I stepped inside, flipping on the lights and froze.
The living room erupted in soft golden lights and bursts of confetti. A small crowd of familiar faces stood waiting smiling, clapping, some holding balloons, others holding their phones out to capture the moment. There was a huge cake on the dining table, glowing with lit candles. A "Happy Birthday, Bernice" banner hung across the wall, shimmering in gold and rose.
My heart stopped.
I'd completely forgotten today was my birthday.
A gentle version of "Happy Birthday" began playing from the speakers. I turned to Kylie, stunned.
"You planned this?" I whispered.
She just beamed, cheeks pink with pride. "Of course. You always forget. I wasn't going to let this one slip by."
And then, from behind the kitchen doorway, Tunde stepped out.
My boyfriend. He looked effortlessly charming in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, his dark hair neatly combed, his smile warm but I couldn't help noticing the way his eyes flicked between me and Efe.
He held a bouquet of red roses in one hand... and a tiny velvet box in the other.
I blinked, confused.
"Tunde?" My voice was barely audible.
He walked toward me, slow and confident, the room suddenly quieter. My heart pounded harder with every step he took.
He stopped in front of me and went down on one knee.
"Bernice," he began, eyes locked on mine, "you've been my peace, my joy, my home. I want to spend forever making you smile. Will you marry me?"
Gasps echoed around the room.
I didn't know what to say. My body was frozen, my thoughts racing, my heart unsure. Everything felt too fast... too unreal... yet heartbreakingly beautiful.
I looked at Efe, expecting tears of joy or surprise but her expression was unreadable, like she was watching a performance she already knew the ending to.
I didn't understand it then.
But I would, soon.
Tunde and I have been dating for three years now. We met during our final year at university one of those quiet beginnings that turns into something steady and safe. Efe, of course, was part of it from the very start. Just like today, the moment Tunde officially asked me to be his girlfriend had been a surprise... and yes, she had planned that too.
Tunde is tall, charming, and always well-dressed.
He knows just what to say and how to say it.
But beneath the polished smiles and soft-spoken gestures, there's a version of him I hadn't met yet one I now wish I had seen sooner.
He comes from an average Nigerian home. His father runs a small pharmacy not the biggest, not the most successful, but steady enough to keep the lights on.
Still, Tunde walks like he owns the city, like wealth and influence trail behind him.
That confidence was part of what drew me in.
He didn't inherit luxury he's been chasing it.
And me? I was just the shortcut.
I'm Bernice.
The girl whose mother died on her birthday.
The girl who inherited wealth enough to turn dreams into empires.
The girl who is calm and humble and never shows off her wealth
The girl who now works in one of the most reputable design companies in the country not because of who she knows, but because of what she can do.
I was never trying to outshine anyone.
I was just surviving.
And maybe… shining by accident.
So, when I saw Tunde down on one knee that night my birthday night holding a velvet box with a diamond ring sparkling like a star, my heart couldn't process it fast enough.
Above him was a banner:
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bernice WILL YOU MARRY ME?"
My eyes brimmed with tears. I felt Kylie lean in and whisper, "Happy birthday, best friend."
I looked back at Tunde, who smiled up at me like I was the only woman in the world.
"Will you marry me, Bernice?" he asked again, softly but firmly.
I nodded through the tears, words tumbling out of my mouth. "Yes, Tunde! Yes, I will marry you!"