For the first time in months, I felt like I could breathe again. David’s laughter still echoed in my head as I prepared for bed that night. It wasn’t love, not yet but it was comfort. It reminded me that my life didn’t have to end with Tunde and Chioma’s betrayal.But Lagos has a way of reminding you that peace is temporary.The very next morning, my phone buzzed with a call from Chioma. I almost ignored it, but something inside told me to pick up.Her voice was shaky, almost desperate.“Amara, please… I need you. It’s urgent. I’m at the hospital.”

—At the Hospital

My heart skipped. Despite everything, I rushed to General Hospital Surulere. I found Chioma lying on a bed in the emergency ward, pale and weak.“Chioma, what happened?” I asked, my anger momentarily forgotten.She looked up at me with teary eyes. “I was bleeding… I thought I was going to lose the baby.”The words hit me like a slap. As much as I hated the situation, I didn’t wish her harm.The doctor later explained that it was a threatened miscarriage but that she and the baby were stable for now. Chioma clung to my hand, whispering, “Amara, please don’t leave me.”For a moment, the walls of betrayal blurred, replaced by the memory of our childhood bond. But just as quickly, reality snapped back. This wasn’t the same Chioma I had grown up with. She had broken me in ways I could never fully heal from.

—The Return of Tunde

As I sat beside Chioma, Tunde walked in. The sight of him made my blood boil. He rushed to her side, his eyes wide with worry.“Chi, are you okay?” he asked, ignoring me completely.She nodded weakly, and he kissed her forehead.I stood, my voice icy. “So this is your new life now? Taking care of the woman who ruined mine?”Tunde turned to me, his face filled with guilt. “Amara, please don’t make this harder. I didn’t plan for things to be this way.”I let out a bitter laugh. “Plan? Betrayal is never an accident, Tunde. It’s a choice.”He lowered his gaze, unable to meet my eyes.

—A Cold Decision

That night, as I walked home from the hospital, my mind was a storm. Seeing them together — my once-best friend and my ex-boyfriend — felt like salt on an open wound.But strangely, I also felt something else: release.Maybe this was the closure I needed. Tunde and Chioma deserved each other. And I deserved peace.

—David’s Steady Presence

In the weeks that followed, David’s presence in my life grew. He never pushed, never demanded. He simply showed up — with late-night suya after work, with encouragement when I felt down, with genuine laughter that warmed my soul.One evening, as we walked down the busy streets of Yaba, he stopped and looked at me.“Amara,” he said softly, “I don’t know what broke you, but I can see the pieces. And I want you to know… you don’t have to carry them alone.”For the first time since the betrayal, I felt tears in my eyes that weren’t from pain but from gratitude.

—A Twist I Didn’t See Coming

Just when I thought I was finally moving forward, my phone buzzed late one night. It was Chioma again.Her voice was trembling.“Amara, I don’t know who else to call… I think Tunde is hiding something from me. Something big.”I froze. Tunde hiding something?“Chioma, you expect me to care?” I asked bitterly.“Please,” she whispered. “I’m scared.”The irony wasn’t lost on me. After everything she had done, Chioma was now turning to me for help. But the fear in her voice was real.And against my better judgment, my curiosity was piqued.