𝓛𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓼

Wale inspects my expression and laughs suspiciously. And as he proceeds on introducing his sister, my eyes expand in excitement, a recognition dawning on me like a beaming epiphany.

 
A vibrant smile spread across the lady's face, matching the pleasant surprise in her eyes, just like mine.
 

As I begin to comprehend the complexities of the meticulously curated surprise, the atmosphere pops with a mix of excitement and cognition.

The thrill in that moment comes not just from seeing his sister but also from learning the thoughtful orchestration behind everything, which paints my countenance with a canvas of true happiness and thankfulness.

 
“Eno, is this you?” Wale's sister asks. She immediately gets on her feet and takes a good look at me, to be sure, with an identical surprise expression as mine.
 

“Yes, it’s me.” I laugh, not trying to contain my surprise.

She makes her way to where I stand and hugs me warmly. “I can’t believe this. So you are the Eno my brother has been talking about.” She remarks, ending the hug and looking at me again. “I know only one Eno, which is you, but I never suspected he was talking about the one I know.”
 

Wale had casually mentioned his sister whenever he was talking about his family, but he never divulged that his sister is indeed Miss Adeyemi Rotimi Smith.
 

The echo of Wale's full name resounds in my head: Adewale Rotimi Smith.
 

Bulging my eyes, I gasp. How did I not notice too?
 

“Miss Adeyemi, I’m as stunned as you are.” I say, smiling.

“The title. Please, call me Tessy.” She tells me, taking my hands “Come, sit; I’m so happy to see you.”
 

“Thanks.” I reply, obediently following her to the executive booth. While Wale follows behind.
 

It will sound weird to call Miss Adeyemi, Tessy. She and I have become closer in school, and she has helped me a lot to become one of the best at school. As a nutritionist, her advice has placed me on the right track.

 
“Meet my fiancé, Gabriel.” She introduces me to the handsome guy sitting beside her: “Honey, meet my brother’s girlfriend and my student at the Greg Institute." She says this to him, smiling with pride.
 

“My pleasure.” He speaks in a deep voice.
 

I smile “Thanks.”

 
“When you told me you attend GREG and are enrolled in the catering department, then I realized that it is you that my sister always praises when she comes home. I thought I could surprise you both, and I succeeded.” Wale cuts in, sitting comfortably beside me.
 

We all laugh, and my joy doubles when I realize Miss Adeyemi talks well about me.

“I too have heard a lot about you; I admire your strength.” Gabriel chips in, smiling. “I didn't know I would one day meet you; thank God I did.”

“Thank you.” I reply, flashing my best white smile at him.
 

“You are an inspiration to all single moms out there.” He compliments, and suddenly, that bright smile I wear on my face gradually fades. Like a wrong cord struck in my heart.
 

“I tell her that all the time.” Miss Adeyemi—Tessy—adds, “I told you I look forward to seeing your daughter. Isn’t she back yet?"
 

Oh, my God, why now? I focus my attention on Wale, who is bewildered by the continuous talk about my daughter. What I was most afraid of has finally come true; how will I explain this? I was supposed to tell him eventually, but finding out this way would break him.
 

“Is who back yet?” Wale asks, trying to understand what his sister and her fiance are talking about.

“He doesn’t know? You haven’t told him?” Tessy was kind of upset, but not entirely disappointed.

"I—I,” I stammer, caught in my own drama.

“Know what? Tell me what?” Wale requests anxiously.

 
Tessy and her fiancé Gabriel gaze at each other, and I can see Tessy shake her head in outmost discontent.
 

“Baby, what is she?" He pauses and makes sure our eyes meet, then he looks at Tessy and asks, “Is she—”
 

"Yes, she is," she replies slowly with her eye down to the ground.

A great sadness falls in my chest, the repercussions of my hidden truth unfolding before Wale's eyes. The weight of his disdain squeezes down on me, each silent accusation severing the frail strands that once tied us.

Regret pours over me like a relentless flood, destroying the foundation of trust we've painstakingly created. My heart responds with the heartbreaking tune of sorrow in the subtle echoes of his hurt, realizing that the secret I preserved has become a sharp split in the fabric of our love.

It's no surprise that Miss Adeyemi knows all about my background; I remember we had to clarify if I was married or not on my form. And since she has said a lot about me to her fiancé and brother, she must have told them about my daughter.

 
Wale had no idea I was the one she was always talking about, and now that he knows, he must despise me even more.
 

I sit dumbfounded, motionless, and pathetic, but I still need to explain. That is, if I’m given an opportunity or a listening ear.
 

"Wale, I hope to tell you, but—”

 
He shush me immediately.
 

“If I was as important to you as you claim, you wouldn’t have let me find out this way.” He laced his voice with so much frustration. "Hear, I was thinking I wanted to surprise you. Now, who is left surprised?" He shakes his head and shuts his eyes. “Have you ever seen me being part of your future?”
 

I try my best to blink back the tears, but they just keep rolling down. I’ve never seen Wale this angry before; he looks angry, and it pains me to watch. I can’t tell if it is because I hid the fact that I have a daughter from him or because I did not trust him enough to tell him.
 

“I’m sorry.” I whisper in a crying voice as the tears flow uncomfortably down my cheeks.
 

He bites his bottom lip as if fighting the tears from dropping down. He turned his face away from me, and Tessy couldn’t say anything; she just felt bad and had pity for me.
 

All I wanted to do was save myself and my daughter from another heartache, and I've ended up hurting the only man who truly loves me and accepts me despite my limits. I can feel my heart ripping out and the atmosphere sucking out the air in me while watching me as I suffocate.
 

I realize my presence here is not helping. So, I pick up my purse and swiftly run out of the restaurant, hoping not to be followed.

1162 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖘

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𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒐'𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓿𝓸𝓽𝓮. 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴𝓼 ❤️
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