What is Samira's end game? What is she up to?The harm wey she don do Ogene never do am she wan do more harm'

mostob:
Bro.. I just weak.

Tire kini No tire ooo 😁😁

Oghene better arrange one or two for this Sarima. She is a devil incarnate for sure.
Thanks for the update OP

do4luv14


I dey suspect you ooo

That time Sarima off clothes go tempt bro Oghene , If Na you, you go don dive enter gear 52 😁😁😁


🤣🤣🤣🤣

sterlingD:
What is Samira's end game? What is she up to?The harm wey she don do Ogene never do am she wan do more harm'

As things hard for her na she been wan use the nonsense wey she do take blackmail am I guess

Nwiboko26:


As things hard for her na she been wan use the nonsense wey she do take blackmail am I guess

Samira plan don cast Ife don show and e be like sey Ife go full ground for Ogene and she no go room for any of such

You know, Rosemary33, when at the end of Temptations you said your next story was going to be a Christian romance with a dark villain, I was super excited and looking forward to it, and when I saw this story, I screamed "Finally!". Aside from waiting for the newly released seasons of The Boys, and House of the Dragons, I haven't waited with hunger for any story like I did yours.

But finally, en don land, and dem no born Devil well say I no mount. The mounting self pure because the story over do pass em self. E worth the wait 🙃.

There are writers, and there are WRITERS. You no need me to tell you where you belong 😌



#Xavier

Omor....... Just some few months off this platform, and my guy bro oghene don pass through all this shit? Well, God dey.

I don't like this at all, Rose!! This thing dey pain me gan ni

This ife of a girl, just dey provoke me.

Someone showed you love, was there when you were at your lowest end, and all the time, he was fighting his own personal demons, and yet, you still doubted that person!! Meenn..i tateire for her matter honestly.

Meanwhile, you aren't being fair to bro oghene at all, well, I'm not tripping, because that's, what we the male folks pass through every time

But Xavier5 be like i go dey book you for this platform o, must you be everywhere? And on every threads?

silverlinen:
Omor....... Just some few months off this platform, and my guy bro oghene don pass through all this shit? Well, God dey.

I don't like this at all, Rose!! This thing dey pain me gan ni

This ife of a girl, just dey provoke me.

Someone showed you love, was there when you were at your lowest end, and all the time, he was fighting his own personal demons, and yet, you still doubted that person!! Meenn..i tateire for her matter honestly.

Meanwhile, you aren't being fair to bro oghene at all, well, I'm not tripping, because that's, what we the male folks pass through every time

But Xavier5 be like i go dey book you for this platform o, must you be everywhere? And on every threads?

Actually, I've not been active on Nairaland three to four months now. It's this story that brought me out of my closet 😎


#Xavier

Xavier5:
You know, Rosemary33, when at the end of Temptations you said your next story was going to be a Christian romance with a dark villain, I was super excited and looking forward to it, and when I saw this story, I screamed "Finally!". Aside from waiting for the newly released seasons of The Boys, and House of the Dragons, I haven't waited with hunger for any story like I did yours.

But finally, en don land, and dem no born Devil well say I no mount. The mounting self pure because the story over do pass em self. E worth the wait 🙃.

There are writers, and there are WRITERS. You no need me to tell you where you belong 😌



#Xavier

Hi!!! Xavier. This is not the story with the dark villain o. I have finished that one but didn't write it here. I published it some months ago. When the print copies are out in Nigeria, I fit run a give away with free copies here .

Butt I am super glad you are here and enjoying this story. It's been a while

Twenty-two
Oghene

I hate that in this country, one must possess slight madness like one didn’t have a choice or people would cheat you, ride on you and think it was okay to do all that. Anyway, I decided to manifest my own craze today, after I’d put a call across to Akanelu and uttered just a few words;

“Guy, I go wan make you arrange congo men for me. Contact that your solder brother for me.” I was ready to fight this my way and make nobody beg me o. Since everybody wan use me practice madness, make all of us mad together. That was the thing about madness, there was no measuring tool to know who get craze pass. So, it was always a risk to show you were mad cos you’d never know who was madder.

I’d left the house when I did for two reasons; I needed to get away from Ife as fast as my insane mind could allow because...what was that I'd done to her? Wasn’t I supposed to be angry at her for doubting my innocence?

I didn’t expect her to walk into the room when she did. In fact, I thought she left! When I turned and she was standing there, her face a silent plea, I’d wanted to explain what happened to her. I wanted her to listen to my side of the story and, believe me even if it was just a bit.

Then she told me she was confused. She wasn’t ready to hear me out. She was scared...I saw it in her eyes when I took steps towards her. She had made to run. And I’d grabbed her.

I didn’t plan to pin her against the wall with my body, neither did I plan my lips touching her temple, kissing her brow, my tongue tracing down her neck. I only peeked through the keyhole of her heart through the shocking gasp that escaped her throat and the shuddering of her body and what I found there...It was like glimpsing at her stripping. Underneath the fear that was so prominent was something hungry, something desperate, something so vulnerable. There and then, I wanted to prove to her that I wasn’t a bad guy. I’d never been. I wanted to tell her how much I loved and adored and respected her.

It hurt me that she would be scared of me after the times we’d been together, and I wanted to reassure her. Unfortunately, I ended up embarrassing myself.
Those things I saw to her, where did they come from? Ah, Oghene meh! Was I on something? Yes. Stupidity. The strongest drug of all.

I knew when her breath changed to that of longing even though she was unsure, and when her whimper morphed from that of fear to need. It was those low sounds, the heat coming off her with urgency, the sudden scent of longing mixed with her apprehension I perceived that got me completely and irrevocably in lust; which made me impassive to our other emotions. Mine rage and desperation for her to believe and trust me. Her’s fear and uncertainty.

God, I didn’t want to remember that embarrassment again, that line between control and the loss of it that was thin as a whisper. But I couldn’t get rid of it or push it to the back of my memory no matter how much I tried. The softness of her skin, her whimper like a soft moan. Her first gasp gaze, though out of fear, was the most sensual thing she could have done that moment, and it jolted my heart into a strange rhythm, leaving me weak. It had remained in the forefront of my head as I hurried out of the house, boarding a taxi to Shukudi’s house. Those few moments of unplanned, embarrassing intimacy would not just vanish from my head, and my heart would not stop the riotous beating it began from the moment I grabbed her and pinned her to the wall. I needed to pin her against the wall again, but this time, I desired that her hands would wrap around me while she forgot everything that had planted fear and distrust of me in her heart for a minute or longer, as she grabbed my head, pulling in, wetting my face with kisses.

God, I was getting lost again. Sure say I no need deliverance like this?

The second reason why I left the house, thankfully, was to excuse a plan. It didn’t take Akan’elu long to contact his brother and put in a word for me. In less than half an hour, I got a call from a police officer who had been contacted by Akanelu’s brother—a lieutenant colonel—concerning my case. After a few questions, the officer demanded Sarima’s address.

That was where the problem arose. I didn’t know Sarima’s house address or where she might be at the moment, and the officer insisted that the arrest had to be made tonight, for reasons best known to him.

It was Ezioma’s idea to call Sarima and convince her to meet with me so we could fix things.

To our surprise, it worked perfectly. Not only did we get her address, but we also got a confession.

“I didn't mean to cause any trouble. It’s just that... I don’t know what came over me that night. When I left your house and went to see the pastor’s wife, she called me. She heard about my divorce and wanted to see me. I told her I spent the night at your place, and... she asked me... I don’t know what happened... why I said those things about you...”

As she spoke, her voice trembled, and she sobbed between words. She explained how, when things escalated, she couldn’t take her words back. The shame of being called a liar was too much for her, so she preferred to let me take the fall. What was it about me that made people see me as an easy target for their wickedness? First, it was Eserovwe’s mama, now Sarima.

With each word she spoke, something twisted tighter and tighter in my heart until I couldn’t hold it any longer. I tapped the phone’s speaker, dropped it on the sofa, got up, and began pacing Shukudi’s sitting room with my hands on my head.

She must have realized that I was no longer listening. “Hello... hello? Are you there?” she called out.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It could have been Shukudi or Ezioma; I didn’t know. But I heard Juoshi nudging me to continue, to ask her about her visit today.

“Ask her why she came,” Juoshi whispered. The smallie wasn’t supposed to know about this, but at this point, there was no hiding it from her.

“Bro Oghene, are... are you still—”

“Sarima,” I interrupted, swallowing hard to regain my composure. “Why were you really at my house today?”

The line went silent for a moment, then her voice came through, more fragile than before. “I came because... I wanted to see you. I wanted to... make things right. I know you didn’t want to see me, but I thought... if I came over, you wouldn’t send me away. You’re a good man. I couldn’t live with what I’d done. The guilt was eating me alive. Please, Oghene, believe me. I didn’t come to hurt you again. I came to confess and beg for your forgiveness.”

But she saw Ife in my house, and something snapped inside her. Was it jealousy? Was she hoping to meet me alone so she could try again to seduce me and trap me in some unplanned situation? Did she have feelings for me, and seeing Ife made her panic so much that she decided to do anything to dismiss her?

It was ridiculous. I never had an eye for Sarima from the beginning. She dated Abraham and left him for another man. Now she was single again, and Abraham had no space for her as he was now married. Why must I be the one to bear the brunt?

“I was shocked to see that sister in your house, and... she was asking me a lot of questions...”

My insides sank. My knees too. So, I sat on the ground, leaning my back against the center table. I thought I knew what pain felt like. I thought pain was me standing before the church council members while they condemned me because of a lie. That was nothing. This, this was pain. The ache in my chest and behind my eyes as I listened to her tell the truth. The knowing that things will never be the same again. This incident had forever changed the way I view people, I suppose.

“Sarima,” I said, my voice trembling with fury and pain, “do you have any idea what...” Shukudi’s firm grip on my shoulder made me pause. I looked at him and caught the message he was trying to pass to me without words. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. “Tell me where you are so I can come and meet you there.”

My chest was tightened with the memories of sleepless nights, the whispers behind my back, the shame and humiliation—all because of her lies. It was difficult to not let out a scream, to not allow the dam of my emotions to break. But that would spoil everything. I wanted justice, not her apology. And this was my only chance to make her pay for the pain and shame she caused me, my chance to clear my name.

She began to sob uncontrollably. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could take it all back. You’re a good man. I wish I had gotten to know you better all these years. You would have treated me better than Abraham and... and—”

She dey mad.

It was almost nine o’clock when we arrived at the state’s CID. We made our entry, and submitted Sarima’s address, along with the recorded conversation we had.

Agu met us on our way out and joined the ride to make the arrest. As we pulled up to Sarima’s house, my heart pounded in my chest. I knocked on the door, and when she opened it, she was beaming with a wild smile, a smile that vanished instantly when she saw three of the four policemen who had come for the arrest closing in on her.

“What’s going on?” she stammered, backing away.

Can someone please tell me the legitimate time when it would be okay to punch someone in the face? I was almost tempted to do that when she asked that question, but I stepped away to give the officers access into her house where she’d stepped in and was trying to shut the door.

When they finally brought her out, with her hands cuffed. She looked at me, her eyes widened with shock and fear. “Oghene, please. Abeg nau...I swear it was the devil’s work! I wasn’t thinking well. Please, for the sake of God!”

...It was quite late when I returned home, and Ife was still there. Despite that I ordered her to leave, despite the embarrassing moment that proceeded to my leaving, she had stayed, and for some reason I was happy she stayed.

“You didn’t leave?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied, getting up. I stared at her for a moment, then moved to place my palm on her cheek. “Thank you,” I said.


Twenty-two
Ife

His hand on my skin was cold, as was his stare, and his walk was laden with exhaustion.

“Thank you,” he said so casually that it infuriated me.

How could he just walk in looking like that and casually ask if I didn’t leave? How dare he keep me worried, waiting and wondering where he’d gone, checking my phone every now and then for any message from him, looking out the window like a new wife desperate for the return of her husband? Should I tell him that I’d left the house when it was getting late and there was no sign of him, walking up and down the street in search of him? How I wished I had a number to call and inquire about his whereabouts, how I’d felt so foolish for not collecting his friend’s wife’s number or that of her sister-in-law when they came to visit me when I was unwell. I would have called then to inquire about his way about.

“I-I was... worried,” I said.

He turned his head toward me and froze. I had never seen him so still—or so quiet. His shock was so thorough and intense that his phone slipped out of his hand and fell on the floor, and he picked it up.

Why was he shocked that I was worried about him?
And what would he say if I told him that he almost turned me into my mother, who, each time she had a fight with my father and he left home at night, would sit on the heap of sand in front of our house waiting for him? When there was no sight of my father after some time, she would tighten the wrapper around her chest, pick up a rechargeable torch, and go in search of him. I had found such ridiculousness unacceptable. Why would I go in search of a grown man who left his house because he didn’t want to confront his problem with his wife? But tonight, I couldn’t help my anxiety. Maybe because I was mad at Oghene like my mother was at her husband. And that was because I loved him.

God, I loved him so much. And I missed him. I missed him. He’d only been gone for hours, but it felt like longer.

“You were worried about me?” he asked.

I sighed, staring down at my feet before looking back up at his face. "You have no idea," I said. He had no idea how much I wanted to grab him, shake him, and slap his face for walking away when he did, leaving me confused, needy, and... worried. I also wanted to kiss him, weep on his shoulders, and tell him that despite my initial disorientation, I had thought about it and believed him. I could trust him because he was right. If he were the rapist he was accused of being, I wouldn't be safe with him. Time and time again, since he brought me to his place, we had reached the brink of giving in to our desires, yet he had always shown restraint

I knew I wouldn't have resisted anything he wanted to do with me because I craved him so much. All of him—his body, his heart, his soul. He turned me inside out with the way he looked at me like it physically hurt him not to be touching me, and he destroyed me with the little gestures he made. And I had to admit, as much as I hoped he would too, that he was sexy as hell. A little reserved, innocently wild—judging from what he said to me when he pinned me to the wall earlier—and all honorable.
"
I'm sorry," he said. "I went out to do what I should have done when all this started. Now, I think I can finally rest."

I asked what it was he did. Reluctantly, he returned to the sitting room, sat down, and told me about the call, the confession, the arrest. The recorded phone conversation was the last straw that shattered my self-control. I had never felt like fighting someone as much as I did then. And I listened, boiling inside. Goodness! How could a woman be so wicked to someone who did nothing to her? No backstory... nothing.

"Bro Oghene," I sighed. "What am I supposed to say to that?"

"Say you believe me. Say you know I didn't do it. Say—"

"Do you need me to pay her a visit that would leave her face swollen for months?" I wasn't a violent person, but this hurt me... deeply. It wasn't just about Sarima and what she did, but also how the church handled everything. How could they be so quick to condemn a man they had known for years?

He looked at me in shock, then smiled, and he was Oghene again. My Warri boy, sunshine and smiles. "She has been arrested," he said. "Imagine you fighting anyone on my behalf. That would be fun to watch," he added and stood up. "Have you eaten?

“No. Do you want to eat? I kept the apples you brought home in the fridge.”

“Maybe the apples, if you'll eat some too,” he replied and left the sitting room.

I didn’t follow him. Instead, I waited, counting the time it would take for him to finish bathing and changing into his sleeping clothes before I walked into the room.

My mother warned me about king-sized beds.

She said, “When you fight with your husband, you’ll both sleep at different edges and not settle, but if the bed is smaller, you can sleep naked and ‘set nyash.’ That will settle any dispute in 15 minutes and get you what you want.”

Oghene wasn’t my husband, and I didn’t plan on sleeping naked beside him, as appealing as that seemed. However, I never realized how small that bed was until I walked into the room with some apples and found him lying on his stomach.

I almost thought he had fallen asleep, but then he sensed my presence and languidly turned.

“Sorry—”

“Sorry—” we both said simultaneously and paused to let the other speak first. When I didn’t start, he said, “I was so tired, and the bed was so inviting.” He pulled himself into a sitting position. “It’s your bedtime, I know. Let me just grab a blanket and lea—”

“No,” I interrupted, walking in to place the plate on the nightstand. “Stay. I brought the apples. Let’s eat together.”

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded and adjusted himself to make space for me to sit. We ate in silence for a while before he asked, “Do you think you can tell me what happened to you now—who gave you those bruises?”

My insides flinched at his request, but I felt it was time to tell him. No matter how embarrassing and shameful my ordeal was, I owed him the truth because he had been so good, loving, and caring.

So, I did. I told him everything, starting from the day I met Preye to the supposed visit to his hometown in Elele that turned into a nightmare.

He dropped the half-eaten apple in his hand when I got to the part where Preye hit me repeatedly until I passed out. For a second, his face tightened, and I could sense the fire flaring inside him, not like mine, but the fire of a man about to lose control.

“I blamed myself,” I continued, also dropping my half-eaten apple. “I should have read the signs... I was so blind and stupid and materialistic and...”

“Ife?” he interrupted.

I waited for him to say something, but when he didn’t, I answered, “What?

“Shut up,” he replied in what could, perhaps, be described as not the nicest tone. “Just shut up.”

At first, I thought he was angry at me for being so blind. I thought he would blame me and tell me that it served me right. I was ready to accept his verdict because I knew I had somehow played a part in what happened to me that day. But I wasn’t prepared when he took my hands and sighed.

“I could have lost you,” he said. “You know what that would have done to me, Ifenkili?”

I gasped at the emotion seeping out from him and entering me through his hands. When I looked up at his face, I saw something in his eyes. Something powerful and terrible and all-consuming. It was something that brought tears to my eyes and weakness to my heart. It almost made me tell him that I loved him then and there.

“But God didn’t want that. He knew how much I cherish you. That was why He gave me the burden to pray for you,” he said.

“H-he did?”

He made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan and pulled me into an embrace, which I didn't hesitate to fall into. As he ran his hands up and down my back, I felt that we were stealing this moment, and no matter what happened after this, I would never forget how it felt to be held by him like this. His next words were soft and perhaps not even meant for me, but they burned their way right into my soul.

“Did you ever think I could continue living without you?”

That night, we slept together in that small bed. Don’t be alarmed. I didn’t “set nyash” as my mother advised, and he was too tired to try to seduce me or even notice the curve of my body pressing against him. He only pulled me in, placed my head on his chest, kissed my hair, and started snoring in no time.

It wasn’t the same for me. I couldn’t sleep because I was so aware of him—his scent of soap and fresh bath, his body, his arms around me, the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest as he breathed. I gave up the struggle and lifted my head to watch his face which had gone soft with slumber.

And his lips...

Have you ever wanted something so much that you were afraid to take it? Like it was right there, waiting for you to just reach out and grab it, but you were so terrified of what would happen next that you never made the reach? Yeah... you can understand that feeling, right?

I wanted to plant a kiss on those lips so badly, yet I didn’t dare because I feared I wouldn’t want to pull away once our mouths touched. But I reached up to stroke his brows, and as my hand grazed his face, his lips slightly curled up in a sleepy smile, and his breath became shallow, but he didn’t open his eyes.

This love go sweet oo😁😁😁😁. Thank you aunty Rosy for this sweet update. Samira don samankwe for station.her mind go touch ground.

More grace madam

This is beautiful Rosemary ❤️....... But pls o when will IFE and oghene kiss this kiss gangan.... they should kiss jare and let body come down 😀😀

Bukenke86:
This is beautiful Rosemary ❤️....... But pls o when will IFE and oghene kiss this kiss gangan.... they should kiss jare and let body come down 😀😀

see spoilt shildren everywhere

I feel like falling in love again ooo see love

Team Ife 🙌🙌 oghene na fufu aswearugod 😁😁

Thanks for the update ma'am. Each update so on point I love reading it twice.

Madam rosemary, I always look forward to your updates, this latest one is awesome as usual, keep it up. God bless you.

phew Madam Rosemary33 stole invite night, update come run join, it is well

Bia Ifenkeli naked or not, you suppose set ynash na, the Antenna go pick the signals laslas 😁😁😁

Rosemary33:
Hi!!! Xavier. This is not the story with the dark villain o. I have finished that one but didn't write it here. I published it some months ago. When the print copies are out in Nigeria, I fit run a give away with free copies here .

Butt I am super glad you are here and enjoying this story. It's been a while

Ohhhhhh... 😶, but anyways, we mount... and beautiful update 🙃


#Xavier

Madam Rossi please we need update ooo😉

Twenty-Three
Oghene

Heads up: If you asked an indigen of Port Harcourt town for directions and they pointed and told you, "e dey just there," make sure you confirmed three times that it was actually 'just there.' That was how a grown man like me ended up walking from Cherubim Road, bursting out to Agip junction, and ending up at the UST roundabout, repeating the circle over and over.

Last night, Agu called to inform me about a new building that had just been put up for rent. "A block of two-bedroom flats," he said. "You know you don get babe now; one bedroom no go contain una two."

Although I responded with a curse, I agreed that I needed an upgrade in my life. A two-bedroom apartment sounded perfect. I looked forward to the time when my maleh and siblings would visit and stay as long as they wanted, without grumbling about how small my apartment was and how I needed a bigger place.

"Abi you no wan marry?" my maleh would ask. "Na this kain small place you wan bring woman join?"

Once, I asked my maleh if she actually hated my place or if she was indirectly hinting at me getting a wife and settling down. If it was the latter, she should come out straight and not talk to me through the corners.

This morning, when I called to confirm if she received the 100k I sent for her allowance, I casually told her that I was finally heeding her advice and looking for a bigger apartment. I regretted it immediately. My maleh nearly deafened me with her joyful scream, calling Esosa, my kid sister, to come and hear, "Your brother wan marry o. Him wan bring wife come." I could hear Esosa laughing like a goat in the background.

I tried to explain that I wasn’t getting married, that she might be getting excited for nothing, but she didn’t listen. She kept shouting, "Oghene doh... Praise God o... Oghene migwo... Oghenetega... Akpevweoghene."

I ended the call laughing. There was no winning when it came to dissuading my mom from what she’d concluded in her mind. But as I stepped into the bathroom to take a bath, I thought of Ife, still sleeping soundly on my bed, and my heart melted with happiness, peace of mind even. Then a different kind of longing set in, one that couldn’t be quenched with just a happy-ever-now.

I had woken up with her back pressed against me, the curve of her body fitting perfectly against mine, the softness of her backside nestled against my crotch like her sole duty in life was to punish me with an erection. I lay there, battling the hardest sexual discomfort I’d ever felt, wanting to leave the bed before I lost the battle, yet holding her tight because it felt so wrong and good at the same time. I listened to her soft breaths, mentally measuring her heartbeat with mine. Then it hit me – this was the feeling my heart had been craving. Not just a walk towards uncertainty with mere attraction as our compass. I wanted Ife with me forever. I wanted to wake up with her beside me in the mornings, to spend my evenings looking at her across the dinner table, to share every mundane detail of my day with her, and to hear every detail of hers. I wanted to laugh with her and fall asleep with her in my arms like last night.

I wanted to spend my nights by her side and my days with her heart.

I wanted her, not like a long dream that would eventually fade away, but as a part of me that would never detach.

Maybe my mother was right. I needed a woman in my life, a wife. I needed permanency with Ife. I thought of telling her about my recent thoughts before she left. She’d be leaving by the weekend, and I didn’t know what would happen after. Would she still want to love me after this heat that being together had fanned inside us for each other had died down

She was still sleeping when I walked back into the room to get dressed. The sight of her lying on her side, one arm tucked beneath the pillow, the other resting gently on the sheets with fingers slightly curled, left me overwhelmed by her beauty. Her peaceful expression, lips slightly parted, almost made me want to forget everything and join her in bed, to share in the tranquility and serenity of the moment. But when my phone rang, and it was Agu telling me that he’d spoken with the owner of the new place I was going to check out, I quickly dressed, wrote her a note, and left the room, not daring to look back, lest I give in to that part of me that wanted to slip back into bed with her.

My phone rang again as I was about to cross to the other side of the road from under the Agip flyover, where the property owner said he would be waiting after I called him with the number Agu sent me.
I pulled out my phone, checked the caller ID, and chuckled.

My Reverend.

Somehow, they had gotten the news that I got Sarima arrested and had decided to drain my phone’s battery with incessant calls and text messages. My Reverend, his wife, Sir Onoh. I had ignored them all, only picking one—an unknown number—and ending it immediately when I realized it was still my reverend.

And their messages... I read them all and didn’t bother to reply. Now they wanted to see me. To hear my side of the story. "You are not a wicked person," my reverend wrote. "No matter your grievance, remember Jesus Christ. We can settle this as Christians..."

His wife reminded me of how we must forgive those who offend us seventy multiplied by seven times as the bible states. She said she knew me, that I wasn’t a bad person. Shuuuu? She knew me how? Because the last time I checked, I was a demon, a rapist that must be locked away. Today, in her message, she said I wasn’t a heartless person. ‘Oh, madam pastor wife, you had to learn to piss in one place so it can foam.’

I had typed a response to that silly message but deleted it immediately. No, I would not be rolling in that mud of foolery with that woman. I wished her a great roll.

One person, whom I didn’t even know how he got my number or the audacity to send me an SMS, said I should be the bigger person.

Who? Me? A bigger person? Sorry sir, I no wan be big. In fact, as from today, I be pikin wey dey suck breast. Crazy people. If I ever listen to any of them make I bend. In fact, I don change church sef. When I needed their audience, when I wanted them to reason with me, they didn’t. Now they chose to move mad.

I no go gree. Na me get the stage now, we go see how the dance dey sweet. I heard my reverend and his wife went to the police station to initiate bail and were denied. Good. You see this case ehn, we go see am to the end.

I identified the property owner by the color of his shirt, which he described to me on the phone. After the initial pleasantries, we drove in his car to the place. It turned out he had already moved into one of the flats with his family, and he had a dog.

Se ehn, until dogs learned how to talk, or I learned how to speak dog, I guessed we would continue looking at each other from afar, for I disliked anything that couldn’t state its problem in plain language, only barking.

But I loved the compound. The rooms were spacious too, the sitting room large. Ife would like it.

Now why was I thinking about Ife and what she would like now?

Ife

Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, I felt his arms clenched around me, his embrace so tight I thought he might cut off my circulation. Even in his sleep, he held me as if haunted by the fear of losing me, breathing hard into the small of my neck, where I loved to be kissed. There was something else I felt... like... like he had an erection, and it was straining against my backside. Maybe it was a fragment of the dream I was having, or maybe it was real. But whichever it was, it felt so wrong and so good at the same time. Allowing him to hold me like this, his arousal speaking to my flesh, sending a dangerous flicker of energy through my body and making my essence weep with excitement, was risky, but I loved it.

I shifted closer. God, that was wrong... so wrong... but I did it anyway, pressing my backside harder against his crotch. I heard him groan softly but I didn’t move. Moving would have shattered any form of restraint. Before I knew it, I would be utterly consumed with an overwhelming need, begging for his mouth to find mine aggressively, for his tongue to push inside my mouth while he released his hardness and claimed me. I was certain I would enjoy being embarrassingly submissive to him. The things I would plead for him to do to me would not be repeated in conversation.

Right now, as I brushed my teeth, the thought of that moment made my heart race and my breath hitch, a warm wave of desire washing over me. His presence, his touch, everything about him stirred something deep within me, something undeniable. My body ached with longing, every nerve ending alive with need. How could one deal with a simple man who, within a very short period, had managed to defile one’s barricade to make one’s body burn with raw and intense need?

Done with brushing, I bent towards the tap on the wash hand basin, gathered water with my hand, filled my mouth with it, gargled, and spat out. I repeated that, then splashed water on my face, straightened up, and observed myself from the small mirror on the wall.

There were some visible changes on my face...like I’d added some weight. I touched my cheek and allowed my finger to trace down my neck. Sure thing, I had added some weight, and my skin was glowing! Like... I wasn’t here with my skincare kit, but the skin was skinning madly.

Why wouldn’t it, when all I did here was eat, sleep, and gist with Oghene before he left for work and when he returned?

That and the fact that finally, I was being loved and taken care of by the right person. This thing between Oghene and I, my skin seemed to be excited about it, subtly reminding me that I’d been meeting and dating crabs before. So, I fine like this? Omoh! Dating the wrong men could age one so badly, and make one look like a dead version of oneself; dull skin, dryness, and personality gone. One wouldn’t know if one was coming or going.

Turning my face from side to side to get a thorough observation, I giggled. “Bro Oghene of the most high,” I murmured, wrapping my hands around my middle and stoking my arms. Once again, I was thrown back to that moment I was half awake and his arms were tightened around me, the heat of his body seeping into mine, and the temptation to turn around was almost too much to bear. I bit my lip and moaned. He wasn’t here present, so I could do that freely without the fear of him hearing it.

Would he have been able to resist the temptation if I had turned and faced him? No, the right question should be, ‘How far would we have gone?’ Because I knew he was aroused too. The boundaries between right and wrong had blurred that moment and we were left with an overwhelming desire to surrender to the passion that burned between us. It was a dangerous game, one that could have consumed us both. Embarrassingly, I was more than willing to play.

Was he?

I wasn’t sure. That guy’s self-control was stronger than Araldite glue. The more reason why this rape accusation issue had gotten me so mad when I got past the shock phase.

I knew when he got up, but I pretended to be deep asleep. The moment I heard the door open and close, I shifted to his side of the bed, certain he had gone to the guest bathroom to have his bath—he always bathed there since the day he brought me in. I greedily soaked in the warmth he left behind, breathing in his scent as if it were my lifeline.

God, I loved this man.

I had loved every part of him before I even realized I would fall for him, and somewhere along the way, that love didn’t dry up but grew. It grew to fill the parts of me that had been empty when I was desperately pursuing other men who always left me drenched in sorrow. It grew with every new longing of my body and desire until there was not a piece of me that didn’t love him. Now, when I looked at him, there was no other feeling in me but the love I had for him.

The comfort of his lingering warmth cocooned me and sent me back to sleep faster than last night. By the time I woke up again, he was gone, leaving me a note on the bedside table.

"Fine girl. I need to go check out a new apartment. From there, I’ll be going to work. Take care of yourself and don’t stress too much. I would have woken you up, but when I looked at you sleeping peacefully, I saw sunshine in your face..."

Sunshine on a sleeping face? That cracked me up so hard that I couldn’t control the bout of laughter that erupted from my mouth. The more I tried to imagine sunshine on a sleeping face, the harder I laughed.
Chai, bro Oghene no go kill me abeg.

Yet, I found the note so sweet. The sunshine part, though absurd, was heartwarming.

Later, after making myself useful in his house, cleaning and sweeping for the first time since he brought me in because he couldn’t clean up before he left—I guessed he was in a hurry. I cooked lunch and saved a little for him, thankfully he didn’t cook before he left. I settled down with my phone in the sitting room and called him.

“You see sunshine in my face as in how?” I asked as soon as he picked up.

“Na me see am, no be you,” he replied, and I burst out laughing.

“Oghene, abeg no kill me,” I laughed some more. “How can you see sunshine in my face?”

“Na me know wetin I see. Abeg leave me make I enjoy am, the weather is cold.”

“I love you,” I wanted to say before ending the call, but my heart leaped to my mouth, and I couldn’t utter those words. Not because they weren’t true, but because I was scared he might not believe me.

Keep it coming #ROSS33

Thank you Rosemary33 for this update.This is the best way to start my day.

Thanks for the update. As usual your sense of humour is bam, what actually cracked me up was that your analysis about dogs.😁😁

Again, thank you for this update.
The twist was another thing. I was sure the kiss would happen in this update but my disappointment was disappointed

Looking forward to the next update like kilode

Thanks for the update and every chapter is top notch. Please feed us more.

I had wanted to say something.The way and manner the Reverend and his wife handle the matter no be am.They did not handle the matter well at all.Their pleading now dey really make me wonder.After wetin them do Ogene them want make Ogene just smile sheepishly gloss over everything.Them fall my hand.

Thank you for the early morning vitamin E, e dey cure depression. I enjoyed it.