‘It’s over, James….’ Maria’s voice was barely a whisper, her hair messy and streaked with something dark.. The look in her eyes was that of unfulfilled satisfaction. James looked at her in shock, like he couldn’t believe the present situation. He stared at her lips, the necklace on her—the one he once gave her—and her dark eyes. ‘Why?’ he managed to stutter as he gasped quickly. ‘You hurt me!’ Maria replied, her voice filled with deep resentment that hung heavy in the air. It was a bright night, with the moon shining on them like a sharp contrast to what was happening. ‘I love you, Maria… even now.’ James stammered as he stared up into the bright moon with a heavy sigh. The moon’s reflection glinted on his eyeballs as he took his final breath, she leaned closer and whispered, “See you on the other side,” before standing up quickly. She stared at him for ages before walking off to her car. As she drove off with her heart in her mouth, it was starting to rain.
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Maria and James had dated for 8 years before Their once enviable love slowly crumbled into resentment. It all began the day Maria discovered James sharing an intimate moment with her younger sister, Tinel. She and Tinel were inseparable before the incident. Tinel was a final-year art student at a leading university in Nigeria. Since the passing of their parents at a very tender age, Maria had to take on the mantle of parenting even if she was just five years older than Tinel. Maria was the sole sponsor of Tinel’s education with her cosmetics business. Maria was a BBL specialist making quite some money as she could afford a semi-detached 2-bedroom duplex in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. She was home early one afternoon due to her early-stage pregnancy when she caught her sister and her boyfriend having intimacy in her bedroom. ‘Baby… I can explain’ James’ plea infuriated her as she stared disappointedly at both her sister and her boyfriend. The two people she loved the most in her life had just betrayed her. She felt her world crashing heavily at her as thick betrayal filled the air.
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‘Tinel… how could you?’ She asked her sister with a shaky voice as a nauseous feeling rose in her chest. Her sister looked at her unconcerned and said, ‘Well… I love James! I have always loved and will always love him. Why do you always have the best things?’ ‘What…’ Maria had responded, speechless. ‘Yes, I deserve the best things too. And before you gaslight me that you sponsored my education, feeding, blah blah blah, just know that you are not all that’ Tinel responded without an iota of remorse. James broke the silence while attempting to hug Maria, ‘Babe… I am very sorry. It was a mistake…’ “Don’t touch me!” Maria exclaimed sharply, her heart pounding as she turned to her sister. “Get out of my house!” she shouted, her voice trembling with anger. “Gladly!” Tinel retorted, her words like a slap to Maria’s face.
In a heated exchange, emotions spiraled out of control. Maria, overwhelmed, lost her footing and fell hard. The impact was severe, and she fainted, facing a heartbreaking loss.
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The days that followed were incredibly difficult for Maria as she mourned the loss of her baby and the love she once cherished. James was her only hope in love and that was gone. She felt the deep sting of betrayal tugging at her heart with every passing moment. Her sister had left her house and moved in with James. To worsen matters, James only drove her to the hospital and dumped her there. No one checked up on her, not even her sister who had hurt her. She had to recover all alone and stay alive with the doctors’ help.She vowed to seek justice for the pain she endured and make James and Tinel face the consequences. After all, she thought aloud on her way home, life had lost its meaning. The house which was once a bubbling place filled with love and liveliness seemed dry with it’s atmosphere heavy with memories. The shadows that clouded her mind were darker than those of the household items casted on the wall around her as she cried herself to sleep every night and woke up with a heavy heart.
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Even her business suffered with her absence as she left its operations in the hands of her personal assistant. Her mental health had reached its breaking point as she soil herself within the lonely embrace of her house as days went by. All she did was cry and stalk James and her sister online. Her sister, Tinel, on the other hand did not hesitate to post videos and pictures of herself and James having fun on social media. It was as if Tinel knew that her elder sister would be watching. It broke her heart more to see that in those social media posts, James seemed to be happy with Tinel. What did I do wrong? Am I ugly? What’s so special about Tinel? Why did James betray me after 8 years? She asked herself rhetoric questions.She resolved to seek justice for herself, no matter the cost. After all, what was life without James? she wondered bitterly. But then, another thought crossed her mind — maybe life would be even better without James in it. She thought again.
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She then took on a new ‘responsibility’ for both Tinel and James. If I can’t be happy, they can’t too! She thought to herself as she planned her revenge. Maria stepped out of her house for the first time in weeks one evening with a resolution in her heart. Come what may, I don’t care what happens! She didn’t care about the consequences of her intending actions as she started her car and drove off to her favourite restaurant to get a good meal. As she stepped into the restaurant, her heart dropped as her eyes met with James and Tinel having lunch at her favourite table… the one in which she and James had their first date… and their frequent dates. She felt a surge of heaviness rise within her, so intense that the room seemed to spin beneath her feet. Tinel glanced at her, giggled, and kissed James on his cheeks.
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Maria walked on to a seat at a corner of the restaurant and beckoned on a waiter who took her order. As she tried to keep her calm, James on the other hand seemed uneasy. Maria tried to ignore the tensed atmosphere around her and listened to music from her headset. She was lost in thought when she felt a shadow casted upon her. She looked up and saw a handsome young man standing in front of her. ‘Hi. May I join you?’ He asked in a baritone voice. ‘He is one nice handsome man! But they are all the same!’ She thought to herself. ‘Young lady…. I’m sorry to bother…..’ He said feeling sad to have disrupted her peace. ‘You may sit if you want to!’ Maria replied with a bit of dismissiveness in her tone. The handsome man sat with her giving her the most heartwarming smile. ‘Why did you do that?’ she asked vulnerably. ‘Do what?’ he asked. ‘Smile at me even when I was dismissive?’ She replied. He smiled and replied, ‘Because I understand that your reaction might be due to some storms in your life. I could be your friend and help you calm them.’
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As Mariam and the handsome man engaged in a conversation over lunch, James was overwhelmed with jealousy and unease. Despite all he had caused her, he certainly didn’t want any other man close to her. He didn’t seem to care that Tinel was with him that moment. Everything Tinel was saying to him seemed to fade off his concentration. He wanted one thing – Men away from Maria. He kept glancing at Maria and the man with her. His selfish heart sank to see the man making her smile. ‘What is that guy saying to her to make her smile?’ he thought within himself as he came to the realization that he had lost her. He glanced at Tinel in front of him chatting away and felt a sudden heaviness within him. ‘Can you keep mute for a minute!’ he retorted. Tinel who was visibly upset retorted ‘Why are you staring at her? Your focus should be me now!’ Then, she stood up sharply and made her way to the restroom. As he watched her stormed away, he stood uneasy and wandered to a nearby sofa in the restaurant.
‘It was nice talking to you, Stanley… But I need to take my leave now’ Maria said to the handsome man with a dry smile on her face. ‘Certainly, I could drop you off… If you don’t mind.’ Stanley responded with a smile. ‘Oh never mind! I drove myself here in my car. Thanks for offering anyway.’ Maria told him. Stanley nodded and pressed further, ‘If you ever need a friend to talk to, I am one to consider’ He offered her his digital business card which she took reluctantly from him. ‘Thank you’ She stood up and Stanley walked her to her car. She got into her car and stared at him. Beneath sad countenance was a spark of gratitude. As she drove off, Stanley’s heart was filled with hope. He felt she was special and should belong somewhere safe…. in his arms. He knew she was going through some tough times but he didn’t know what it was. All he knew was that he was going to be there for her and love her deeply. He was drawn to her the moment she stepped into the restaurant earlier that day. Although he could see that she seemed burdened, he still mustered the courage to speak with her. As Maria drove home with a blank stare on her face, her mind thought of a lot of things.
The next few days after felt empty with each passing second. She was losing her mind and felt really helpless about it. Seeing her sister and ex-fiancee destabilized her more than she would have ever imagined. It took all her willpower not to break down at the restaurant or cause a scene. Seeing Tinel taunt her on purpose made her question if they were really sisters. Thinking of it brought tears to her eyes as she felt like life was meaningless. She didn’t even respond to Stanley’s messages nor did she pick his calls. She was in an emotional turmoil and felt very down. Then came one afternoon when she had just had a long bath to cool her tensed muscles, she heard a knock on her main door. She wondered who it must be to have accessed her gate to get to her main door. It’s my P.A! She thought to herself as that is the only person who had checked in on her a few times to fill her in with updates on her business and to keep her company. She had once given her P.A a spare key to the house. She didn’t treat her like a mere employee but like an acquaintance. The knocks on the door jolted her from her thoughts into reality. ‘Rita, since you have a key with you, you might as well come in!’ She called out as she opened the door sharply. Her heart almost jumped out of her mouth when she saw who it was.
There he was, standing in the doorway like he had the right to be there. Maria felt a deep feeling of irritation and something else she could not describe. ‘What are you doing here!’ she snapped, her heart racing. James stood there watching her, his eyes an icy stare clouded with desire…. for her. ‘Won’t you invite me in, huh love?’ he asked with that husky voice she knew. Maria felt a wave of anger swell within her as she tried to shut the door. But he quickly caught the door and stepped inside before she could.
