She simply looked.
Then something inside her broke.
“Mother,” she whispered.
Her voice shook.
Before anyone could say another word, she rushed forward and dropped to her knees beside the bed.
Tears came immediately.
“Mother, forgive me,” she said, holding her hand tightly. “Please forgive me.”
Mrs. Madara opened her eyes fully, startled by the sudden emotion in the room.
“Chida,” she said slowly, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
Chida shook her head repeatedly, unable to stop crying.
“I’m sorry, Mother,” she said. “I failed you. I failed you completely.”
Mrs. Madara sat up a little, her expression softening.
“Calm yourself, my child,” she said gently. “Breathe first.”
But Chida could not calm down easily. Her words came out broken.
“I should have taken better care of you,” she said. “I should have protected you. I should have done something.”
As Chida cried, she began to repeat and explain everything she had earlier told Mr. Okon. Through tears, she spoke about how her husband had become controlling, taken over her bank account, threatened to end the marriage if she disobeyed him, moved them away from their former house so no one could trace them, and how he had been physically abusive toward her.
She showed them the bruises on her back and the hidden marks all over her body.
Silence followed those words.
Okon, who had been standing a few steps away, exhaled slowly.
Mrs. Madara closed her eyes briefly, as if absorbing the weight of everything she was hearing.
Then she opened them again.
“My child,” she said quietly, “what has happened is painful, but do not carry all of it on your shoulders alone.”
Chida shook her head, tears still falling.
“It is still my fault,” she insisted. “I saw what was happening and I stayed.”
Okon finally stepped forward.
“Enough,” he said firmly, but not harshly.
Both women turned to look at him.
He took a breath, trying to control his emotions.
