We did not speak during the drive.
The city lights blurred past us like ghosts. My hands trembled in my lap, clutching the small travel bag as if it held my entire life because maybe it did.
Chinedu kept his eyes on the road, jaw set, silence heavy between us.
We crossed the bridge at midnight.
By the time we reached the safe house a small flat in the quiet outskirts of town I could barely feel my legs.
He parked and turned to me.
"You are safe now."
I nodded.
But I did not feel safe.
Not yet.
Inside, the flat smelled of dust and old furniture, there was only one mattress, a broken fan, and an oil lamp casting gold shadows on the wall.
Chinedu dropped his keys on the table.
"You can take the bed," he said.
"So can you."
He paused, then offered a tired smile. "We will share it, then."
I smiled back.
We did not touch.
We lay side by side, staring at the ceiling like strangers lost in the same storm. His breathing calmed me more than his words ever could.
But sleep never came.
Too many questions.
Too many fears.
Too much love and nowhere to put it.
By morning, i was already sitting by the window when he woke up.
His eyes found mine instantly.
"You did not sleep."
"Neither did you."
He sat beside me.
"What now?" I asked.
"I have been thinking about that all night."
His fingers brushed mine. "There is a friend of mine in Abuja, he runs a catering business, he owes me a favor, i can talk to him maybe get you a fresh start."
"You'd leave me here?"
His expression softened. "I will never leave you, I just want you to have options."
I looked down at my lap. "What if I don't want options?"
"Tomiwa…"
"I want you."
He did not answer with words.
He kissed me.
Slowly, deeply like he was pouring every unsaid thing into that one moment.
And I kissed him back.
We made breakfast with things we bought the night before, bread, eggs, tea.
It wasn't fancy.
But it tasted like peace.
Like hope.
Like something new.
We spent the day making plans.
He will find a way to retrieve my ID from the mansion without raising suspicion. I will change my number, maybe cut my hair. We agreed to lay low for a few weeks.
But just when the day began to feel normal…
My phone buzzed.
A private number.
I let it ring.
Then a message came in.
"You can't run forever."
No name.
No signature.
But I knew.
I showed Chinedu the message.
His face darkened.
"We need to move."
"But where?"
"I will call someone, i will handle it."
That night, I packed again.
Chinedu was outside making calls when I found something tucked under the pillow.
A single white rose.
No note.
Just the flower.
Fresh.
Fragrant.
Deliberate.
I did not scream.
I did not cry.
I just walked out onto the balcony, held the rose in my hand, and crushed it.
Petal by petal.
Because whoever left it wanted to scare me.
And for the first time, i refused to be scared.
Later, Chinedu came in, eyes alert.
"We are leaving tonight."
"Where?"
"There is a small town past Enugu. Quiet. Safe. We can stay there for now."
I nodded. "Okay."
He stepped closer.
"Whatever happens, we stay together."
"Always," I whispered.
And for the first time since this began…
I believed him.