CHAPTER 37 “CORDELIA”

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde
As Inspired by the DEEP ONE

The assembly swelled with chants of “Holy! Holy! Holy!” as Father Soji declared Cordelia’s fate.

My ears rang, my body shook, but my lips stayed sealed. Guards grabbed Cordelia by both arms. She kicked, she struggled, but they dragged her forward toward the dreaded doors.

And then her voice broke free, trembling yet fierce. “Aunty Mabel! Wake up!” she cried. “This place is the devil’s playground! They will kill you like they killed the other Eves!

Don’t you wonder why you don’t sleep in Father’s quarters? It’s because he sleeps with other women there! He molested me, A fist cut her words short. One of the guards punched her across the face, and another gagged her mouth with brutal force.

The saints gasped but quickly lowered their heads. I saw it. I saw the way some of the women’s eyes dropped to the floor, shame flooding their faces. They knew.

They knew Cordelia spoke the truth. My heart pounded so loudly I thought it would burst. My hands shook violently, but I forced my face to remain still. If I showed the slightest crack, Father Soji would see it.

“Father,” I whispered hoarsely, “I don’t want to hear any more of her lies. Please… let me retire to my room.”

For the first time, Father Soji looked almost pleased. He smiled faintly, a glint flashing in his eyes. He nodded. “Yes, go and rest. I can see you have endured much tonight.

Leave the rest to us.” But deep inside, I knew the truth: he wasn’t just releasing me. He had spotted the crack Cordelia had opened. He wanted to see what I would do with it. Back in my room, I collapsed onto the bed. My sobs tore out of me violently, shaking the walls. My chest heaved.

My stomach twisted.

Cordelia’s words replayed in my head, louder than the chants of the saints. “He sleeps with other women in his quarters. He molested me. They will kill you like they killed the other Eves.”

I clutched my head, pulling at my hair. “Oh God!” I cried. “What have I done? What have I become? How can I call myself Your daughter when I betrayed her? Forgive me, Lord! Forgive me!”

My tears soaked the pillow. My whole body burned with grief and torment. And yet… underneath the torment, something sharper was forming.

A determination.

A resolve. Father Soji’s wall had cracked. Cordelia had pulled at the loose thread. It was now my job to unravel the whole fabric.

“This man’s head must be on a platter,” I whispered fiercely, my eyes blazing through tears. Around midnight, as I wrestled with grief and rage, my door
creaked open. Father Soji stepped in. His face was unreadable. He closed the
door behind him slowly and walked to the bed.

He didn’t speak immediately. The silence thickened between us like smoke. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching me. After a while, he sighed.

“I can see how troubled you are for losing someone you
love,” he said. “In this walk of faith, I have lost many. Too many. I lost count a long time ago.”

I stayed curled up, silent, my breath trembling. He studied me, searching for cracks. At last he said, “I will leave you to rest. I will return in the morning.” But I knew this was no time to be weak. If I let him leave, suspicion would fester. My silence would betray me.

I sat up slowly, tears still staining my face. “No, Father,” I whispered. “Don’t leave me tonight. I need you by my side.” His brows lifted. He studied me again. I forced my voice to steady.

“Come lie with me. Wrap me in your embrace, Father. I need your strength for a night like this. Let me draw from the strength you use to survive storms.

Let me drink of the power you carry.”
I saw it…the faintest spark in his eyes. My words had touched the one thing he could never resist: his ego.

“Come,” I said again softly, tilting my head, letting my voice drip with surrender. “Lie with me, my Lord.”

And like a child swelling under praise, he rose. Slowly, smugly. He slipped into the bed beside me.

And I, though my soul burned with grief, curled close like a serpent, whispering in my heart: Tonight begins your undoing, Father Soji.

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