Chapter 43: Betrayal Exposed.
Tammy sat on the couch, knees pulled to her chest, tears streaking down her face in hot streams she couldn't even bother to wipe away. Her phone kept buzzing on the side table—Twitter mentions, Instagram tags, TikToks with her name in bold fonts and audios about betrayal—but her chest was already too heavy to even look.
Her whole body shook as she whispered, "Tayo did this to me again?"
Rita, sitting cross-legged on the rug like she owned the living room, slammed her Diet Coke can on the floor. "Babe, not just did this—homegirl created a whole burner account to drag you! Who even has the time? Like, she needs a day job. I should sign her up for N-Power at this point."
"Rita, abeg," Anjii muttered, though she was fighting a grin. She leaned forward, arms crossed over the coffee table. "Tammy, we saw it with our own eyes. The burner's linked to her Gmail. We even traced her PayPal history. Sis was moving like one small-time villain in Nollywood. And she drugged you. Set you up. You were the one that did all the digging remember?"
Tammy buried her face deeper into her knees. The weight of her parents' earlier words rang like a curse in her ears.
"Tayo is still your sister. Don't destroy her life with charges."
But hadn't Tayo already destroyed hers?
"Babe, cry, abeg cry," Rita said softly now, scooting closer. She wrapped her arm around Tammy's shoulders and rested her cheek against her head. "But don't cry too long. You know me, I fight better when we're dancing."
As if on cue, Rita unlocked her phone and blasted Tems' "Crazy Tings." The living room filled with the sharp beat, and Rita started waving her arms like a madwoman, trying to coax a laugh out of Tammy. "See? Crazy tings are happening, babe. And one of the crazy tings is your sister's brain."
Despite herself, Tammy let out a wet chuckle.
But the moment broke when the door slammed, and Jeremy stormed in, face carved from stone, his eyes blazing like someone had lit a fire in them.
"What's this I'm hearing?" His voice rumbled low, dangerous. "Your sister set you up, and your parents want you to forgive her?"
Rita threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Exactly! That's what we've been saying. Like, which family meeting is this one? Where do they sell this kind of parent handbook because me I don't understand!"
Jeremy's jaw clenched. He stalked forward until he was standing over Tammy, who lifted her tear-swollen eyes to meet his. "You don't deserve this," he said firmly. "Not from her, not from anyone. I won't let them sweep it under the rug again."
Anjii whistled low. "Omo, man's in his protective husband era."
"Era? Please, it's a whole career," Rita shot back, earning a snort from Tammy.
Jeremy ignored them, his gaze never leaving Tammy's face. "We are pressing charges."
Tammy's heart lurched. "No."
"Tammy—"
"No, Jeremy," she said, firmer this time, though her voice cracked at the edges. "She's my sister. She'll change."
Rita groaned loudly and flopped backward on the carpet, waving her legs in the air like she was auditioning for a TikTok dance challenge. "She's not going to change! Babe, this girl is literally Regina George with Nigerian parents. What are we doing here?"
"Babe, if she had killed you that night, would we still be here debating change? If it wasn't Jeremy and some psycho would you still say she'll change?" Anjii added, her tone sharper than usual.
Jeremy's face hardened. "Your parents are enabling her, Tammy. If it were up to my family—"
And as if summoned, Mr. and Mrs. Adebayo walked in behind him, followed by Zion and Wale. The air instantly grew heavier. Mrs. Adebayo, in her usual regal wrapper and coral beads, scanned Tammy's tear-stained face, then nodded curtly as if her suspicions were confirmed.
"This girl," she said coldly. "This Tayo of yours needs to face the law."
"Yes," Zion muttered, pacing. "If we don't stop her now, she'll keep going. Today it's your reputation. Tomorrow it could be your safety."
Mr. Adebayo grunted his agreement, arms crossed.
Tammy's parents, who had been silent in the background until now, finally spoke up. Her mother's voice trembled. "Please, don't press charges against Tayo. She is still young, she is still learning—"
"Learning?" Mrs. Adebayo snapped. "She plotted against her own blood. That is not learning. That is wickedness."
Tammy's father tried again, calmer this time. "It is shameful for family matters to enter police records. We will handle her at home."
Rita muttered under her breath, "Handle her how? Give her Fanta and Gala?"
Anjii bit back laughter, whispering, "Fanta of deliverance."
Despite the chaos, Tammy couldn't laugh this time. She stood, legs wobbling, and faced both sets of parents. "You want me to just…let her go? Pretend she didn't destroy my life?"
Her mother reached for her hands, but Tammy pulled back.
"She will change," her mother insisted.
"No," Jeremy said darkly. "She won't. People like her don't stop until they're stopped."
The door creaked, and everyone's heads snapped around. Tayo herself stood there, chin high, expression dripping with smugness. She didn't look sorry. She didn't even look nervous.
"So this is the tribunal?" she scoffed, walking into the room like she owned it. "All of you gathering like I'm some criminal?"
"You are a criminal," Jeremy shot back.
"Please," Tayo rolled her eyes. "Tammy always plays the victim. I just gave her a taste of real life. If she can't handle pressure, maybe she shouldn't be married to Nigeria's golden boy."
The words sliced through Tammy like a blade. Her chest tightened, and she gasped.
Jeremy surged forward, but Zion grabbed his arm just in time. "Not here, bro. Not like this."
Mrs. Adebayo's face was thunder. "This girl is rotten," she spat. "Rotten to the core. And you," she turned to Tammy's parents, "should be ashamed to raise such a serpent."
Tammy's mother broke down crying, but her father stood stiff, silent.
Rita, however, wasn't done. She jumped to her feet, hair bouncing, and pointed a dramatic finger at Tayo. "You! Villain of the season! Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your sister out here moving like she's auditioning for Big Brother Naija: Wicked Edition?"
"Abeg sit down, clown," Tayo sneered.
"Clown?" Rita gasped. "With my whole Dior lip gloss? Please. You could never."
"Guys," Anjii cut in, raising her hands. "Before this turns into WWE Raw, can we remember the main thing? Tayo doesn't feel sorry. Tammy is heartbroken. And the parents—" she tilted her head at them—"are moving like PR managers for the villain."
Tammy couldn't take it anymore. The betrayal weighed on her, pressing down until her knees buckled. She dropped back onto the couch, tears spilling over again.
Jeremy knelt beside her instantly, cupping her face in his hands. "Look at me," he whispered fiercely. "You are not alone. I'll fight this war for you if you can't."
But Tammy just sobbed harder.
The music, still faintly playing from Rita's phone, switched to Burna Boy's "Real Life." The lyrics floated through the thick tension, bittersweet and raw, like the soundtrack to Tammy's breaking heart.
And for the first time, Jeremy didn't just feel furious. He felt helpless.
Because how do you save someone from their own family?