Chapter two. - MOTHER-IN-LAW PALAVA

Mother-in-Law Palava

Chapter 2 – The Woman Who Wouldn't Break

"You're awake."

That was all she said. No shock, no guilt. Just two words that sent a cold wave down my spine.

Lady Dorcas stood slowly, dusting off the chalk from her hands, her eyes never leaving mine. The dim light from the flickering candle on the floor cast strange shadows on her face, making her look… ancient.

I swallowed hard. "What are you doing, Mama?"

She sighed dramatically, as if I had just asked the world's most foolish question. "Helping you, of course."

"Helping me how?" I asked, my voice barely steady.

She gave me a knowing smile. "By making sure you don't ruin my son's life."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. "Oh, so that's what this is? Me, ruining his life? You've been in this house for months, tearing me down piece by piece, and now you're… what? Doing rituals to make me disappear?"

She clicked her tongue. "Rituals? Ah, Temi, you children of nowadays don't understand anything. Back in my day, a mother had to protect her son from a bad wife by any means necessary."

I folded my arms, trying to steady the trembling in my fingers. "And I'm a bad wife?"

She raised a brow. "Are you not?"

I was done playing this game. "Femi loves me. He married me, Mama. You can sprinkle all the chalk dust in the world, but it won't change that."

Her lips curled into a smirk. "Won't it?"

For the first time, true fear settled in my chest. Because the thing about Lady Dorcas was—she never threatened. She simply acted.

Before I could speak, she bent down, picked up the candle, and blew it out in one sharp breath. Darkness swallowed the room.

I felt her brush past me as she walked towards her room. "Sleep well, my dear," she murmured.

I stood there in the pitch-black living room, heart pounding. And in that moment, I knew—I couldn't let her win.

---

I didn't sleep that night. How could I? After catching Lady Dorcas red-handed, my mind raced with a hundred thoughts. Was she trying to scare me? Curse me? Or worse—turn Femi against me completely?

The next morning, I watched her closely as she moved around the house, acting as if nothing had happened. She served Femi his breakfast with that same fake sweetness she always put on around him, laughing at his jokes, asking about his work.

I sipped my tea slowly, my eyes never leaving her face. She felt my gaze and turned to me with an innocent smile.

"Temi, you're not eating?"

I forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mama."

Femi glanced at me. "Temi, are you okay? You look tired."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Lady Dorcas placed a hand on her chest, feigning concern. "Ah, my dear, maybe she had a nightmare. You know the way bad spirits disturb people sometimes."

My stomach twisted. Bad spirits? Was she mocking me? Or did she know that I knew?

Femi chuckled. "Mama, what kind of talk is that?"

Lady Dorcas smiled and shook her head. "I'm only saying what I know."

I dropped my spoon. Enough was enough. I couldn't let her win. I had to fight back—but how?

---

The first step was getting Femi to see the truth. But that was easier said than done.

I tried pointing out how she always interfered in our marriage, but he waved it off. "Temi, that's just how she is. She means well."

I tried telling him about my missing jewellery, the ruined wrapper, the strange whispers at night, but he dismissed everything. "Maybe you misplaced them. Maybe it was a mistake."

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

It was like she had cast a spell on him, and no matter what I said, he refused to see what was right in front of him.

So, I changed my strategy. If Lady Dorcas wanted to play games, I would play them better.

---

That night, I waited until she went to bed before sneaking into the living room. If she could leave surprises for me, I could do the same.

I took one of her scarves and tied it around our front door handle. Then, I plucked a feather from the decorative basket on the shelf and placed it on her doorstep. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make her wonder.

The next morning, she walked into the living room, saw the scarf, and froze.

I pretended not to notice. "Good morning, Mama."

She didn't respond. Instead, she turned to me slowly. "Temi… did you see anything unusual last night?"

I sipped my tea and shrugged. "Bad spirits disturb people sometimes."

Her eyes narrowed. She knew.

This war had just begun.

To be continued…

Chapter 2 - Chapter two.