Chapter 11 - The Choice That Changed Everything
“Get out of the building!” I told my administrator.
“I can't. They're in the hallway.”
My heart pounded.
“Find somewhere safe, stay quiet, and call the police.”
I turned toward Detective Khumalo.
“Someone has broken into my office.”
Her expression sharpened.
She immediately contacted officers near the building.
Mthente stepped forward.
“I'm going there.”
“No,” the detective said firmly.
“My girlfriend's in danger!”
“And rushing there could make everything worse.”
He looked at me.
I could see the conflict in his eyes.
The old Mthente would have responded to a threat with another threat.
He would have confronted Radebe's men himself.
But that was exactly the life he claimed he wanted to leave behind.
I took his hand.
“Babe, don't go back to being that person.”
He closed his eyes.
Then he nodded.
“Okay.”
We waited for news.
Those minutes felt longer than the entire drive to Makhuni.
Finally, Detective Khumalo received confirmation that officers had reached the studio.
My administrator had escaped unharmed.
The intruders had fled before police arrived.
But several filing cabinets had been opened, and project documents were missing.
I leaned against the wall, trembling.
Mthente came toward me.
“I'm sorry.”
I looked at him.
“You didn't send those men.”
“No. But they're here because of me.”
I couldn't deny it.
Detective Khumalo approached us.
“We need to examine both your business records and the documents Mthente kept.”
That afternoon, everything changed.
Mthente gave investigators the records he'd hidden after leaving Radebe's organization.
They contained dates, payment details, coded instructions, and information about people who had been targeted.
Some entries could be corroborated by bank transfers and messages.
Others required further investigation.
As the detective examined the material, her expression became increasingly serious.
Finally, she looked at Mthente.
“Do you understand what you're admitting?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
“These records may establish your involvement in multiple killings.”
“I know.”
“And your cooperation won't automatically protect you from prosecution.”
Mthente looked toward his mother.
She was sitting beside Sandiso, her hands folded in her lap.
“I'm not asking to be protected,” he replied.
His mother slowly raised her head.
“What are you saying, Tusa?”
He walked toward her.
“I'm saying I've spent years running away from what I've done.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I know I can't bring those people back,” he continued. “I know I can't undo what happened to Lindiwe.”
His voice broke.
“But I can stop lying.”
His mother stared at him.
For the first time since we'd arrived in Makhuni, she didn't look angry.
She looked frightened.
“Are they going to take you away?”
Mthente nodded.
“Probably.”
She pressed her lips together.
“Then tell them everything.”
He looked surprised.
“Even if it means you go to prison,” she continued.
Mthente lowered his head.
“Yes, Ma.”
Detective Khumalo stepped closer.
“Mthente Ngubane, we're placing you under arrest while these offenses are investigated.”
My breath caught.
Although I had expected it, hearing the words was unbearable.
Mthente turned toward me.
His eyes were filled with tears.
“Nangomusa, you don't have to stay with me through this.”
I shook my head.
“I won't defend what you did. But I won't pretend you never saved my life either.”
He reached for my hand.
I held it until the detective gently asked him to step away.
His mother stood.
“Tusa?”
He turned.
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then she whispered, “Tell the truth about my daughter.”
“I will, Ma.”
He was led toward the waiting police vehicle.
I watched him disappear inside.
And as the door closed, I realized that the man who'd once escaped justice by destroying other people's lives had finally surrendered himself to it.
But I also knew something terrifying.
May you like
Radebe was still free.
And now Mthente was the witness who could destroy him.
