Original BettyWhyt Novel
The Other Woman
A Novel
Twenty-two years after a desperate choice secured the Adebayo family’s future, Joyce Williams enters their polished world carrying questions that threaten to unravel everything. As she follows the trail of a woman erased from the family’s history, Joyce finds herself drawn to David Adebayo—the very man whose life her investigation could destroy. Love, motherhood, inheritance and guilt collide as a buried truth refuses to stay buried.
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Table of contents
Published chapters
One Line
Victoria Adebayo waited for the second line until the silence in the bathroom became unbearable.
Then He Takes It
David poured whisky when they got home, then left it untouched on the dresser. Victoria sat at the edge of the bed removing her earrings. She had changed out of the dress from dinner but still felt Chief Adebayo's gaze on her skin, measuring what she had failed to provide.
Say It
The clinic on the outskirts of Lagos did not look like a place where a life could be purchased. That was the first thing Victoria thought.
The Pregnancy
The lie grew one small decision at a time. A doctor in a private clinic signed the first report.
Amara
Amara Okafor hated being late, which was unfortunate because she was late for almost everything.
The Boy
The rain began before sunset and did not stop. By nine, water ran along the gutters outside the clinic in fast brown streams. Thunder rolled over the roof while Grace Williams prepared instruments and tried not to notice how often Mrs. Eze checked the time.
Show Me My Baby
"You need to calm down."
Twenty-Two Candles
Twenty-two years later, Daniel Adebayo stood beneath a chandelier in the family home while forty-seven people sang happy birthday at him. He counted because counting gave him something to do with his face.
Joyce Williams
Grace Williams kept Amara's photograph in a brown envelope beneath old tax papers and two expired passports. Joyce had always thought that was fitting.
Expensive Paint
David first spoke to Joyce at an art exhibition in Victoria Island, although Joyce had known for three weeks that he would be there.
The Third Meeting
The second meeting was easy to arrange. The third required no arrangement at all.
The Marriage They Still Have
Victoria noticed the change before she knew its cause. David began smiling at his phone.
Under The Awning
Joyce knew she should end it before the kiss happened. That was the most unforgivable part.
Tell Me
Victoria discovered the photograph two months after David first met Joyce. It appeared on a society blog: donors and business leaders at a charity dinner, smiling beneath bright event lights. David stood in the background speaking to a woman in black.
The House
Joyce entered the Adebayo family home on a Tuesday morning carrying a laptop, two notebooks and a lie polished enough to sound like work.
The Truth
Victoria did not sleep that night. At four in the morning she sat alone in the kitchen with a glass of water and remembered Amara's name for the first time without trying to push it away.
Twenty-Two Years Late
Joyce listened to the recording three times before calling Michael Okafor. The first time she heard facts.
Blood
Joyce lied to Daniel for the DNA sample. It was the smallest lie she had told the Adebayo family, and somehow it felt the worst.
Before You Met Me
"How long have you known?" David asked again.
Tell Him
Daniel arrived irritated.
The Old Clinic
Mrs. Eze wanted money, passports and every document Victoria still possessed from the false birth.
The Other Woman
The arrest was the cleanest part. The weeks after the rescue were uglier.
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