Mr. Osagie's POVIt’s been five days since Ami came to my office, and she’s still rejecting my requests. I’ve never done anything like this before, and I didn’t expect it would take this long. Her refusal has only made me want her more. I see her every day, and it’s been eating away at me emotionally. Whenever I try to talk to her or create an opportunity to share my feelings, she vanishes. She doesn’t answer my calls or reply to my messages.What kind of woman is this? The harder she makes it, the more I feel I can’t live without her. Normally, her attitude would piss me off, but my desire for her overrides everything. Yesterday, the urge was unbearable. I went to the kitchen while she was cooking, hoping to talk to her. To avoid suspicion if my wife walked in, I pretended to be busy. Ami had no way to avoid me this time.“Ami, why are you treating me like this? Do you know what I’m going through?” I asked, holding a few apples at the sink. She was standing just a few feet away in fr
Ami’s povMr. Osagie’s words in his room were a revelation. He laid out the entire plan he had made with my uncle. I had been struggling to piece things together, trying to connect the dots. But when Osagie told me, point blank, that I had to choose, I was left speechless. Is this what people without money have to go through to travel abroad? If Solomon had said this back in the village, I would never have followed him here in the first place.A rush of emotions overwhelmed me as I realized my own uncle had betrayed me. How could he put me in this situation? Lying down with Osagie would be a complete taboo, even if his wife had secretly agreed to it. Is this what city life is like? In my village, such a thing would never happen. A wife allowing her husband to sleep with another woman, an engaged woman, in her own home? It was unimaginable.I saw the surprise in Osagie’s eyes when I left his room. He must have expected me to say something, but I couldn’t find the words. I was still in
Mr Osagie’s pov The next morning, I was still lying on the bed when my wife walked into the room.“Honey, good morning,” she greeted me.“Good morning, my dearest,” I replied.“How was your night?” she asked, staring at me. Before I could answer, she added, “Aren’t you going to work today? Look at the wall clock! By now, I thought you’d already had your bath.”I hummed and stretched my legs. “Hmm… Are you going to church today?” I asked quickly, changing the subject.“Hallelujah!” she exclaimed, raising her hands in the air. “Are you going with me? Oh, Lord, this is a miracle! You’ve never been interested in anything about my pastor. This has been one of my prayer points! I’ve been asking the God of my pastor to touch your heart so it would change…”“Wait,” I interrupted, sitting up on the bed. “You didn’t even let me finish. I wanted to surprise you, but you’re too impatient to listen.”Her eyes lit up with joy. “It’s the Lord’s doing, my dear! I know this day will come.”“Do you e
Ami's POVI didn’t know how long I had slept, but for the first time in my life, I woke up feeling completely different. Both my hands were spread out on the bed, as were my legs, and every joint in my body ached. Moving was painful, as if every part of me resisted. Blinking my eyes felt strange, and the more I blinked, the stronger the feeling that something was wrong. My mind clung to one thought, my last encounter with Osagie. My thoughts were scattered, and I couldn’t piece them together. There was an unsettling awkwardness inside me.In those first moments of consciousness, I felt a sharp pain in my private area. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. My weak body forced itself upright, and that’s when I saw it-blood. Not just any blood, but dried, caked blood between my legs. I was naked.I felt anxious and it was far worse than anything I’d ever felt, not even my mother’s harshest scoldings back in the village could compare. My chest pounded, my breathing quicken
Osagie's POVIt felt like scales had fallen from my eyes the moment the fluid of life left my body. I pulled away from Ami and leapt out of her bed, my heart pounding in disbelief. My eyes fell on her, and then on the blood staining the sheets between her legs.“Is this a dream?” I muttered, blinking rapidly as if to wake myself. What had come over me? Why would I do something like this? The love I thought I had for her vanished in an instant. Was it even love, or just lust? How could I have laid with a girl who could easily be my daughter?What if Solomon found out? Wouldn’t this bring dishonor and disrespect? And what if my wife heard about it? Wouldn’t it destroy my home? My mind scrambled for excuses. Perhaps I had been drunk all this time. Or was it my wife’s fault for refusing to be intimate with me? No! no excuses. The blame was mine and mine alone.I rushed to my room and took a quick shower, hoping to cleanse not just my body, but the guilt and shame that clung to me. Yet the
Ami’s POVIt took seven days before I finally received an apology from Osagie. I don’t want to talk about how he apologized. Just a few sentences and he walked away. What had he been thinking all that time? That I would come crawling to him, begging for what he had done to me? I had never hated anyone the way I hated Osagie after what he did. Maybe he thought I would poison him. Why else would he insist that only his wife prepare and serve his meals? He didn’t even feel comfortable when she called me while he was around. I noticed two things: either he sent his wife to speak to me instead, or he simply walked away.For seven days, it was a silent and complicated battle. I was hurting, deep in my soul, but even more so because I couldn’t speak about it. There was pressure everywhere, inside me, around me, and especially from my mother.“Ami, when are you traveling?” she kept asking. But what could I tell her? I always gave the same answer, that I was in the final stage of processing my
Ami's POVWhen Mrs. Osagie said the word pregnant, I thought she had lost her mind. The first thing that came to me was that my body must be reacting to all the sugary food I had started eating since I arrived. My thoughts immediately went to the candies I had been taking from the store, something I had never tasted back in the village."Pregnant? How can I be pregnant? I’m not pregnant!" I snapped respectfully."Pregnancy doesn’t just happen by accident. Have you urinated this morning?" she asked, and I noticed her lips trembling slightly."Hmm… no." I answered without even thinking."Go back. In fact, I’ll follow you. Come," she said, taking my hand and leading me to the toilet. Then, pointing to a container, she added, "I need your urine here. I knew those calls you’ve been making would lead to this.""Ma, I am not pregnant."I never expected her to actually ask for my urine. I had just said no, but with her pressing me, I forced myself to pee in the container she had pointed to.W
Ami's POV"When I told you to stop talking to men on the phone, you thought I didn’t know what I was saying," Mrs. Osagie burst into my room, holding a pregnancy strip in her hand. She raised it in front of me."Look! These lines show you're pregnant."She kept moving towards me, her face filled with anger, an anger I had never seen before. She had never hit me before, but the first thing I felt was a slap. I turned to look at the lines she was showing me, but before I could react, another slap landed, snapping my face to the side."You are pregnant. Look at your life! You keep sleeping with men. Does that mean you bring them into this house? My house?" She clutched her chest. "Or do you meet them somewhere else?""No, ma, I didn’t bring any man here," I struggled to say those words."Then how did you get pregnant? Pregnancy is not something you eat with your meals! If you didn’t bring a man here, then explain how this happened!"She was growing more impatient. Her hands flew at me, h
Ami's POV"Emergency!" my daughter shouted just seconds after answering John's call. How did I know something was wrong just by looking at her face? She stayed on the line, mostly listening, while John did most of the talking. The only words she managed to say were,"Okay!... Okay!" She kept nodding until the call ended, a minute that felt much longer to me."What did John say?" I asked, still standing close to Omosefe."John said there's an emergency, and both of us need to go to Lagos.""Lagos? What kind of emergency?" I asked immediately."He did not say," she replied, her eyes searching my face for a reaction. She hesitated, sensing my growing discomfort."He already booked flights for us from Benin City. It will not be a long trip," she added, trying to convince me."Omosefe, I cannot go with you," I said, turning away and heading to my bedroom. Lagos, of all places? The name alone popped up in my mind. I had sworn never to step foot there again, it would only dig up the pain I h
Chapter Forty-SevenOmosefe's PovThe shock from my mom’s reaction yesterday still lingers in my heart. I realized that parents are the only people who truly want the best for their children. My mom, whom I had always thought was negative about my relationships with men, surprised me with just one question."Omosefe, do you love John with all your heart?"I nodded at first, but she quickly said, "This is not about nodding. I need you to say it out loud.""Mom, I love him.""Does he have the qualities I have always told you a good man should have?""Yes, he does."She paused, her eyes fixed on me. Everything she said felt like a strict rule I had to follow."If you say you love him, then I wish you happiness in your relationship."It felt like a dream. My eyes widened. Was this really the same woman who always used her words and body language to criticize me? She did not mention the training I said I attended in Lagos or accuse me of lying. She let everything go. I rushed forward and h
Omosefe’s povThe first thing that crossed my mind was, 'What will I tell my mom?' Deep down, I wanted John to be the man of my dreams, and when he knelt before me, I didn't realize I was crying until I felt the tears on my cheeks. The joy of that moment was bigger than my fear of my mom."Yes... yes..." I remember stammering. It was the first time a man had ever kissed me. It felt like a jolt of electricity running through me. I couldn't tell if it was from the excitement of being with John or the fear of going against what my mom had always told me."Keep your virginity. No situation should make you lose it unless you've said, 'I do.'"As the plane began to descend into Benin City airport, my heart started pounding. I was sweating, even though the air inside the plane was cool.How would I tell my mom? Would she ever trust me again? She always seemed to know everything, like she could read my mind. She would accuse me of dating John secretly in the village and hiding it from her. Sh
Omosefe's POV"Mom, I don't know how to say this, but it's a great opportunity for me. I know you want the best for me.""Of course, I do. What's it?" Mom asked, her eyes moving back and forth between my face and the akara frying in hot oil.I hesitated, searching for the right words."What's so hard to say?" she pressed."Mom...""Yes?" Her tone demanded I go on."That construction company accepted me," I said quickly, just as I saw the flicker of excitement in her eyes."That's wonderful!""But... they accepted me for the logistics team, and after passing the interview, they noticed I only have a secondary school certificate."Her face stiffened. "But you passed the test. Isn't that what matters?""Yes, Mom. But because of my qualifications, they said I have to go for training in Lagos first.""Lagos? Why Lagos?""Mom... is something wrong?""Do you really not remember what I went through in Lagos?""Mom, it's just training. Once I pass, my salary will be almost the same as someone
Mr. Osagie's POVIt’s been so long since I last saw Solomon. Why hadn’t he come to visit me again? Even during our annual family meeting a few months ago, I reached out to him, but he still didn’t show up. Oddly, my brothers kept asking about him, the same brothers who once saw him as a parasite. I guess they’ve finally realized my friendship with Solomon is genuine.“Are you drinking your coffee or just afraid to put the cup to your lips?”My wife’s voice startled me, making the cup in my hand tremble.“You didn't even notice when I entered the room. What's on your mind?” she asked, stepping closer and sitting beside me as I sighed.“I was thinking about Solomon. Don’t you think it's strange he hasn’t been here for so long? The last time I called him, he said he wasn’t in Lagos.”She only shrugged, clearly uninterested.“Solomon has always been close to me, and I want him to be part of our celebration in the new house on Banana Island.”“Of all people, it’s Solomon you’re worried abo
Omosefe’s POV“The man gave you extra money. Don’t you know how to count anymore?” Mum said as I placed the twelve thousand naira on the table. We had just stepped into the house, almost two hours earlier than we usually finish our morning sales. The empty bread carton was still on my head, and I expected her to let me explain, but she kept talking.“Are you deaf?” Mum quickly grabbed the money from the table and counted it herself, wanting to be sure she wasn’t mistaken.“This is twelve thousand naira. He only bought goods worth eight thousand. Did you count the money when he gave it to you?”“I counted it,” I replied softly and placed the carton on the floor.“When did you start stealing? This isn’t how I raised you. Take the extra four thousand back to him now.” But I didn’t move.“Am I not talking to someone?” Mum stared at me, waiting for a response. Finally, I spoke.“The man said I should keep the money.”Mum’s eyes widened in shock. She stared at me for a long moment before as
John’s povI never took it seriously. I thought it was just a simple feeling, the urge to buy all the akara and bread from that beautiful young lady so she could go home and rest. It felt unfair that someone like her had to work so hard. My instincts kept pushing me to help, but I convinced myself it was nothing more than kindness.But when I didn’t see her for two days in a row, I realised it wasn’t just a passing feeling. I wasn’t myself. Something was missing, and it bothered me more than I expected.Each morning, I rushed to the construction site in my white corolla. My staff must have thought I was eager for work to start early, but that wasn’t the reason. I simply wanted to catch a glimpse of her. On the third day, when she still didn’t show up, I felt restless. I couldn’t shake the worry, and I knew I had to find out where she was.Following the directions given by one of my staff, I walked towards her mother’s place, where the akara was prepared. Every step I took was heavy wi
Ami’s pov 21 Years Later"Mum, where did you sleep that night?" my daughter, Omosefe, asked. Her eyes were dim with pain, and her expression was full of empathy."I didn't leave my father's house immediately," I replied softly. "I stood outside the front door after your grandma locked it. I thought she would open it later, but she never did. After about two hours, I left and went to Monica's house. She was so surprised to see us that night.""Did my grandma find out where you slept?" Omosefe asked. "She said she would be enemies with anyone who took you in.""Exactly," I said, a faint smile touching my lips. "Very early in the morning, Monica asked me to hurry back home, and I did. When I got to my father's house, I sat beside the door until the sun came up. Your grandma was the first person to open the door. When she saw me still sitting there, holding you close to my chest, she burst into tears. This time, they were tears of regret, tears for not letting me in.'You slept here wit
Ami’s povThe moment my feet touched the ground from the second bus to my village, a strange feeling fell on me. It was an awkward, heavy feeling that made me suddenly sad. Not because of my lost child only, but because I knew what the villagers would think. If I had come straight home when they saw me by the express road months ago, Odion would still be alive. I walked towards my house, driven by the thought of my baby boy. The shame I had tried to escape had cost me a life.I deliberately took the lonely road, the one at the far end of the village. I wanted to come home, but I didn’t want many villagers to see me. Though the sky was growing dark, each step I took made my heart pound harder. The closer I got, the heavier my breathing became. My baby girl rested on my back, and in my right hand, I clutched a bag of clothes. The only money I had left was a thousand naira, and I had been so quick to forget I’d spent some of it on two big loaves of bread.I was grateful that no one seeme