“The first what?”
“The first to panic.”
The silence that followed felt endless.
I shook my head slowly.
“You mean… there were others?”
He did not answer directly.
Instead, he stepped closer until I could smell his cologne mixed with something metallic underneath.
“You saw her because you were curious,” he said. “Curiosity has consequences.”
“She asked me for help,” I said. “She is alive.”
“For now,” he replied.
The world seemed to tilt slightly under my feet.
“For now?” I repeated.
Obinna finally lost the softness in his voice.
“You were chosen because you matched perfectly,” he said. “Same bloodline region. Same physical markers. It took time to find you.”
My fingers loosened around the travel bag handle.
“What are you talking about?” I whispered.
He looked toward the bedroom window upstairs, directly above the place where the bed stood.
“My grandfather did not bury an artifact,” he said calmly. “He buried a process.”
A dry sound escaped my throat.
“The woman below is at the final stage,” he continued. “When she delivers, the cycle completes.”
I felt something cold crawl up my spine.
“And me?” I asked.
He held my gaze steadily.
“You are the next vessel.”
The word hit me harder than any slap.
“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head. “I am not pregnant.”
He smiled faintly.
“You will be.”
My legs weakened.
“You think marriage was for romance?” he asked. “Everything in this house exists for continuity.”
I remembered the nights he stood at midnight beside the bed.
The quiet murmuring.
The way he insisted on sweeping alone.
“She is not a clone,” he said, as if clarifying something technical. “She is a replacement.”
My breathing became shallow.
“A replacement for who?” I asked.
“For you.”
The meaning settled slowly, heavily.
“When she gives birth,” he continued, “your body will no longer be required.”
A sharp ringing filled my ears.
I tried to move, but Musa had already stepped subtly to block the small space between me and the side fence.
“You cannot leave,” Obinna said gently. “You are already part of it.”
“I will scream,” I threatened weakly.
“No one will hear,” he replied.
The estate was large.
Houses were spaced apart.
High walls absorbed sound.
I suddenly realized I had never truly spoken to any neighbor since moving in.
Everything had been carefully arranged.
“Why me?” I asked, tears finally spilling down my face.
“Because you fit,” he repeated.
His calmness terrified me more than shouting ever could.
Inside the house, I heard a faint vibration.
A low mechanical hum.
My eyes widened.
“That sound,” I whispered.
He followed my gaze upward.
“She must be awake again,” he said.
My stomach turned violently.
“You need to see properly,” he added.
Before I could resist, Musa gripped my arm firmly.
His fingers felt like iron clamps against my skin.
They dragged me toward the front door.
I kicked and struggled, but my strength felt useless against their coordinated movements.
The house swallowed us in silence.
The marble floor felt cold under my bare feet.
They led me upstairs toward the bedroom.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
I smelled something unfamiliar in the air.
Not perfume.
Not cleaning products.
Something sterile.
Something medical.
When we entered the bedroom, the bed looked exactly as I had left it.
Perfect.
Neatly arranged.
Obinna released my arm and walked toward the side of the bed.
He pressed something beneath the frame.
