Did he really feel that way? Did people… actually stay that in love?
Maybe, she mused quietly. Maybe some people get lucky.
It was refreshing, at least, to see an older couple wear their affection like a second skin. Their warmth didn't feel forced. It didn't feel like a performance.
And maybe that was why it made her chest ache just a little.
Once upon a time, this had been the dream she had built with Maduabuchi. A life of quiet smiles, effortless closeness.
And it had crumbled. Like a sandcastle caught in the tide.
She didn't let the sigh escape her lips, but it weighed heavily in her chest.
Still, she stood tall, smiled, and no one could see that beneath the shimmer of her gown, she was quietly mourning a version of love she might never get to live.
"What's wrong?" Chibuzor asked, his voice low, leaning in just enough for only her to hear.
He had been watching her. Maybe too closely.
