The night was heavy with silence, broken only by the distant hum of traffic and the chirping of crickets. Patience moved like a shadow, her hospital gown brushing against her legs as she walked without direction. She had slipped past the nurses, past the guards, past the people who still thought of her as "Adeyemi's daughter." Every step away from that building felt like rebellion—yet every step forward left her more adrift.
She had nothing on her. No purse. No phone. Not even a single naira tucked away in her pocket. She hadn't thought of where she was going; she only knew where she could not remain. She could not face her mother's anxious eyes. Could not bear to lie next to Peace and pretend everything was normal. Could not hear her father's voice, knowing it was built on a secret he had never shared.
I am not their daughter.
The words screamed in her mind until they settled into a dull ache that spread through her chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as though she could hold her breaking heart together with sheer will. She stumbled forward, not even noticing the dirt beneath her bare feet.
The city, at night, was both alive and cruel. Motorcycles zipped past, their headlights glaring into her eyes. Stray dogs barked at her from dark corners. A few men loitered by roadside stalls, their laughter harsh, their eyes sharp. Patience pulled the gown tighter around her shoulders, walking faster. She didn't want to look lost, though she knew she was. She didn't want anyone to see the fear bubbling beneath her steps.
Her thoughts spiraled. Where would she go? She had nowhere to run. She could not think of a friend she could trust with this raw pain, not at this hour of the night. Her relatives? Impossible—her parents' lie had poisoned the roots of her family tree. Even the thought of going home made her chest tighten. Home was no longer home.
Then, like a sudden spark in the darkness, another thought came: Chris.
Chris, her fiancé. The man who had once seemed to her like an anchor, someone steady, someone sure. In his arms she had felt safe before. Perhaps, tonight, she could feel safe again. He would not turn her away, would he? He had promised to love her, to protect her, to stand with her. And right now, she had no one else to turn to.
But even as she thought of him, doubt coiled itself around her mind. The memory of the strange message on his phone haunted her. The secrecy in his eyes, the way he had pulled away when she had asked too many questions—it all returned with full force. Could she really run to him now, when her heart was not certain of his truth?
She slowed her steps, torn. The night pressed closer, the shadows stretching long across the road. Her body shivered in the chill, and her legs trembled with exhaustion. If she didn't rest somewhere, she would collapse again, perhaps this time in the middle of the street.
It's just for one night, she reasoned with herself. I need somewhere to breathe, to think. Tomorrow, I will decide what to do. Tomorrow, I will face everything.
Her resolve grew as she turned toward the direction of Chris's neighborhood. The path was long, but she had walked it before. At least there, she would not feel completely abandoned.
Still, unease sat in her stomach like a stone. She prayed silently as she walked. "God, please… guide me. Don't let me make a mistake. I don't even know who I am anymore, but You know me. Help me." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
Minutes turned into what felt like hours. Her feet ached, her throat was dry, and her body screamed for rest. But finally, the familiar outline of Chris's street came into view. The houses were dark, most windows shut. His house stood in the corner, a simple bungalow not so close to the small gate she had passed through countless times before.
Patience froze a few steps away. Her heart pounded. She had made it here, but suddenly, the weight of what she was about to do hit her. What if he was angry she came unannounced? What if he asked questions she couldn't answer? What if he wasn't the man she thought he was?
Yet, she had nowhere else.
Summoning her last ounce of strength, she walked to the gate and knocked softly. The sound echoed louder than she intended, breaking the silence of the night. She stood there, trembling, waiting.
Then she saw a ray of light