The doorknob kept turning slowly it almost made her puke out of fear of what might happen if the door knob finally snaps. Her mind filled with so many scenario of what that mad man might do to her.
Hoping for an escape or somewhere to hide...she knew it's a deliberate action to make her give in to his demands. Would she....? Definitely not!.
Aduni stood frozen, her back pressed against the wardrobe. Her breath was shallow, sharp, disobedient.
Checking the drawers for something worth the shot,she begin to regret ignoring ladies weapon. Getting one is her next priority if she gets out safe.Outside the door, Femi's whisper crawled under the wood.
"Aduni… don't embarrass me." Embarrass him? What nonsense is he spouting? He had embarrassed her way back,and he's doing the same thing now with this... successful scare he's pulling off
Her mind was racing. The gate had been locked. She was sure of it. Or had she been careless? Had she left it slightly open while taking out trash days ago? Had he been watching?
The thought made her stomach twist.
Then....a loud bang from the sitting room.
Another voice. Firm and familiar...while the others don't add up "Step away from that door."
Femi's voice rose instantly. "Who are you?! This is between me and my woman! Don't interfere...! She's just upset. You can leave!"
Another bang. Struggle. Feet shuffling. Aduni's heart slammed against her ribs.
She recognized the calm voice now.
Tade.
Then another, heavier voice joined. Controlled. Authoritative. "Police. Put your hands where I can see them."
And a third voice, lighter but edged with excitement. "Ah ah. So this is the romantic hero?" Romantic hero...? Aduni wonders who was that and what he meant by that...
The bedroom door stopped shaking, she finally let a soft breathe out.
Silence again.
Then the sound of a body being pushed against the wall. Aduni slowly unlocked her door. Her hands trembled as she opened it.
The scene in her living room was chaos restrained by control. She suddenly feel proud for calling him rather than police who proves to be famous but untimely. Tade stood slightly forward, jaw tight, shoulders squared.
Behind him were two men she didn't recognize among his friends at Abel's party the other day. Probably his real friends or something. One tall, composed, eyes alert unmistakably law enforcement.
The other broader, arms folded like he was waiting for permission to break something.
Femi was pinned against the wall. His shirt rumpled.His eyes wild.
"You called people?" he shouted at her. "After everything we shared?!"
Aduni didn't answer immediately. She was shaking. They shared nothing but lies and deceit together, though she had been faithful to him, loving him like there's no other and where did that get her in the end. An harassment case with lots of drama to handle
"I'm shaking too much!"....She thought....it seems the drama is too much for her to handle
Her fingers curled into her palms. "You forced entry. You harassed her repeatedly. Do you want me to continue listing charges?" The fine police man broke her trance... pressing charges uhn... Aduni feels she should just let him go for old time sake.
Femi scoffed. "This is love! You people are overreacting!"
The boxing brother stepped closer, cracking his knuckles softly. "If that's love, I don't want to ever fall in love then you punk!."
Tade didn't look at Aduni yet, he was watching Femi, studying him, measuring danger imagining how weak the security around here is for someone unidentified to come in an harass a lady.
From her voice earlier she was really scared,she didn't sound like the bratty Aduni he knew. "You scared her," Tade said quietly.
There was something in his voice that made Femi resentful,that caring tone made him more vexed
Femi sneered. "And who are you? Replacement?" Tade's jaw ticked.
He didn't punch him even though he wanted to... thankful a pair of knuckles did the job
Just one clean, heavy hit to the stomach that folded Femi instantly, air left his body in a broken gasp.
The boxing brother really did a one swift job on him, something that would make him remember his grin and fist for life. The police brother caught him before he fell fully. "Enough," he said firmly. "We're not animals."
He pulled out handcuffs. Metal clicked gave Femi the reality check, he began to cry. A small regretful cry from a grown man is saddening to watch "I just wanted her back…" Aduni watched him.
This was the man she once loved or thought she did..it was clear they weren't meant for each other but she hoped for more back then, working everything out to make it all fall in place, but someone felt she's not enough and he needed more....
Now he looked like a stranger who had mistaken obsession for devotion.
The police brother turned to her. "Do you want to press charges?"
Her throat tightened, her voice came out steady but low. "If he ever comes near me again… I will."
The message was clear. One final compromise.... locking him up would ruin his remaining shread of mental stability left and she didn't want that for him....at least.
Femi was escorted out.
The door shut, and silence returned. She could have almost wished she had people around,the silence was killing and frightening. That night, Aduni did not sleep. Every small sound felt like intrusion. Every shadow looked like movement.
Her fear made her forget Tade who was there, watching every corner ready to strike when needed
Washing her face for the hundredth time,with a mental slap that she shouldn't break down and that she's safe...she finally came our of the room. Sighting Tade by the couch, she sat opposite him for a long time.
Neither speaking. Her arms wrapped around herself.
He noticed. "You're cold?" he asked.
"No," she replied. But she didn't uncross her arms.
After a while, she said quietly, "How did he find my address? I can't imagine him stalking me!"... Rubbing her face to seal her emotions failed. Her face frowned in fear.
Tade leaned forward slightly, elbows on knees. "Men like him don't find addresses," he said. "They track patterns."
She looked at him. "You think he was watching me?"
"I think he wasn't ready to lose control." The word control lingered.
Aduni swallowed. For the first time in years, she felt small, vulnerable, womanly. No warrior,no shield. Just a woman who had almost been overpowered in her own space.
"I don't feel safe here anymore," she admitted. The confession tasted bitter. Tade nodded immediately. "Then we move." She looked at him sharply. "It's not that simple." "It is," he replied. No hesitation.
Just certainty.The relocation happened within three days. Tade handled the logistics like a silent operation.
New apartment secured, payment sorted, movers arranged discreetly.
Even the landlord didn't ask too many questions. Aduni watched the process with quiet disbelief.
She was used to solving things alone, fixing things alone and standing alone,now someone was handling things without making her feel incapable. The first night in the new apartment felt strange. Empty. Fresh paint smell. Different walls. Different echoes.
She stood by the window, arms folded again.
Tade approached slowly. "You don't have to fight everything alone," he said.
She didn't look at him. "That's how I survived." He stepped closer, but not too close. "And how is that working for you now?" She turned to face him. Her eyes were tired,sharp and guarded " Thank you....!".. Feeling the need to add something she perceived important "Don't mistake appreciation for dependence, Tade."
He smiled faintly. "I won't."
A pause. Then, softer "But don't mistake care for weakness either." Her gaze lingered on him longer than usual.
Something had shifted. Not dramatic. Not romantic fireworks.Something deeper born out of respect, safety and gratitude. These are dangerous emotions flooding in for someone like Aduni
"You came with backup," she said lightly. "Very theatrical." Trying to change how tensed the air has gotten
He shrugged. "You said police. I brought police." "And the boxer?" she was beyond curious. What went in his head to think it's fine to bring a boxer... laughable but no.
A small smirk. "Insurance."
For the first time in days, she almost laughed.
Almost.
But then her expression changed.
"What do you want from me, Tade?"
There it was. It came direct,sharp... He didn't flinch. "I want peace around you," he said first.
Then, after a breath ...."And maybe… a chance." She studied his face.
Searching for manipulation,wild ambition,ego, unfortunately she found none. That unsettled her more.
"You're hoping for more," she said. She knows... there's no way he'll be around her hoping for a friendship or something smaller, something she can handle with schedules
"Yes." He didn't deny it. Her lips curved slightly. "You like difficult women."
"I like women who know they're difficult." Silence. But this one wasn't heavy. It was charged, careful and intentional. Aduni looked around her new living room.
New start with new walls . Old fears still crawling in corners. "I don't promise softness," she said quietly.
Tade stepped back slightly, giving her space. "I don't need softness," he replied. "I need honesty."
Their eyes locked. Outside, the city hummed normally.
Inside, something delicate was forming.
Not love.
Not yet. But a foundation built on fear survived and protection earned, and somewhere deep in Aduni's guarded chest, something unfamiliar began to grow
Not dependence.
Not surrender.
But the terrifying possibility of trust.