BUKKY POV
I watched them and smiled.
Two men who once couldn't stand each other.
Now laughing.
Planning.
Respecting.
Akanni was different now. Softer. Happier. Married. Grounded.
Demi had grown too. Fatherhood had humbled him. Love had matured him.
I rested my hand on my stomach.
"This one," I whispered to my baby, "will grow in peace."
Later that evening, we all gathered at Akanni's place.
Small gathering. No form.
Just us.
Akanni brought out baseball gloves.
"Who sabi this thing?" he asked.
Demi grinned. "Na you teach me."
They started throwing the ball, laughing like boys.
Leke joined. His wife laughed from the side.
Mira sat beside me.
"You okay?" she asked.
"I'm good," I said honestly.
"After him… I found myself."
She smiled.
Akanni threw the ball hard. Demi caught it.
"Guy," Demi said, "you always land on top sha."
Akanni laughed. "No be competition again."
He looked at Mira.
"I stopped chasing many roads," he said.
"I stopped at the one that was always there."
Mira's eyes softened.
I understood.
Sometimes, love is not who comes loud.
It's who stays.
PEACE
Night fell gently.
Couples sat together.
Families joked.
Children ran around.
Akanni stood with his arm around Mira.
Demi stood with me, hand firm on my back.
No rivalry left.
No bitterness.
Just life moving forward.
Akanni raised his glass.
"To growth," he said.
"To learning."
"To choosing right… even when it takes time."
I smiled.
The story didn't end with who won.
It ended with who healed.
After him… came peace.
Years later, as laughter filled the compound and children ran freely across the lawn, Bukky watched the men in her life from a distance.
Akanni stood tall—calm, fulfilled, finally home.
Mira was beside him, steady as always, the woman who stayed when staying was hard.
Demi laughed openly now, no bitterness left, holding the family he almost lost.
She understood it clearly now.
Not every love is meant to last forever.
Some are meant to prepare you.
Some are meant to break you.
And some are meant to rebuild you—slowly, gently, correctly.
She didn't regret her journey anymore.
Because after the confusion…
after the pain…
after the mistakes…
Life didn't end.
It began—
after him.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated
to those who loved deeply
lost painfully,
and still found the courage
to love again.
To the ones who stayed
when walking away was easier.
To the hearts that broke quietly,
and healed even quieter.
after him.
My Mum.
A Novel
By AKANNI A
Copyright
© 2025 AKANNI
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the author, except for brief quotations in reviews.
Completed 30th December, 2025
PUBLISHED TODAY
6TH JANUARY, 2026