Cheated!

Chapter 24
Maria and Christiana slept but Maria woke up twice to check on her daughter.
A loud bang came on the door and Maria stirred a little.
Another bang came followed by a woman's voice.
"Who the heck slept in my cafe? Didn't Maria close the cafe yesterday?" She mutters banging the door loudly.
Maria heard her boss' voice and quickly woke up.
She checks the cafe wall clock and gasps,the time is 7:10.
"omg,I don't know the time has gone like this,I thought it's 5am" Maria said not knowing what to do.
"Who the hell is inside my Cafe?" Cassandra shouted.
Maria opens the door reluctantly and her boss gasps.
"Maria… What are you doing here?" She asked shocked and Maria burst into tears.
"Didn't you go home yesterday?" Cassandra asked.
"What ?" She asked but Maria cried louder.
"Come let's talk," Cassandra replied.
Maria narrated everything to her and she sighs.
"It's Okay,you can stay in my house for the time being,my husband travelled and he is arriving next two weeks" Cassandra replied, hugging her.
"I brought some fried rice and chicken,you can pack it in her flask and take her to school while I and you share the rest" Cassandra mutters and Maria kneels down.
"Thank you so much madam," Maria replied.
"No, you don't need to be formal with me,we are probably the same age or you are older than me" Cassandra replied helping up.
"Thank you mad… Sandra" She replied and Christiana up.
" Where Is daddy?" Anna asked and Maria sighs.
'You still think of a father that sent you and your mother out in the rain' Maria thought.
"He travelled," Maria replied with a smile.
"Let's have you ready for school,huh!" Maria said and pecked her cheek.
"Alright, " Christiana replied.
Maria has Anna bathe in the small cozy bathroom while Cassandra cleans the whole place including the bedspread Anna and Maria slept on.
Maria dressed Anna up and packed some fried rice into her food flask and took her to school.
"Bye momma" Little Anna waved at her mom.
"Bye darling" Maria replied and went back to the Cafe.
"One cup of ice Americano" A customer ordered.
Maria rushes to attend to the customer but Cassandra stops her.
"I will do it,go and bathe and dish out some fried rice and chicken and eat" Cassandra mutters.
"Alright,madam," Maria said and bit her tongue while Cassandra shook her head.
6pm{in the evening}
Maria has taken Anna back from school since 4pm.
Cassandra closed the shop and they packed their belongings and followed her home.
"Welcome to my humble abode little Anna and Maria" Cassandra mutters with a smile.
"Thank you so much Cassandra," Maria replied.
"No,you don't need to mention,I told you we are friends," Cassandra said, patting Maria's shoulder.
"Mum,will daddy also live here?" Anna asked.
"I told you he travels,what is your problem,he doesn't like you. He sent us out in the rain, don't you understand" Maria shouted at Anna.
The little girl burst into tears.
"Maria,why are you shouting at the innocent girl?" Sandra said, pacifying the little girl.
ElijahHouse
"Welcome home melissa,I already sent the bitch away with her daughter" Elijah said to the prostitute she brought in.
"I see," She replied, chewing gum bitchily.
"You are the lady of the house now,we have it to ourselves" Elijahshouted.
"Yes,my witch friend and her little witch are no more in this house" Melissa replied straddling jacob laps.
"Let's go and have fun to the fullest," Elijah said, kissing her neck.
"Of course, maybe I can give you the heir he cannot" She replied and they climbed the stairs up to his room.
The woman eavesdropping on them brought out her phone and dial Maria's number.
"Hello Maria,where are you? Your husband has brought a woman home" Their neighbor said.
"Thank you,Mrs Johnson,I'm no longer living there,he can do whatever he likes now" Maria replied.
"What happened?" Mrs Johnson asked.
"Mrs Johnson, it's a long story" Maria replied wanting to hang up.
"Do you know who the woman is?" Mrs Johnson asked.
"Why do I need to know when I'm no longer there?" Maria replied.
"She is Melissa,your friend," Mrs Johnson said and hung up.
Maria broke into tears while Cassandra entered the room hearing her tears.
"Why the cry again?" Cassandra asked.
"Did you know he brought my friend in after he sent me away?" Maria said, crying.
"How do you know that?" Cassandra asked.
"Our neighbor calls me now," Maria replied and Cassandra sighed.
"Everything will be fine dear" Cassandra mutters soothingly.
"So what are you eating tonight?" Cassandra asked.
"No,I don't even have the appetite," Maria replied.
"Don't be like…I will go and cook for you now, make sure to eat a little because of Anna, Alright?" Sandra mutters and leaves for the kitchen.
the ingredients available in the kitchen but she doesn't remember how to prepare it because she isn't in the right state of mind.
She felt sorry for Maria.
She finally settled down for noodles,she dishes it out on the dining table and calls Maria who came along with Anna.
Cassandra dishes out the food onto everyone's plate.
Maria hasn't take a spoon,she is just using the fork to murder the innocent noodles.
Cassandra also lost her appetite by staring at the unhappy Maria.
Little Anna just eats her food happily not knowing what is going on.
Suddenly she stares at her devastated mum and stops eating.
"Mum,why aren't you eating,is daddy dead?" Anna asked.
"How did you know that?" Cassandra asked bewildered.
"One of my friends told me that her mother did not eat when her father died," Anna replied cutely.
"Wouldn't it be good if he died?" Maria mutters trying to control her anger in front of little Anna.
"No, your father isn't dead,he travelled" Sandra replied while Anna stared at them confused.
"Darling,I'm home," A male voice said from the door.
Cassandra and Maria look at each other not believing what they are hearing.
"Darling,are you not home?" There came the voice again.
"I'm home dar…ling" Cassandra replied and went for the door.
She opens the door and her husband crashes her into a bone breaking hug.
"Hey, don't hurt me,you've only left home for two days" Cassandra replied while Maria stared at the lovely couple.
"Who are they?" He asked looking at Maria and Anna
"Oh,she is my friend,she is staying here for the meantime," Cassandra replied, getting scared.
"Did you inform me before about it?" He asked.
"No,Danny,I was just going to call you tonight," Cassandra replied.
Maria noticed the tense atmosphere and was getting scared of being driven away again.
"You brought a stranger in and don't bother calling me!" Danny mutters looking at Maria and her daughter again.
"No,she is not a stranger,she is the woman working in my cafe and her husband drove her away in the middle of night in the rain" Cassandra shouted and Danny calmed down.
"Cassandra,I'm sorry to bother you, don't fight with your husband and be like me,I will get going now" Maria interrupted their conversation.
"Alright,she can stay for tonight but I can't allow it tomorrow" Danny mutters and walks in while Cassandra also follows.
"Mummy,are we going out of here?" Anna asked.
"Of course,this is not our house" Maria replied.
{Danny & Cassandra Room}
"Why didn't you call me that you are arriving tonight?" Cassandra asked.
"I just wanted to surprise you", Danny replied.
"And did you know what made her husband send her away,that you allowed her in" Danny asked.
"She is a nice woman,I know her very well," Cassandra replied.
"You should have called me or you didn't want me to know?" He asked.
"Nope,I was thinking of calling you tonight,can you please let her stay till she gets an apartment?" Cassandra pleaded.
"No,I'm only allowing her to stay till tomorrow, after tomorrow morning,she should leave from here" Danny replied and slept on the bed.
"Danny,why are you so stubborn?I told you she is a nice woman," Cassandra said and left the room.
"I'm sorry Maria,I will persuade him till he agrees" Cassandra mutters to Maria who smiles in return.
"No,Sandra, don't scatter your peaceful home because of me,I will leave tomorrow morning," Maria replied.
"I will persuade him,eat out of the noodles before you sleep because I noticed you didn't eat anything" Cassandra said and went back to their room.
Maria put Anna to sleep in the guest room given to them by Cassandra.
She packed the dish to the kitchen and washed it all.
She showers in the bathroom and sleeps on the bed beside her daughter.
{Next Morning} 1:00 am
Maria already packed her bags ready to leave.
"Thank you so much Cassandra" Maria gave her a final hug and left with her daughter.
"Hey, at least eat something before you go," Cassandra shouted.
"Nope,take care of yourself Cassandra," Maria replied.
"Has the woman left already?" Danny asked, coming from their room.
"As you wish" Cassandra replied and walked in leaving him alone.
'Where am I even going, should I go and rent Apartment,all thanks to Cassandra who gave her Cafe savings for the whole month' Maria thought.
'I think an Apartment will do,' She thought.
"Mum, I'm hungry," Little Anna said.
"Alright,stay here and don't leave, mummy is going to be back, Alright!" Maria said and Anna nodded.
Maria had Anna beside a gate in the front of a house and went to a nearby restaurant to get her some food.
She bought some hamburgers and fries. She was going back when she was hit by a car that didn't stop.
The hamburger she bought all pours away but her eyes meet with the driver's eyes and it turns out to be Elijah.
"An..na,my da..u..ghter" She mutters and becomes unconscious.
A good samaritan saw her and carried her to the hospital.
She is finally Conscious but she broke an arm and so many other injuries.
When she woke up,this is what she first said.
"Where is my daughter?" She asked.
"You have a daughter?,but I didn't see any child with you," The lady replied.
"I have to go search for my daughter" She said standing up from the bed.
"No,you can't,you broke an arm" The doctor said.
"No,I have to search for my daughter" She shouted with tears and stood up from the bed.
She went back to the gate she left Anna but she didn't see her.
She also asked around.
"Please, have you seen a small girl of three years old?" She asked and the guy nodded negatively.
"Please have you seen this girl?" She asked, showing Anna's picture to the old man.
"No, madam" he responded and left
"Please have you seen a beautiful young girl with a hair bond" She asked for the uptenth time but no one responded that they saw the girl.
She went from neighborhood to neighborhood but all was to no avail.
She fainted because she is weak,she hasn't eaten anything since she left the hospital and all her wounds aren't taken care of.
People in the neighborhood rushed her to the hospital.
Through that,she lost her senses and was taken to a psychiatric hospital.
"Did you find my daughter?" She asked whenever the psychiatrist arrived to treat her.
"No," The psychiatrist replied sadly.
"Then what are you doing here,get the hell out of here" She shouted.
"You have to first take care of yourself before you find your daughter" The psychiatrist replied.
"Is that true?" She asked.
"Of course," The Psychiatrist replied.
And about three months later she became normal again but still searches for her daughter till present.
To Be Continued