When Chijioke returned home, the house felt emptier than ever. Obinna was sitting on the porch, holding Amarachi, who had finally fallen asleep.
"What did the elder say?" Obinna asked.
Chijioke sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping. "He said Nneoma is a spirit… and that she can't stay. She's gone, Obinna. She's really gone."
Obinna nodded solemnly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Chijioke. I wish there was something I could do."
For days, Chijioke grappled with his grief. The absence of Nneoma was a void that could not be filled. He searched the house for any sign of her—her scent, her touch, her voice—but she was truly gone.
And yet, Amarachi seemed strangely at peace. The little girl often babbled and laughed as though speaking to someone unseen. One afternoon, as Chijioke watched her play by the river, she looked up at him with her mother's eyes and said, "Mama is here. She says she loves you."
Chijioke's breath caught in his throat. He dropped to his knees, pulling Amarachi into a tight embrace. He didn't see Nneoma, but he felt her presence—a gentle breeze rustling through the trees, a warmth that enveloped him like an unseen hug.
Over time, Chijioke found solace in Amarachi's resilience. He threw himself into raising her, teaching her about the world and the mother who loved her deeply, even from beyond the veil.
Years later, on the anniversary of Nneoma's disappearance, Chijioke and Amarachi visited the riverbank where she had last been seen. Amarachi, now a vibrant young girl, knelt by the water's edge and placed a flower into the current.
"She's happy, Papa," Amarachi said with a smile. "She says thank you for loving her."
Chijioke felt tears sting his eyes, but they were no longer tears of sorrow. Instead, they were tears of gratitude—for the love he had shared with Nneoma, however brief, and for the gift of their daughter.
That night, as Chijioke drifted off to sleep, he dreamed of Nneoma. She stood before him, radiant and smiling, her arms outstretched.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."
When Chijioke awoke, he felt a peace he hadn't known in years. Though Nneoma was gone, her love remained—a quiet, unshakable presence in his heart and in the life of their extraordinary daughter