CHAPTER 5: Insecure

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If the darkness could talk... If the shadows could walk...

Seeing Nancy with another man, Joe's heart fliped as if convulsing within his cofines. They were not being physical,  but the way they moved, showed that they had a connection. He strained his eyes, but he could not make out who the guy was- the darkness was distorting the perception.

He turned into a detective slash inspector as he hid behind the pillar and looked on as Nancy entered the car with the mysterious guy. Without thinking, he jumped into his car to follow them.

The car came to a stretching halt at the entrance of the Mahogany restaurant. In the light cast by the thousand bulbs illuminating the place, he saw clearly who the guy was. It was Nancy's ex.

Joe observed as they were directed to their seat at the centre of the restaurant with Kevin holding Nancy's purse like a prized possession. The colour of the purse complemented Nancy's floor- length form-fitting dress that hugged all her curves the right way.

At such a vantage point they had a 360 view of the whole restaurant, except for that part by the kitchen close to the exit. That blindspot was where Joe sat.

When he saw how they chatted so animatedly, how his wife laughed at his corny jokes and how Kevin tried to hold her hands at any given time, he was overcome with jealousy. He went back the way he came and drove at full speed to the house.

"I am so glad we had this talk," said Kevin.

Kevin, more than anything wanted to find out if Nancy still loved him. No matter how he tried, he could not translate his inner thoughts to words. Equally, Nancy had yet to find a proper way of asking him of his drug problems. It is a thing of the past. Besides, the studio would not have agreed to the employment if he had not been cleaned, she vocalised those words in her mind like some form of detox.

Kevin helped Nancy put her jacket on, casually kissed her on the cheeks and ordered an uber back home, since his frugal self found buying a car a waste of resources.

**
Nancy got home to see an angry Joe lying on the coach. She greeted him and he simply noded.

"Where were you?!" he demanded in a tone that scarred the living soul out of Nancy. The room literally vibrated with his roar.

"Was at the studio, like I told you."

"Really, then what about Kevin? I saw you two today, acting all cozy."

"He is working for me, in the meantime, as the marketing director"

"How could you make such a decision without informing me? How would you feel if I employed one of my exes?"

"This has nothing to do with exes and what not. He was the most qualified for the job, so I employed him. Besides, he was the one who posted the video in the first place."

His hands were already curled up ready to punch her, but he hit the sofa instead. He was mostly passive aggressive with his wife, even when they were dating. He never complained; he just acted out. In those times, Nancy felt the most lonely.

Nancy did not want their arguement to go on further. She entered the room, took her clothes off, bathed and slept.

It was a little after midnight that Joe came, drunk to his skull. He had assumed the worst by what he saw. He fell on the ground near the living room door and slept. Thank God, none of his congregation was around to see the abomination.

The next day, they had their breakfast in silence. Like clockwork they went about their days not talking to each other.

In that time, Joe had come with a master plan to establish his own church, dissociating himself from the current church, but taking its members wherever he decided to go.

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