Chapter one

         Her body was burning with heat, and the only one who could help her extinguish the frame inside her was the man before her…..

She clung tight to his cold skin, The electric brush of his fingerprints on her body. The electric tingle of her nerves. The hope and hunger in his voice asked her, “can I touch you?”. The shortness of her breath and the tension in her lungs and the openness of their bodies. The first time he penetrated her. her muscles clenched uncomfortably and she moved her hips out of rhythm. “How does anyone enjoy this?” she wondered, even though she’d been desperate to have him for years. The pain was accompanied by pleasure rising bit by bit.

"Hey, are you ignoring me when I'm talking to you?"

The sound of someone snapping their fingers in her face caused Maya Jones to wake up abruptly from her daydream; her disoriented gaze met with the angry eyes of her mother-in-law.

 "I am sorry mother, I didn't hear what you said.

"You and Danny have been married for two years now, and you're still not pregnant, instead of you sitting around all day daydreaming about who knows what, you should be finding ways for you to give me a grandchild. Her face turned red, she avoided her mother-in-law's gaze in shame. wishing she could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it, to avoid this embarrassing composition. Damn, it has only been three days since that one drunken night she had with Dan. How could she be pregnant? It's not like she could tell Danny's mother that her son had not touched her for the past two years they have been married. If not for that passionate night three days ago she would still think Danny was gay.

"Maya Jones, I am talking to you," her mother-in-law shouted.

Maya realized that she had spaced out again. 

"I have heard what you said mother, I will work on it."

"You better give me a grandchild soon, cos if you can't do such a simple thing you are no use to this family, we the Smith family will not keep a chicken that cannot lay eggs". said Mrs. Smith as she walked out and slammed the door behind her. Maya made a promise to herself that she would get pregnant and shut her mothers-in-law's mouth.

"Maya, we need to talk," said Danny. Is this about your mother asking me about having grandchildren, cos I already told her that we are working on…Danny interrupted her before she could finish speaking. "No it's not about that,"  he said. "Maya I want a divorce".

"What?"

"I said that I want a divorce," Danny repeated. 

"I heard what you said, I meant why do you want a….a divorce, we've been married for two years and we've been ok."

"I don't think you cheating on me is ok Mya," Danny shouted. "Che...ch..eating I could never cheat on you Dan, I love you. Why would you say something like that to me, Dan? You know me, Dan, I could never do Such a thing, right... Dan." Maya looked at Danny with hope in her eyes. Surely Dan would believe her, he knows that she would never do that to him, she thought. They stared at each other, the silence was deafening and you could hear a pin drop. As Time dragged by, Maya hopefully eyes became down, and her eyes were filled with tears. she had never felt so alone in her life, as she felt the moment she saw the accusation in Danny's eyes. "Stop lying to me Maya, you cheated on me three days ago, I just want to know with whom you cheated on me and why."

"What"? !!Maya looked at Danny with her eyes wide. "But…. but  that was you that night, I was with you three days ago." 

"Don't play mind games with me, Maya, you knew that I was on a business trip last week, I wasn't even in the country so tell me how could it be me, tell me who did you sleep with, who is he?" Danny shouted while smashing things down in her room. Suddenly, Maya realized that she had indeed cheated on her husband. The worst thing was that she didn't even know who he was. With guilt in her eyes, She looked at her husband with fear."I…I don't know"  Maya whispered. "what do you mean you don't know, I never knew that you were that type of girl, we have been married for two years Maya two years and I have never touched you only because I thought you were not ready to have sex, that you needed time to adjust to a married life, had I  known that you are such an easy girl who sleeps with the first guy you see, when I go on a business trip, I wouldn't have wasted my time with  you but I don't want second-hand goods." 

"Dan please." Maya touched Danny's hand. "Don't touch me you are so dairy, please sign the divorce papers and leave my house. Maya never thought that Danny would be so cruel to her. With tears in her eyes, She signed the divorce papers without checking or reading them. She packed her clothes and left Danny's house that very night.

There was a torrential storm that night. It was as if the sky felt Maya's pain. Maya dragged her suitcase and walked aimlessly in the rain. She didn't know how she got home. Maya's mother opened her bedroom door, came in, and gave her a cap of ginger and lemon tea. "drink this my dear it will keep you warm." said Mrs. Jones

"Thank you, mom."

"Are you and Danny finished?"

When her mother mentioned Danny, Maya droops her eyes and drinks her tea. It was so obvious that she did not want to talk about him.

"It's ok if you don't want to talk about Danny, it's good that you and Danny are divorced now, so there's no point talking about him,'' said Mrs. Jones looking at Maya with a smile.

with tears in her eyes, Maya looked at her mother." The Man l love has divorced me. How is that "good" mom? Can you please show me some compassion, mother?" You and Danny are already divorced, what's the point crying over spilled milk anyway your father has arranged another marriage for you."

Hearing this, Maya's heart skips a beat. She raised her head and shouted: "Mom?"!

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Maya Jones, even though the man your father arranged for you to marry is a Paraplegic he comes from a rich family. and anyway it's not like it's your first time getting married you don't have to be so picky this is a second marriage after all".

"Mom, what are you talking about? I don't want to get married again, please leave me alone".

Standing up Mrs. Jones looked at her angrily: "the marriage is set in three weeks so you have to marry whether you like it or not."

"In three weeks!.. Dan and I divorced this evening. How did you ever know that I got divorced for you can arrange another marriage for me soon ?" Maya only felt coldness in her heart.

"This marriage was arranged for younger sister Marjorie but since you are divorced you can do it for your sister."

"Why do I have to marry in her place?"

"Your sister is young, she cannot manage to take care of a paraplegic and the man is just too old for Marjorie. He is thirty-three and Marjorie just turned twenty last month. It won't be fair to Marjorie for her to marry an old Man.

"Mam did you forget that I'm also twenty, I will be turning twenty in two months I'm older than Marjorie by fourteen months, don't you think it's unfair for me to marry an old man? And why me?… Why don't you ask Fridah to marry him she is twenty-five, and Fridah is older than Marjorie and I."

"Fridah can never marry a man who is a paraplegic you know your older sister is so self-centered. Why don't you stop being selfish and make a sacrifice for this family? We already have a daughter who is divorced. We can't have another daughter who is married to a paraplegic our family would be the laughingstock of the city. Do you want our family to be ruined?" Mrs. Jones took a deep breath, looking at Maya with deep eyes, and said "Frieda and Marjorie are your sisters, do you have the heart to see them suffer."

Holding the cap with shaking hands, Maya's face was grim and hopeless. "How about me mum, I am also your daughter, do you have the heart to see me suffer?" She asked.

Mrs. Jones hugged her, "Maya you are different from your three sisters you are hard-working, strong, caring, and a sensible child. I know that you can survive in the Wilson family but your sister's on the other hand…. but you are strong and smart that is why your father and I decided that it would be better if you were the one to marry into Wilson's family. you are all my daughters and I love you the same, it's just that you have a better chance of surviving there than your sisters and if one of you does not marry into the Wilson family, our family will be ruined. your father and I will not survive if this family is ruined, I know you are a sensible child Mj, you will make the right decision for our family." Mrs. Jones kissed Maya's forehead, said goodnight, and left Maya's room.