The next few days passed in a blur. Adanna threw herself into her work, trying to forget the look on Damilola's face as he walked out the door. But no matter how hard she tried, the weight of her guilt hung over her like a cloud she couldn't escape.
Her phone had been buzzing constantly with messages from both Ebuka and Damilola, but she ignored them all. She wasn't ready to face either of them yet. She didn't know how to fix what she had broken, and the thought of choosing between the two of them felt like an impossible decision.
At the office, things weren't much better. Chinwe had noticed her distraction and had been pressing her for details, but Adanna wasn't ready to talk about it. She couldn't bear the thought of anyone else knowing how badly she had messed things up.
But the reprieve didn't last long. One afternoon, as she was preparing for a major presentation, her phone buzzed with a message that sent her world crashing down.
We need to talk. Urgent.
It was from Chinwe. Adanna's heart raced as she opened the message, a sense of dread washing over her.
I heard about Ebuka. We need to discuss this before the firm hears.
Adanna's blood ran cold. How had Chinwe found out? And worse, how much did she know?
Without thinking, Adanna grabbed her bag and rushed out of the office, her mind racing. If the firm found out about her personal entanglements, it could ruin everything. Not just her relationship with Damilola, but her entire career.
As she sped through the bustling streets of Abuja, her thoughts swirled in a chaotic whirlwind. The life she had carefully built, the professional success she had worked so hard for, and the personal connections that mattered to her were all on the verge of collapsing.
When she finally reached Chinwe's office, she burst through the door, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. "What did you hear?"
Chinwe looked up from her desk, her expression serious. "Adanna, sit down."
"I don't have time for this," Adanna snapped, pacing the room. "Just tell me what you know."
Chinwe sighed, leaning back in her chair. "People are talking, Adanna. There are rumors about you and Ebuka. It's only a matter of time before the higher-ups hear about it."
Adanna's stomach twisted into knots. This was worse than she had imagined. If the firm caught wind of her personal drama, her reputation could be irreparably damaged. She had worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to let it all slip away because of one mistake.
"What do I do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Chinwe stood up, walking around the desk to stand in front of her. "You need to fix this, Adanna. Whatever is going on with Ebuka, end it. Now. And you need to repair things with Damilola before it's too late."
Adanna nodded, though inside, she felt like she was being torn apart. Fixing things with Damilola would mean letting go of Ebuka, and the thought of that made her heart ache. But Chinwe was right. She couldn't let her personal life destroy everything she had worked for.
"I'll handle it," Adanna said, her voice steadier now.
Chinwe placed a hand on her shoulder, offering a small smile. "You'll be fine, Adanna. But you need to act fast before things spiral out of control."
Adanna nodded, but the weight in her chest only grew heavier. How could she fix this when she barely knew how to handle her own emotions? Damilola's hurt, Ebuka's persistence, the rumors at the firm—it all felt like a noose tightening around her.
After leaving Chinwe's office, Adanna sat in her car for a long time, staring blankly into space.Everything had appeared so clear a few months ago: a successful career, a stable relationship with Damilola, and a future that seemed set in stone. But now, the ground had shifted beneath her feet, and she was struggling to find her balance.
Her phone buzzed again—this time, it was Damilola.
Can we meet? I'm ready to talk.
She inhaled deeply, her hands trembling as she typed out her reply. Yes. Tonight.
They met at their usual spot—a quiet restaurant in Maitama where they'd shared countless dinners. But tonight, the air between them was different. It was heavy with everything unsaid, and Adanna could feel the weight of Damilola's gaze as she sat across from him.
He didn't waste time with small talk. "I've been thinking a lot," he began, his voice steady but filled with an undercurrent of sadness. "About us. About everything."
Adanna swallowed hard, her throat tight. "Damilola, I—"
He held up a hand, stopping her. "Let me finish." His eyes, usually so warm and full of affection, were clouded with hurt. "I don't know if we can go back to how things were, Adanna. I love you, but I can't pretend this didn't happen."
Adanna's heart sank. She had known this was coming, but hearing it said aloud made it real in a way she hadn't been ready for.
"I didn't want to hurt you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I never meant for things to get this complicated."
"I know," Damilola said softly. "But they did."
Silence hung between them for a long moment, and Adanna could feel the distance growing wider. She wanted to reach out, to bridge the gap, but she didn't know how.
"Do you still want to be with him?" Damilola's question cut through the silence, sharp and painful.
Adanna looked down at her hands, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice breaking. "I care about him, but… I don't want to lose you."
Damilola exhaled, a long and tired sigh. "You already have, Adanna. You lost me the moment you let him into your heart."
Adanna felt the sting of his words, but she knew they were true. No matter how much she loved Damilola, she had let someone else into the space that had once belonged solely to him. And now, they were both paying the price.
"I need time," Damilola said, his voice softer now. "Time to figure out if I can move past this. If we can rebuild what we had."
Tears welled up in Adanna's eyes, but she blinked them away, trying to hold herself together. "I understand."
Damilola reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "I love you, Adanna. But love isn't always enough."
With those words, he stood up, leaving Adanna alone at the table. As she watched him walk away, the weight of her choices crashed down on her, and she knew that nothing would ever be the same.