{"id":531,"date":"2026-01-21T15:52:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/?p=531"},"modified":"2026-01-21T15:52:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:52:17","slug":"a-bride-for-hire-novel-chapter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/a-bride-for-hire-novel-chapter-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A BRIDE FOR HIRE Novel Chapter 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
A BRIDE FOR HIRE<\/div>\n
CHAPTER 2<\/div>\n
.<\/div>\n
.<\/div>\n
Nqobile<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I wake up to a mirror ceiling revealing me \u2013 the mess. So I\u2019m not dead, that\u2019s exactly what I needed after today \u2013 waking up alive!<\/div>\n
Tears threaten me, these pieces of shit, didn\u2019t they get the memo? Nobody cares about them, whether they rain down on me or blind my eyes. Nobody cares, after that fruitless marathon yesterday you\u2019d think they\u2019d understand our stance right now.<\/div>\n
Crying is not going to send me home and even if I did manage to vex this man enough for him to want to repackage me and ship me off to my parents again, those two vile beings are the last thing my eyes deserve to see. For the mere fact that they still went on to send me off even after I fainted, like c\u2019mon!<\/div>\n
My phone rings next to me, an unknown number crashes my screen and I almost ignore it out of anger but what if it\u2019s my ticket out of here? Perhaps Ndumiso has a crush on me again.<\/div>\n
\u201cHello.\u201d I whisper into the speaker and prepare a swift SOS message in my head. \u2018I\u2019ve been kidnapped, come save me.\u2019 \u2013 it sounds urgent enough.<\/div>\n
\u201cNqobile.\u201d The devil is a liar!<\/div>\n
I get up from the bed faster than my sister could ever vanish with R30 000. My breath does all the cussing my mouth isn\u2019t able to.<\/div>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know mama and baba would do this to you, Nqobile. I thought they\u2019d drop this whole thing and move on.\u201d Of all excuses 30th thousand rands could afford her, she chose this one? How pathetic am I to these people?<\/div>\n
\u201cAre you okay? Where are you? Did he \u2026 has he met you?\u201d she feigns panic. I can see right through that crap of a performance now, Gal Gadot would be in competition.<\/div>\n
\u201cListen to me and listen to me carefully, Nonkanyiso Goqo. Fusegi mqundu wakho nxa.\u201d My thumb swipes the red button immediately afterwards. I said no more crying, why are you still crying Nqobile!?<\/div>\n
There\u2019s so much I\u2019ve been through in life but I don\u2019t recall ever weeping about it, tears were a niche thing in our household. Some of us never got anything from it and so we stopped doing it altogether, sometimes I\u2019d never understand what emotion to feel so I\u2019d delude myself into being my own therapist until I\u2019ve talked myself out of my emotions. Maybe that\u2019s what this calls for as well, I just need to play the character and give myself therapy lessons at night.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The room is spacious\u2026 no, let me call it what it is, empty. There\u2019s only a bed and large curtains. No second door whatsoever which means there is no toilet and I don\u2019t think my bladder appreciates that!<\/div>\n
What do I do now? I can\u2019t go out there by myself, uninvited and wander around people\u2019s property looking for a bathroom. Who even brought me here, who held me while I was unconscious? Blurry images leave me paralyzed for a second before shaking the thoughts away immediately.<\/div>\n
Back to thoughts that matter, where am I going to release myself? My knees buckle together as I slide myself off the bed in search for anything, even a bottle will do at this point.<\/div>\n
Ha! Ding, ding ding.<\/div>\n
I grab the empty vase placed in the corner opposite me, it looks old and besides it\u2019s not like I won\u2019t clean it tomorrow when Mr X is at work. My fingers work quick on bringing my underwear to my ankles, the pinafore made it easy. I bring it beneath my hole and release the golden showers.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhewww, that felt good.\u201d Luckily I always stash my pockets with tissue because in my head when I fill dresses with tissue they bring out the illusion of hips out on me.<\/div>\n
After wiping myself and disposing the used tissue into the vase, I go to open the sliding door so I can place it there for the day.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The place is massive. One massive flat ground with corners framing the balcony, maybe for privacy?<\/div>\n
\u201cI sent you to do one thing, Minenhle, one thing and you come back with the wrong woman?\u201d<\/div>\n
I gasp and quickly cover my mouth. Is that the Mr X? There is no way for me to tell where these people are even talking, it\u2019s probably behind the corner framing this balcony.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe old man said your girl ran away with the money, what was I supposed to say? Tell oBaba that we came all this way for nothing, the deal is off?\u201d the so called Minenhle of many talents, including purchasing brides for his brother, says.<\/div>\n
\u201cWas she briefed of what is expected of her here? Please don\u2019t tell me no because I don\u2019t intend on babysitting a hazard.\u201d How lovely is this husband of mine? Sweeter than lemons isn\u2019t he?<\/div>\n
\u201cHe said she\u2019s well behaved, just take it easy with her and keep her away from Godzilla.\u201d<\/div>\n
There\u2019s a distasteful groan from the other party, he\u2019s already not into me and he hasn\u2019t met me yet. Great!<\/div>\n
\u201cRelax Bakho. Just talk to her about the arrangements, I trust the girl she seems good.\u201d Good?<\/div>\n
\u201cThere is nothing to relax for, you carried in an unconscious woman into my house, do you sincerely believe it will be business as usual when she sees my face? I want you to fix this, Mini. Talk to her or console her but fix this and I will deal with the unstable one.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI will get Sis\u2019Sbahle on it.\u201d<\/div>\n
There\u2019s an unstable one? Soon as I hear movement, I drag my behind back inside the room and close the sliding door. I\u2019ve made up my mind, there is no way I\u2019m leaving this room tonight.<\/div>\n
Is this a trafficking ring of girls being promised marriage only to be shipped off to West Africa or something? I can\u2019t stop walking up and down the hall of a bedroom, thinking of every single possible nightmare waiting for me.<\/div>\n
It\u2019s not even dark outside so if I sleep now, I\u2019ll probably be restless at night and I don\u2019t need to sit wide awake from night to morning.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
The phone rings again, this time it\u2019s MaKhanyile. I want to not answer it but years of obedience forces my hand and thumb to take careless decisions.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat do you want from me, MaKhanyile? I\u2019ve given you my all already haven\u2019t I?\u201d I\u2019m still whispering because the trauma of being called a hazard still rings at the back of my head.<\/div>\n
\u201cWatch that tongue of yours or I won\u2019t pray for you in this situation.\u201d She can keep it honestly, \u201cYour father wants to know if Bungobakho has seen you, what did he say? Does he like you?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, we haven\u2019t met and we won\u2019t because I\u2019m not leaving this room.\u201d I snap at her out of frustration and anger, the pain bit is not available for her anymore.<\/div>\n
\u201cNonsense, you will leave that room. This is your husband Nqobile, you must make him breakfast; iron his clothes; get his bath water ready. Everything, you must do everything please don\u2019t embarrass us.\u201d She says.<\/div>\n
\u201cAnything else on the list? Should I massage his penis too?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou will get there one day.\u201d<\/div>\n
Argh!!<\/div>\n
\u201cGoodbye MaKhanyile.\u201d I hang up and block her with immediate effect.<\/div>\n
I\u2019ve never felt so helpless, there\u2019s nothing in me that feels present. My mind is on and off the blur. I remember the time Nonkanyiso lost her school shoes and when we got home somehow I got roped in for the beating, we were only in grade 3 at the time. After MaKhanyile had whooped our asses into the American flag, we laid on the floor and exchanged ice packs. That night we laughed about the whole thing, not because it was funny but because it was the only expression that wouldn\u2019t get us a second beating. That\u2019s the thing with African parents, they beat you and want you to laugh it off after.<\/div>\n
I thought I\u2019d always have my sister\u2019s back just as I always had hers, it made perfect sense to me hence I never bothered to fight against her, whether MaKhanyile pitted us against each other or not I always remained on my sister\u2019s team.<\/div>\n
I was the joke back then wasn\u2019t I? But now, now I\u2019m the central roast. My body tumbles on the plush covers, with all this banging headache I could use some rest.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
><\/div>\n
><\/div>\n
><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u201cWakey, wakey Mrs.\u201d can MaKhanyile give me a break!<\/div>\n
I\u2019m too exhausted to lift a single limb off this bed but at the same time I could really use a drink. However, as I stated before I\u2019m not leaving this room, I\u2019d rather hydrate on my own piss.<\/div>\n
Wait, if this isn\u2019t my room\u2026 I swing up my head up in a snap of my fingers and look around the room. A lady in a green Cheongsam dress and messy dreadlocks is standing beside my bed holding a tray in her hand.<\/div>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s alive, thank heavens. We just ran out of body bags so I was beginning to worry.\u201d<\/div>\n
Perhaps I\u2019m tone deaf, what did she just say? I clutch the covers closer to my skin and gulp all the saliva I can muster.<\/div>\n
And like a crack in an act, she breaks into a cutesy laughter like we weren\u2019t talking about body bags a second ago!<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m joking, sthandwa. Your man left you some breakfast.\u201d She says, placing the tray on my lap and fixing the big pillows behind me.<\/div>\n
All that information and yet I still don\u2019t know who this is standing like a shadow of an absent father in my room.<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m MaNgcobo.\u201d Her teeth shine through her smile.<\/div>\n
\u2018I\u2019m MaNgcobo\u2019 \u2013 why does this statement sound like it\u2019s supposed to explain everything? The way she said it, the smile that\u2019s unlike any smile I\u2019ve seen really, that intro sent something down my spine and it wasn\u2019t chills.<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m MaGoqo.\u201d I never thought I\u2019d live long enough to call myself MaGoqo. Death has always been appealing to me.<\/div>\n
\u201cNice to meet you, MaGoqo. Now can you eat some food, your lips are starting to tell on us.\u201d Is she a genuine fan of dark jokes?<\/div>\n
I look down on my plate, it\u2019s very\u2026 heavy. A mountain of uphuthu; oxtail stew and a plethora of salads.<\/div>\n
\u201cYour food looks beautiful.\u201d I whisper as my stomach chooses to show off.<\/div>\n
\u201cOh no, I didn\u2019t cook. Your man did.\u201d<\/div>\n
Hm, he\u2019s a good cook \u2026 wait a damn minute. He can cook? That\u2019s not good, he\u2019s not supposed to cook. I\u2019m the cook, I must cook- for security reasons only.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhats the matter, has he never cooked for you before?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBefore?\u201d frown!<\/div>\n
\u201cYes, during the course of your relationship that is.\u201d Oh, I forget that part. The lying.<\/div>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t really prepare any of this for me back then, this is new to me.\u201d I play around with the spoon, scooping up some of everything only to play around with it again.<\/div>\n
\u201cC\u2019mon eat, even if he poured some love potion you guys are married anyway. I\u2019ll bring you cosmetics and fresh clothes, in the meantime finish your food.\u201d She orders, with a smile, you can\u2019t forget the smile.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I wait for MaNgcobo to walk out the bedroom then quickly cover the food with my hands, \u201cGod, I pray You burn every dangerous poison on this plate Amen.\u201d Then start digging in.<\/div>\n
I\u2019m too hungry to let trust issues win over me. 20 or so minutes later she walks in carrying a toiletry bag and another shopping one with clothes inside.<\/div>\n
\u201cThese are the pinafores we bought for you but since we couldn\u2019t dress you yesterday, we will do so today.\u201d<\/div>\n
I grab my tray, the plate is still half full. Once I heard my stomach grumble my courage left my body and I stopped stuffing my face with immediate effect.<\/div>\n
\u201cThank you MaNgcobo.\u201d<\/div>\n
She smiles and goes on to open the curtains and the sliding door.<\/div>\n
No, no, no Nqobile. The vase!<\/div>\n
\u201cOh my, Bungobakho\u2019s urn was here all along? What\u2019s it doing outside?\u201d I\u2019m sorry, Bungobakho\u2019s what?<\/div>\n
My heart starts beating differently as if it\u2019s dancing to a song of death. No pun intended, respectfully.<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s \u2026 that\u2019s his urn of what?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLeo\u2019s ashes, poor thing. It smells abit different though.\u201d She\u2019s about to bring it to her nose and I instantly want to change places with Leo.<\/div>\n
\u201cMaybe he left it here on purpose?\u201d my fingers lock as I try to deescalate my problems. I can\u2019t be proving him right on day one.<\/div>\n
\u201cYou think so? That would be very strange though, Bakho respects these ashes as though Leo\u2019s still alive.\u201d Can she stop talking!<\/div>\n
Now I feel extremely horrible. Why would he leave ashes in a guest\u2019s bedroom?<\/div>\n
\u201cLet me leave it, he can be snappy about such things. Let\u2019s go get you ready Makoti wethu.\u201d MaNgcobo grabs me by the wrist and pulls me out the room.<\/div>\n
All I\u2019m thinking of is poor Leo, I hope he was blind when alive that way even his spirit doesn\u2019t get the chance to rat me out for showing it my entire Palace inside out.<\/div>\n
I haven\u2019t even shaved!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I didn\u2019t get to look around the house much because I kept thinking of that poor ancestor I just peed on. The signs were there, I was never meant to marry. Sibahle left me to shower in the bathroom three doors from my bedroom,<\/div>\n
I\u2019m quick with everything because I actually like having her around, she\u2019s the only person I consider human in this family for now.<\/div>\n
Once I\u2019m done with the fast shower, I lotion up and put on the dusty pink t-shirt first. It\u2019s too tight, I had to take it off again and double check this isn\u2019t 13-14. My sister would have never fitted into this.<\/div>\n
Eventually I\u2019ve gotten everything on, almost forgot to wrap my head and put the marriage sachet across my body. I return the bags to my bedroom then wander off in search for MaNgcobo.<\/div>\n
Instead I bump into a family portrait hung on the accent wall above the fireplace. Those are a lot of people, a lot of scary looking people.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe had that picture framed in every single house as an appreciation for the effort it took in taking it. Some people disappeared until the last minute of the shoot, Baba almost had it all cancelled.\u201d She\u2019s coming behind me.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhich one is baba?\u201d<\/div>\n
She eyes me and it\u2019s only then do I remember what I forget. The relationship.<\/div>\n
\u201cI know about the arrangement between you and Bhuti.\u201d She says next to my ear, the sheep in cow\u2019s skin!<\/div>\n
\u201cYou do?\u201d<\/div>\n
MaNgcobo nods.<\/div>\n
Unbelievable of her to play me for nothing, what\u2019s her deal?<\/div>\n
\u201cI just needed to be sure you will be able to keep the story up when the rest of the family drops by for lunch today.\u201d Since when did I sign up for theater performances during family lunches?<\/div>\n
\u201cA lunch for what? Since you know I\u2019m only here to serve whatever purpose Mr X has for me, why is there all this fuss?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe family needs to buy into this, especially Baba. Please don\u2019t mess this up, Nqobile. A lot is at stake here, things that could be irreplaceable once broken.\u201d Talk about no pressure!<\/div>\n
\u201cWill he hurt me, Mr X will he hurt me?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, never. He just needs some patience and someone who will work towards understanding him.\u201d<\/div>\n
I don\u2019t want to understand grown adults please.<\/div>\n
She looks up at the portrait with me, nostalgia showers her eyes as she continues to peer, \u201cWe are not a bad family, I think it\u2019s important you know that.\u201d She says and walks right away.<\/div>\n
Mmmh, I don\u2019t know about that. She said family, they are not a bad family, not people. And that bothers me.<\/div>\n
Okay Nqobile, time to be umfazi. Maybe if I impress this man enough he will release me from this contract I never signed up for sooner than my death.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\u2206\u2206\u2206<\/div>\n
Like. Share. Comment.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A BRIDE FOR HIRE CHAPTER 2 . . Nqobile I wake up to a mirror ceiling revealing me \u2013 the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-bride-for-hire-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":539,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531\/revisions\/539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}