š¦ IMANI'S POV
If I'm being honestā¦
I didn't fall in love immediately.
It started small.
Too small to notice.
Daniel wasn't loud.
He didn't try too hard.
He didn't chase me the way other men did.
And maybe that was what drew me in.
"Why are you always so serious?" he asked me one afternoon at work, leaning slightly on the counter.
"I'm not serious," I replied, not even looking at him.
"You are," he insisted. "You act like you're carrying the whole of Warri on your head."
I scoffed. "If you know what Warri is like, you'll understand."
He smiled. "Try me."
That was how it started.
He would show up in my cubicle with no real reason.
"colleague," he would say casually.
But we both knew he didn't come for anything.
"Imani, you don chop?" he asked one day.
"I'll eat later."
"You always say that."
"I always mean it."
He shook his head. "You no dey take care of yourself."
I finally looked at him. "And you do?"
He smiled softly. "I'm trying."
"Hmmmm" I responded
He wasn't perfect.
He didn't pretend to be.
And slowlyā¦
I let my guard down.
The First Time I Cooked for Him
It wasn't planned.
I had made jollof rice that morning, with fried plantain and chicken, with zobo drink, one of my favorite.
Simple.
But I took my time with it.
Cooking and baking had started becoming my escape.
The kitchen was the only place my mind rested.
The dough kneading, the mixing of flour and sugar, creating something beautiful,
The sound of oil sizzling.
The smell of spices coming together.
The feeling of creating something from nothing.
That day, I packed a small portion.
I don't even know why.
When I gave it to him tha day, I tried to act normal.
"I made food. You can take if you want."
He looked at it, then at me. "You cooked this?"
"Yes."
"For me?"
I shrugged. "Don't make it a big deal."
He tasted it right there.
And went quiet.
My heart started beating fast.
"Is it bad?"
He shook his head slowly.
"Noā¦" he said, almost like he was surprised. "It'sā¦ really good."
Something inside me warmed.
"You're lying," I said.
"I'm not."
He took another spoon.
Then another.
"You don't understand," he added. "This tastes likeā¦ home, the drink oh it's been long I tasted sweet zobo, all the ones I buy is just water and sugar, but this one you made tastes natural, you can feel the taste of ginger and taste of pineapple, it's the best I've tasted in a long time "
That word did something to me.
Home.
We Became Something
Not immediately.
Not clearly.
But we became something.
Even Olivia noticed.
"You like him," she said one day as we closed from work.
"I didn't say that."
"You don't have to say it. It's written all over your face."
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling.
"He makes me feelā¦ calm," I admitted quietly.
Olivia nodded. "Just be careful."
I waved her off. "You worry too much."
Looking back nowā¦
She was right to.
At home, it was harder to hide.
"You're smiling at your phone," Favour said one evening, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
smirking. "Alright. When you're ready to tell me, I'll be here."
Abraham wasn't as gentle.
"Who is he?" he asked bluntly one night.
I froze. "Who?"
"Don't play dumb," he said, his eyes fixed on me. "There's someone."
I sighed. "It's nothing serious."
He didn't look convinced.
"Imani," he said slowly, "don't let any man come and confuse your life."
"I know what I'm doing."
He held my gaze for a few seconds longer.
Then nodded.
But I knewā¦
He didn't fully believe me.
My mum?
She was different.
She just watched.
"You're happy," she said one evening while we were in the kitchen together.
I paused.
"I think so."
She nodded slowly.
"Just be careful," she said softly. "Happiness can be fragile."
I didn't understand what she meant then.
ā¤ļøāš„MONTHS LATER ā¤ļøāš„
It didn't stay small.
It grew.
The calls became longer.
The visits became more frequent.
There were days we walked through Effurun market, arguing over nothing.
Days he would call while I'm in the kitchen cooking, talking about random things.
Days I laughed without thinking.
And for the first time in a long timeā¦
Life didn't feel like survival.
It feltā¦ soft.
Safe.
Or at leastā¦
That's what I thought.
The Shift
It started quietly.
Daniel began to withdraw.
Not completely.
Just in small ways.
Missed calls.
Delayed replies.
Random excuses.
"You've been distant," I said one evening.
"I've just been busy."
"You're always busy now."
He sighed. "Imani, don't start."
"Start what?"
"This thing you're doingā¦ overthinking."
I went quiet.
Because I didn't want to fight.
I didn't want to lose what we had.
So I ignored it.
When I'm not working I bake, meat pies, cakes, different pastries, I take the picture and post online as my side geek, praying to God I get recognized one day, cus I want to own a bakery, where people taste my products and savor the taste, I want to linger for them to want more, I want people to find comfort in my cooking after a long day at work, even with the stress they remember IMANI got me covered I'll just order from her.
I've been tired lately, no appetite, nauseous and feeling sleepy, Abraham came home this weekend saying he missed us and to spend some time with us
"Baby sis afa na? I go like chop those your baked things oo, I'm craving something sweet, please bake me something"
"Ahh big bro, this one wey you dey beg me like this, oya na I go do am for you, na because I love you oo"
"I love you too baby sis"
After baking, I kept some for Favour and Olivia, the will kill me if they found out I baked without keeping for them, I took some pictures and posted. Abraham praised me and told me I'll go places with my skill one day.
The next day Abraham was preparing to back to work, I was home, I took an off cause I had an excruciating migraine, it's that bad.
" Why are you not at work?" Abraham asked
" I have a headache "
" You don take drugs?"
" No but I'll "
"Ok, you will be fine, I drop some money on the table, get the things we need in the house, I can't send Favour, I don go"
His perfume hit my nose, and I immediately rushed to toilet, he followed me and held my back, patting it and telling me sorry, I rinsed my mouth and came out, he had an unreadable expression
" When was the last time you saw your period?" My mind flew, to think that I haven't thought of that, I was out breath, I got dizzy instantly.
" I... I..I can't remember" I starmermerd, if looks could kill, I would be 6ft under
" Go do test" so I left to by pregnancy test, I took it, and my world came crashing down, I had to tell Daniel.
Everything made sense.
And nothing made sense at the same time.
"I'm pregnant," I said, my voice trembling.
Daniel sat down slowly.
Ran his hands through his hair.
"Say something," I whispered.
"This is serious," he said.
"I know it's serious!" I snapped. "I'm the one carrying it"
He looked up at me.
"I didn't plan this," he said.
"Neither did I" I cried. "But it has happened, Daniel. So what now?"
Silence.
Then
"I'm married."
I felt like my soul left my body.
"You're lying."
"I wish I was."
"How long?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"Years."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" I shouted.
"I didn't think it would get this far!"
"But it did!" I cried. "You let it!"
He stood up.
"I care about you," he said.
I laughed bitterly. "Care? THIS is your care?"
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
"But you did," I whispered. "You did."
" So what do you want me to do Daniel?"
" I don't want to loose you baby, I swear but I'm not ready for a baby yet, but whatever you decide I'll go with it but please don't leave me me, I can't live without you"
What is this fool saying? He can't live without me? What about his wife and children? Or does he want me to be a second wife? No it can't be, I'll never stoop so low, I left there in a hurry, my mind blurry, his voice in distance calling for me and pleading, close to the house I saw a lady looking poised and beautiful, staring directly at me, wondering if I know I her from somewhere but I can't recall ever seeing her before, getting close to her.
"Hi good afternoon, my name is Joy, I can see why he loves you" staring at me, my chest was beating, this is Daniel's wife
"I've known for a while," she said calmly.
I stared at her.
"How?" I asked.
She smiled sadly. "Marriage teaches you thingsā¦ especially when something is wrong."
I swallowed hard.
"He changed," she continued. "Started coming home late. Smiling at his phone. Distant."
My chest tightened.
"I confronted him," she said. "At first he denied it. Thenā¦ he didn't."
Silence.
" you are extremely beautiful she added softly, "ā¦everything became clearer."
I couldn't breathe properly.
"He married me when I became pregnant with our first child, it was never out of love but pity, I did everything I could for him to love me but he just couldn't, he is not a bad father or husband he took care of our needs no questions asked, then you came he smiles more often, he was happy, I was also happy, if he is happy then I'm happy he doesn't believe in divorce but he told me he will make you his second wife, he wants to marry you ," she said.
"Marry me?" I whispered.
"Yes," she nodded. "Out of love. Responsibility. Not love."
Tears fell freely now.
"He loves you," she said gently.
That broke me more.
"But he won't leave me," she continued. "He doesn't believe in divorce."
She looked at me fully.
"And youā¦ you don't look like someone who will settle for being second."
I shook my head slowly.
"I didn't know," I said.
"I know," she replied.
And somehowā¦
That forgiveness hurt more than anger.
In the house
"I'm pregnant."
Silence.
"And the man is married."
"My God!" my mum screamed, grabbing her chest. "God why?! What did I do to deserve this?!"
She fell to the chair, crying loudly.
"Not my daughterā¦ not my childā¦ after everything I sufferedā¦ God, pleaseā¦"
Abraham stood up sharply.
"WHO IS HE?" he shouted.
"Bro calm down" Favour tried.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Abraham snapped. "Some useless man did this to my sister!"
He turned to me.
"Tell me his name, Imani," he said, his voice shaking with anger. "I swear I will go and deal with him!"
I stayed quiet.
Tears falling silently.
"I said tell me!" he shouted.
"Abraham stop!" Favour held him. "Violence won't fix anything!"
"It will make me feel better!" Abraham snapped.
Meanwhile, my mum was wailing.
"God punish that man! He will not know peace! He will suffer for this!"
Her voice broke as she cried harder.
"I carried youā¦ I raised youā¦ just for a man to destroy your life like this?!"
"Mama pleaseā¦" Favour said softly, holding her shoulders. "We'll figure it outā¦"
"How?" she cried. "How will we fix this?!"
Then....
"Wetin dey happen?!"
Olivia rushed in.
Her eyes widened as she saw the chaos.
"Mani?" she called, rushing to me. "Talk to me, what happened?"
"She is pregnant!" my mum cried. "And the man is married!"
Olivia froze.
Then slowlyā¦
She turned to me.
"Is it true?"
I nodded.
Her face hardened instantly.
"That Daniel?" she asked quietly.
Another nod.
"God go punish am," she said under her breath.
Then she held my hand tightly.
"You're not alone," she said firmly.
And in that momentā¦
Even in the middle of everything breakingā¦
I felt something hold me together.
That night changed everything.
Not just my situation.
But me.
Because for the first timeā¦
I understood something clearly
Love is not always safe.
And sometimesā¦
The person who makes you feel at homeā¦
Is the same person who leaves you homeless inside yourself.
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