BENSON MANSION – LIVING ROOM – SIX MONTHS LATER
The door creaked open slowly as Jimmy stepped into the house for the first time in six long months.
He still wore a sling around his shoulder, but the color had returned to his face. He looked better—at least physically.
Mrs. Benson rushed to hug him.
> "My son… thank God you're home."
Edna and Mike gave him a light handshake.
There was an odd silence in the room—like everyone knew something he didn't.
Jimmy looked around.
> "Where is she?" he asked. "Where's Nelly?"
Nobody answered.
> "I asked a question," Jimmy said again, a little louder. "Where's Nelly?"
Clara, sitting on the armrest, crossed her legs casually.
> "You mean your little pet? She's gone. Left months ago."
> "What?" Jimmy blinked.
> "She went back to wherever she came from. Abuja, I think? With her mother and that loudmouth aunty of hers," Clara added, smirking. "Didn't even say goodbye."
Jimmy stared at her, heart racing.
> "No… Nelly wouldn't leave without seeing me. Not without explaining—"
> "Oh please," Clara scoffed. "She claimed to love you, remember? But the moment you were shot and couldn't stand up for her, she vanished. Back to her trash life, like she was never here."
His fists clenched. "You're lying."
> "Ask Dad," Clara said, standing. "He made it very easy for her to leave."
The room blurred for a second. Jimmy's heart sank into his chest like a weight.
> "No," he whispered. "No…"
He turned and walked away quickly, ignoring his mother's call.
He reached his room, slammed the door shut, and dropped to the bed.
And then—
He cried.
For the first time in a long time.
BENSON MANSION – LATER THAT NIGHT
Jimmy sat in his room, lights off, the silence loud around him.
A soft knock came at the door.
> "Go away," he muttered.
But the door opened anyway, and Edna stepped in, holding a glass of water.
> "You need to hear something," Edna said, placing the glass on the table. "Something you should've been told months ago."
Jimmy sat up slowly, wiping his face. "Unless it's about Nelly, I don't want to hear it."
Edna looked him in the eye.
> "It is about Nelly."
Jimmy's breath caught. He stared.
> "She didn't leave on her own. Your dad refused to let her see you. She waited… begged… cried. But after everything, she gave up. Called her mom with Omar's phone and asked to be taken away. She left with nothing."
Jimmy stood. "What?"
> "She was arrested too, remember? For the shooting? Your dad set her up. Even bribed officers to pin the crime on her."
> "That's impossible," Jimmy whispered. "He told me—"
> "Lies," Edna cut in. "All of it."
A pause.
> "And Julie?" Jimmy asked, voice shaky.
Edna nodded. "Sentenced to life in Kirikiri. She confessed that she meant to shoot Nelly… but ended up shooting you instead. Julie, Malik, and Tanko are all rotting in prison now."
Jimmy stared at the wall. The weight of everything settled on his chest like bricks.
> "Why didn't anyone tell me?" he said softly.
> "Because you were recovering. And your dad didn't want you running after Nelly again," Edna replied. "He thought if you forgot about her, you'd come back to the family path."
> "They all lied…" Jimmy whispered.
Edna placed a hand on his shoulder.
> "But it's not too late. You just have to ask yourself one thing—do you want to let her go… or fight for her?"
Jimmy said nothing.
But his eyes, wet with fresh tears, had only one answer.
BENSON MANSION – SAME NIGHT
The second Edna finished speaking, Jimmy rose to his feet, eyes burning with rage and pain.
> "I need to find her," he said, heading straight to his closet. "She needs to know I didn't forget her. I never stopped."
> "Jimmy, wait—" Edna followed him as he grabbed his car keys from the desk.
> "I'm going to Abuja. Tonight."
> "It's 10pm. Just breathe. We'll plan it properly in the morning—"
> "I've already lost six months, Edna. That's enough time for her to believe I didn't care. I have to see her."
Jimmy stormed downstairs, pushing past the quiet hallway, heading for the garage—
But just as he reached for the door—
> SLAM!
Mr. Benson stepped out of the shadows with two guards at his side.
> "Going somewhere?" he asked coldly.
Jimmy didn't stop. "Get out of my way."
> "You're not going anywhere, boy."
> "I'm not your boy," Jimmy snapped. "You destroyed someone's life. Now get out of the damn way."
Mr. Benson signaled the guards.
> "Take him."
Before Jimmy could react, the two men grabbed him from both sides. He struggled, swinging wildly—
> "Let go of me! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
> "I can," Mr. Benson said calmly. "And I will. You think you're in love? You think chasing a maid's daughter across the country makes you a man?"
> "You're the coward!" Jimmy roared. "You lock people up, you silence the truth, you bury your guilt under money!"
> "Take him to his room. Lock the door. No one opens it unless I say so."
Edna stepped forward. "This is madness, sir! You're locking your own son like a criminal?!"
Mr. Benson glanced at him sharply. "Then you're next, Edna."
---
LATER THAT NIGHT – JIMMY'S ROOM
He banged against the door until his fists were sore.
Yelled until his voice cracked.
And then—
Silence.
He sat on the floor in the dark, breathing heavily, staring at the moonlight creeping through the window bars.
> "Nelly…" he whispered. "I'm coming. I swear it."
---
Chapter 31 – Scene 1: Echoes of Her Smile
MRS. GRACE'S APARTMENT – EARLY MORNING
The warm smell of fried eggs and yam filled the small kitchen.
Joy, now looking healthier and more at ease, sat at the dining table swinging her legs slowly.
Her eyes wandered across the room but her heart was somewhere else.
Mrs. Grace placed a steaming plate in front of her, ruffling her daughter's hair gently.
> "Eat before it gets cold."
Joy gave a small smile but didn't reach for the spoon.
Mrs. Grace sat beside her, reading her mood like only a mother could.
> "You're quiet," she said softly.
> "I miss Nelly," Joy replied, almost in a whisper. "She didn't even come say goodbye."
Mrs. Grace sighed, placing her hand over Joy's.
> "Nelly didn't leave because she wanted to, baby. She left because she needed peace. Too much happened… too fast."
Joy looked up, eyes glistening. "But she's okay, right?"
Mrs. Grace smiled warmly. "Yes. She's home now. Back in Abuja. With her real family."
> "Will she ever come back?"
A beat of silence.
> "One day," Mrs. Grace said, squeezing her hand. "People like Nelly… they don't stay gone forever. They carry light with them. And light always finds its way back."
Joy nodded slowly, finally picking up her spoon. "I hope she remembers me."
> "She will," her mother assured her. "She always talks about you."
They shared a quiet moment—just the two of them...