.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”