Chapter 1
Her eyes peered into her phone, scrolling through the comments flooding her socials some more hurtful than others.
She had gotten into this expecting this outcome, but she thought she was too normal to be fazed by public opinion.
But time proved otherwise.
Getting rid of all her social media accounts was not a problem; she was never big on them anyway. But now her status had changed, and the insults were good for traffic. She was still glued to the comments because no matter how bad they got, reading them always seemed to remind her of why she was here in the first place.
"Still reading that?"
She was startled by a familiar voice.
It took her a second to catch her breath.
"If you mean people calling me a gold digger, a home wrecker, and wishing I drop dead,then yes, I am still reading."
She switched off her phone, her attention shifting to the man who had just entered.
"Be careful. Words have a way of getting to you," he warned.
"Same thing you have said over a million times in the past month, but somehow I can't seem to stop obsessing over what people think of me and how hard they are judging my decision."
"Classic signs of self-fixation. Don't say I didn't warn you."
He said it, and she laughed.
She paused briefly, contemplating whether or not to throw this question his way, then she decided.
"What about you? Do you also share the public sentiment on this? Do you hate that I am here and not Trisha?"
The man paused and took one long look at her.
"It is far better you than her." He ended on a note she couldn't quite measure.
Was he being polite? Or was he hiding something behind his acceptance? She couldn't tell yet.
"Come now, get up, it's time for your doctor's appointment."
Her face fell as she sighed, worry lines forming across her forehead. "I guess it's that time again?" she asked, the line between reality and her past decisions blurring before her eyes.
"Yes, it is."
Without questioning or protesting, she got up and followed him out. They got into the car and set out for the hospital.
---
The ride was smooth, smoother than she had been used to.
Driving in or around Lagos was like signing a mutual contract with traffic, and you had no right to be angry when it made you uncomfortable or caused those brain-shattering headaches that only a full night of peaceful sleep could cure.
It was no wonder people believed that everybody in Lagos had gone mad. The only difference was that some were roaming and others were not.
Since she got here, she hadn't seen much of that madness.
'Perks of staying in an infamous estate built for the one percent.'
She stared out the window, and with the push of a button, the glass rolled down. Immediately, waves of fresh air hit her face, and she shut her eyes.
"Oh, I've missed this," she breathed out.
The man noticed and turned to her.
"I can have the AC on higher if you need that, the boss..." he began, but she stopped him.
"Please, Thomas. Let me have this moment, just for today. I promise not to tell your boss."
Her plea made him turn back to the road, and the car fell into silence.
She turned her head toward the city, taking it in.
"Lagos can be beautiful when it wants to, but it can also be mean when it feels like it, and when Lagos decides your fate, it usually shapes your forever." She said it to no one in particular.
With that, her mind gradually drifted back to where it all started.
---
The morning was cold and damp, as it always was during harmattan season, the kind of cold that made it impossible to wake up early.
But after five years, her body had gotten used to rising before 5am, all in a desperate attempt to beat Lagos traffic.
Like clockwork, she stuck her hand under her pillow and pulled out her torchlight. There was no point waiting for electricity in a house with no cable, not when the light bills hadn't been paid.
She walked into the bathroom and almost had a mini heart attack.
She had seen this scene one too many times, but she had never quite gotten used to it, and at this rate, it was clear she never would.
"When exactly do you plan to stop this unhealthy, creepy, and downright scary behavior?" she asked.
The question was directed at her roommate Kemi, who sat comfortably on the toilet seat like it was a throne designed specifically for her, her phone screen the only source of light in that dark space.
Kemi ignored her, still focused on her phone. She was used to it. Talking to Kemi was like pouring water on a rock and expecting something to grow.
"Please leave your torchlight on whenever you're in here so you stop giving me mini heart attacks."
With that, she turned to leave but was stopped by Kemi's muffled scream.
"I can't believe this." Kemi had her hand over her mouth.
Now 'that' was an unusual sight.
"What happened?" she asked, rushing back in.
"This can't be happening. They broke up." Kemi cried out, genuinely hurt.
"Who?"
In response, Kemi turned her screen around.
"Fredrick and Trisha are breaking off their engagement. See, this is an official statement from their verified page."
Her erratic heart finally calmed as she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought it was something worse. This isn't that big a deal, it's just an engagement."
Kemi paused, then switched on her flashlight and aimed it directly at her face.
She winced, shutting her eyes against the glare.
"Not a big deal? Make sure you never say that outside, to anyone, because, Morayo, you will be shocked at how brutally you will be beaten." Kemi warned.
"Fine. Take that light out of my eyes."
Kemi did, then turned back to her phone.
Morayo didn't hesitate. She turned and stepped out of the restroom, but not before hearing Kemi cry out behind her.
"Our very own Team TRICK has tricked us ooo."
Morayo smiled, completely unaware that the news on Kemi's phone had just changed the course of her life forever.
