Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Regrets

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Anthony's POV

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I left with anger and vowed never to return. My mind was made up concerning my marriage to Elena, for the sanity I had to end it all.

My only regret was leaving my other daughter behind. I knew I would miss her growing up, I might never get to hear her call me Daddy. But at that moment when I took Emma with me, all I could think about was getting away, far from the Badmus family. It was either that or lose my self-respect and dignity.

The day I took Emma with me, I had planned to plead with my wife to make her see the reason why we should leave but her reactions angered me.

"You can leave but I and the children would stay behind." These words hurt me more than I expected, that was when I made up my mind to leave with one of the twins, I wanted to hurt her just as she had hurt me, I wanted her to know that I had rights to the twins too.

As she pleaded and asked me to allow her to go with us, I refused. I wanted her to know that I could also live without her in my life

I left Nigeria for Liberia the next day, I knew her father was a powerful man and could easily pay people to find me.

"Are you sure about this?" Josh, my friend, asked for the umpteenth time. "There is still time for you to make a rethink about all this. Think about the children too."

But all that he said fell on deaf ears. I would go ahead with my plan no matter what, "I've had enough, It's either I leave or become a puppet to Elena, I just feel sad about leaving Ava."

"But Elena has agreed to come with you. Why not give her another chance."

Our flight was announced. Walking away from my friend with Emma in one hand and our bag and ticket in the other "It is already too late."

When I got to Liberia, it wasn't easy settling down with a baby. My boss already knew what transpired between me and my wife. He had tried to interfere but I asked him not to, when he persisted, I told him I would resign from the job and go elsewhere but I wouldn't reconcile with my wife.

He saw how serious I was and stopped interfering. The company helped me hire a nanny who took care of Emma while I went to work.

The nanny proved her worth, though she wasn't Emma's mother she ensured she instilled the right morals in my child, and with her help, Emma grew to be a well-mannered and cultured girl and excelled well in school. She also learned French from the nanny and her family, most times when I had business trips Emma would go and stay with them.

After ten years I decided to come back to Nigeria, I had already gotten a managerial position in the company and I was needed back in Nigeria as we planned to open new branches across Nigeria.

The trip to Nigeria was nostalgic, I had always pushed back thoughts about my wife Elena, the only person that thinking about her hurt me the most was Ava. I wondered how she was and what she felt about me. That's if she knew I existed. I wouldn't blame Elena if she didn't talk about me to Ava, I rarely had time alone with Emma so she knew nothing about her family in Nigeria.

Immediately after we settled down in Nigeria, Elena invaded my thoughts most of the time and I longed to see Ava and hoped to establish a loving relationship with her. I just hoped it wasn't too late already.

"Daddy where are we going to," Emma asked, I rarely took her out, and while in Liberia we only visited either my boss's home or Emma's nanny. I had little or no acquaintance over there.

"We are going to visit your mother and your.."

The knock on the door stopped me from completing my statement, anyway she would find out once we got there.

I worried though, what if Ava and Emma could not get along. I began to realize the terrible mistake I made out of anger. I hope I have not destroyed my family with just one decision I made ten years ago.