As Morning came slowly,
stretching across the sky like someone painting light over darkness. Amara barely slept. Her eyes burned, her chest felt tight, and every thought returned to the same place.
Dapo's arms around another girl at the restaurant.
The image replayed again and again until it felt like a wound being reopened with a blade.
She sat up on the bed, hugging her knees, letting the weak sunlight fall across her face. The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. No sound from the kitchen. No early-morning knock from Dapo like he used to do whenever they fought.
He used to come immediately.
He used to stand by her door, whispering, "Amara, please open. I can't breathe when you're upset."
But today… nothing.
Silence.
The kind of silence that feels like goodbye.
A part of her wanted to ignore everything—to pretend she didn't care—but the truth pressed heavily in her chest.
She cared. Too much. And it scared her.
She dragged herself out of bed and went to the bathroom. Her reflection in the mirror looked like someone she didn't recognise. Eyes swollen. Hair messy. Heart shattered.
A soft knock sounded on her door.
Her breath caught.
For a second, she felt hope rise.
Could it be him?
But when she opened the door, it was Kemi.
"Amara…" Kemi's eyes softened immediately. "You look like someone who wrestled her emotions all night."
Amara forced a small smile. "Something like that."
Kemi stepped inside and sat on the bed. "Have you eaten?"
"No."
"Drank water?"
"No."
"Slept?"
"Does closing my eyes and seeing nonsense count?"
Kemi sighed. "Babe… you need to talk about this."
"I don't know what to say," Amara whispered. "I don't even understand what I'm feeling."
"You're feeling betrayed," Kemi said gently. "It's normal."
Amara swallowed. "But why does it hurt this much? We weren't even officially dating."
"Because your heart didn't need permission," Kemi replied softly.
The truth of that statement made Amara's chest tighten.
Yes… her heart didn't ask for approval before choosing him. It simply chose. Without warning. Without protection.
Kemi hesitated before speaking again. "Do you want to hear something?"
"What?"
"Dapo came here this morning. Around 6am. He knocked and waited. But when you didn't answer… he just sat on the stairs for a while."
Amara blinked. Her heart stumbled.
"He came?"
Kemi nodded. "He looked… broken, Amara. Like he hadn't slept either."
The information was both comforting and painful.
Why would he come if he didn't care?
Why would he look broken?
"What did he say?" Amara whispered.
"He only said, 'Please tell her I didn't lie.' Then he left."
Amara's eyes stung again. She sat down slowly, like her legs were no longer strong enough to carry her.
"He didn't lie," she murmured. "He just didn't explain."
Kemi touched her hand. "Amara… talk to him. Don't keep everything inside. Even if you don't want him back, at least get closure."
Amara inhaled shakily. "I don't know if I want him back."
"And that's okay," Kemi said. "You don't have to decide today."
But Amara knew she couldn't avoid Dapo forever. Not when every heartbeat whispered his name. Not when everything reminded her of him—the way he laughed, the way he held her waist with gentle confidence, the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the room.
She needed answers. She needed to breathe again.
After Kemi left, Amara sat for a long moment, staring at the wall.
Then she stood, grabbed her phone, and walked to the balcony.
She dialed Dapo's number.
It rang once.
Twice.
He picked on the third ring.
"Amara?" His voice was soft, strained… hopeful.
She closed her eyes, steadying herself. "Can we talk?"
"Please," he breathed. "I've been waiting for your call."
"Meet me at the garden behind the old church," she said. "Thirty minutes."
"I'll be there in ten."
The call ended.
Amara placed her phone down and let her hands shake freely. She didn't know what she was going to say to him. She didn't know how to control the storm inside her.
All she knew was that she needed to hear him explain.
To hear him speak the truth without hiding.
To see his face and decide for herself what her heart wanted.
When she stepped out of the house and felt the cool morning air on her skin, she whispered to herself:
"Whatever happens today… I will forgive. But I will never forget."
Because forgetting would mean pretending her heart had never been broken.
And that… she could never do.
She walked toward the garden. Toward the man who hurt her and the truth she wasn't sure she was ready to face.
But she kept walking.
Because love—real love—required answers.
And today, she was ready to hear his.