Rose shouted, her voice shaking with a mixture of anger and tears. “Mama, what is this? So this is the ‘driver’ you hired? This is what you’ve been doing while Daddy lies weak and helpless in that room?”
Ben stammered, “I… I… I was just…”
“Get out!” Rose screamed at him. “Leave this house right now!”
Ben ran out, not even fully dressed, his slippers flying in different directions as he fled into the night.
Agatha tried to speak, but Rose cut her off. “You abandoned Daddy, your own husband, for this?”
Agatha, catching her breath, shot back, “What do you expect me to do, Rose? I’m lonely! Your father is dying! He doesn’t even talk to me anymore!”
Rose’s face was red, her eyes streaming with tears. “Mama, he’s still alive! You left him all alone like he doesn’t even matter. You chose your own pleasure over the man who gave you everything!”
Agatha pointed a warning finger. “Don’t you ever tell anyone what you saw here tonight. Not even your brothers.”
Rose turned and walked away, shaking, angry, and completely broken.
The next morning, Rose sat by her father’s bed, watching him sleep, fresh tears running down her cheeks. She whispered to herself, “There’s no point in keeping him here anymore. No one cares. Maybe… just maybe… something in the village can help.”
She wiped her tears, packed a few essential items, and quietly made arrangements with the mansion’s main driver. By that evening, she had taken Chief Williams far away from the city, back to the village where he had been born.
In the village, as soon as Chief Williams arrived, news spread like wildfire. “Chief is sick!” “Chief is back home!”
His extended family—uncles, cousins, elders, and even neighbors—came out to welcome him. Some brought fruits. Some brought palm wine. Others brought bundles of old, traditional herbs.
They sat around in the compound, shaking their heads sadly. “Ah, this man was so kind to all of us.” “He gave me the money to open my farm.” “He’s the one who built our community school.”
They began to contribute money, food, and advice. One elderly woman said, “There is one herbalist, a very strong one. His medicine is even more powerful than any hospital drugs. We must call him.”
“Let’s try,” another added. “We must not lose the Chief like this.”
Rose watched all of this, deeply touched and surprised. “So many people love my father,” she thought. “And yet his own household, his own wife and children, turned their backs on him.”
The next day, the herbalist arrived. He was a tall, dark man with white chalk patterns on his face, carrying a long bag filled with roots and bottles. He entered the small, clean room where Chief Williams lay.
He looked at the old man quietly for a long moment, then turned to Rose. “Let me speak with him alone.”
Rose nodded and stepped outside.
The herbalist sat on a stool beside Chief Williams and leaned in close. “I see strength in your eyes,” he said slowly. “You are not as weak as they told me you were.”
Chief Williams let out a long sigh. “That is because I am not sick.”
The herbalist sat up sharply. “What?”
“I don’t have cancer,” Chief Williams said, his voice low but firm. “It was all a plan. A test.”
The herbalist blinked. “A test?”
Chief Williams nodded. “To know who truly loves me. To know who would stand by me if I were truly helpless. Only my lawyer and my doctor know the truth. I kept it from my children, my wife, and everyone else. I needed to see their hearts.”
The herbalist looked deeply into the old man’s eyes, and then, slowly, a smile spread across his face. “Ugh. You are a wise man, Chief. Very wise. You wanted to see beyond the surface.”
Chief Williams closed his eyes slowly. “And now… now I know.”
The herbalist sat still for a moment, looking at Chief Williams with great respect. “Chief,” he said quietly, “you are not just a rich man. You are a man of deep wisdom. Many people fear death, but you… you used it as a mirror to see true hearts.”
Chief Williams gave a tired nod. “Thank you, my friend. But what I have seen has broken me.”
The herbalist placed a warm hand on his shoulder. “You are not alone. You still have one child who truly loves you. Your daughter, Rose. She is the light in your darkness. Hold on to her.”..
