IV

One month later------

“There’s an invitation for us,” Samantha announces as she makes her way towards the bedroom. “The maid just brought it in,” she further adds.

Cainan sits up in bed and turns to her, running his face. “Who is it from?”

He can’t remember any of his closest friends having any party today. He had no such notification on his calendar.

“From the Attah family.” She turns the card around and reads out the name on it.

Hearing the name unpleasantly makes his stomach curl. “What’s the event for?” He lowly groans out.

She opens the envelope and reads the message on it, “It’s the fifth wedding anniversary of Mr Hugo Attah and his wife Clara Hugo and they officially invited us.”

Five years ago today, Clara married the asshole named Hugo and that day and the weeks that followed were the darkest times of Cainan’s life and though it’s been five years since then, it hasn’t healed the wound left by Clara's betrayal. The entire world knew he and Clara were soulmates and he had never attended their anniversary before. First, because it hurt like hell to watch the women of your dreams in another man’s arms and now it is still the pain of seeing the women of your dreams in another man’s hand and being reminded that she’ll never be yours. So being invited is like rubbing insult to injury, whether it was Hugo’s idea or Clara’s.

Screw the both of them. They deserve each other.

“We are not going,” Cainan concludes and gets up from the bed and walking towards the bathroom to take a piss.

“Why not?” Samantha demands, following behind Cainan.

Cainan picks the towel from the stall, wrapping the towel around himself. “No reason, I’ve got better things to do than go to some boring anniversary.” He enters the bathroom and turns on the shower.

“It’s not some boring anniversary, it’s the anniversary of a close friend and I want to go.” She grumbles stubbornly.

Cainan ears ring from hearing Samantha refer to the Attahs as close friends. Since when did they become close friends and how come he’s only finding out now?

He sticks his foam covered head through the door, “Then you go!” He says before slamming the door furiously.

“What’s wrong with you?!” She pauses a little, “you know what? We talk about this when you come out.”

Cainan sighs in the bathroom, knowing where exactly the conversion is heading, but he silently hopes it doesn’t.

When he’s done bathing, he walks into the bedroom to dry his body but as he sees Samantha still seated on the bed; he figured she’s still waiting for the talk about why they weren’t going.

“I can’t go alone, so please tell me why you don’t want to go?”

“I need to go to work, okay? It’s a big day today. Two of our investors are coming in from the United States.” He dries himself and returns the towel to the handover beside the bathroom door before walking to the wardrobe to pick out his clothes.

“The party isn’t this morning or afternoon. It starts at eight?” She was really pushing it.

“I’ll be tired Samantha, I’d like to rest after work.”

She gets up in a quick instance that it takes Cainan by surprise. “I think it is more than resting. I think you don’t want to go and there’s a reason. Is it Hugo? Are you still in love with Clara? Is that it?”

There’s no way he’d be able to escape this nightmare. The last thing he wants is to see Clara in the arms of another man, being paraded around like some trophy he would lose his mind. But choosing not to go has brought Samantha this close to finding out the truth with the many questions she’s asking and Cainan is sure she won’t stop until he’s forced to come clean about his feeling and their affair until over a month ago.

It will not be pretty if anyone hears the truth, especially if that person is Samantha and he’s kept the truth away for months already.

“No, I’m not!” He lies, and he’s grateful his voice doesn’t crack under pressure. “Fine, we’ll go when I get back.”

She grins like the manipulative girlfriend that she is, “Thanks.” She walks to him and kisses his lips before leaving.

****

“An eviction notice?!” Neriah exclaims, staring down at the notice in her hand.

“Calm down, we don’t know what it means—” Shawn’s words cut short as Neriah reads the notice plastered on her door.

“This is to inform all tenants in the fifth district house ten that we expect them to move out before the end of the week as they have sold the building out. Failure to move out before the set date might bring damages to properties and belongings. There will be a full refund of your rent in forty-eight hours. Signed; Cecil Kalu, Landlord.”

Neriah finishes reading and turns to Shawn, “It means I’m losing this house too.” She answers, her eyes getting teary.

Shawn's face drops not, knowing what else to do at this moment. “Come here, babe.” He beckons, and Neriah walks over to him on the sofa.

“There’s nothing you’re going to say that will cheer me up, Shawn,” she tells him flatly and doesn’t go to him for a hug. She didn’t need one.

He frowns a little, feeling a little hurt. “You don’t know that.”

“I don’t want to move again. I’m sick and tired of moving.” She says with annoyance.

“So what do you want to do?”

She opens the door and enters the apartment. “I want to talk to Cecilia.”

He keeps the pace with her, “This isn’t something we can talk her out of, seems like she has already decided.”

She drops the bags in her hand on the table and kicks off her shoes before pacing around the room for a while and Shawn just stare at her.

“I’ve seen this happen before, Shawn, in my formal apartment and one man was responsible.”

“You think Cainan did this?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” She goes to pick her jacket from the room. “Are you coming along?” She asks as she shrugs on her jacket.

“Sure.” He answers and gets down from the bed and walks to where Neriah now is at the door.

The walk was brief considering Cecilia's house is just a ten minutes walk and Neriah fast was super fast as it usually is when she’s upset, terrified or angry and in this case it was all three emotions. She does not hesitate to knock when she gets to the door.

A young man with dirty brown hair and grey eyes opens the door and walks out and his eyes light up on seeing sees Shawn.

“Hey, Shawn!” He calls out in disbelief.

“Andrew?!” There is surprise and a little of disbelief in Shawn’s voice, “what are you doing back home?”

“It’s Christmas time! I never spend the holiday away, you know that.”

Shawn nods, “I kinda forgot, sorry.”

“Come here!” They hug for what Neriah likes to call a weird amount of time before pulling away. “It’s so good to see you, bro!”

Neriah awkwardly clears her throat, bringing the attention of the two men to her. “Sorry to break into what is happening, but I need to see Cecilia. Is she in?”

Andrew’s brows draw together, “Who are you?”

“Hi,” Neriah says, flashing him a small smile, “I’m Neriah Gomez, Cecilia’s tenant and I want to talk to her.”

“Oh, hi, I’m Andrew. I’m Cecilia’s son and yeah she’s in, come in.”

They all enter the house. “Make yourself feel at home. Neriah, Shawn and I’ll go call her.” He tells them before going into the room.

“What the hell was that?!” Shawn demands in a confused voice.

Neriah gives him an outraged look. “What the hell was that? What the hell was that?!” she accuses, referring to the greeting that almost didn’t end between him and Drew.

“Drew is a good friend of mine.” He trails off.

“I got that, so good that you forgot to introduce me to him!” She snaps and can feel the migraine coming back and, bad enough, she isn’t close to her medicines.

“Neriah—”

“Was he the boyfriend you forgot to break up with before he went to uni?”

“What? Where is this coming from?!” He exclaims, completely surprised by her attacks.

She sighs deeply in regret. “A dark, angry place. I thought you came here with me to support me through this hard time? ‘Cause you quickly forgot about me the moment you saw him.”

“I didn’t forget you, Neriah, and I’m sorry for making you feel that way. Andrew is my best friend and we probably would have dated if he were a girl. He only comes home for the holiday since he studies outside the country. But no excuse, I should have introduced you as my girlfriend, because you’re the reason we are here.”

Neriah's mood lightens a little and her headache subsides, “It explains a lot and thanks for clearing the wave.”

“I really, really like you, Neriah, and I don’t want to lose you over being too careless or insensitive.”

This makes her smile broadly, “You won’t lose me for those reasons, I promise you.”

“I’m glad you’re smiling,” he says, pulling closer to kiss her on the lips.

“Andrew just told me you are looking for me?” Asks Cecilia as she enters the living room.

Shawn and Neriah pull away and they both nod and Shawn scratches his head and licks his lips as he sees Andrew giving him a knowing look.

“I got an eviction notice from you Cecilia and I don’t understand because last month you promised me at least three months of living in before an emergency can arise.”

“I’m so sorry, Neriah, and you have to believe me when I say we didn’t expect things to come the way they have. As you know, times are hard, especially in the city. With the rapid development of the neighbourhood, the standard of living is high now and the taxes have also increased. I can barely account for any money I get from rent. Andrew is in his third year in medical school and I want to cater for him and provide him with the best. He’s got two more years to go. The money the buyer offered could pay for the rest of his education and buy a comfortable house at the same time. It like God finally heard my prayers.”

‘Yeah, the power of prayer then.’ Neriah mutter under her breath.

“So who’s the new buyer then?”

“I can’t keep his name down, but I tell you he’s a God-sent. He paid me ten times the worth of the house and I don’t have to worry about Andrew anymore and he promises to have all your money refunded so you don’t have to worry either.”

“This man's name? Is it by any chance Cainan Inferno?”

Cecilia seems to be astonished at her correct guess. “Yeah, it is. That’s the name of the buyer. Do you know him?”

“Not really, but he’s anything, but a God sent.” She says the last part to herself.