I didn't think.
I didn't plan.
I just moved.
Before my brain could catch up with my emotions, I was already on my feet, crossing the street without looking twice.
"Amara!" someone shouted, but I didn't stop.
I couldn't stop.
Because for the first time… I wasn't thinking about what was right.
I was thinking about what felt real.
And right now?
That was Daniel.
I reached his car just as he pushed the door open, stepping out like he didn't trust himself to stay inside any longer.
"Amara—"
"I didn't mean it."
The words spilled out of me before he could finish.
His brows furrowed. "What?"
"I didn't mean what I said in there," I rushed, my chest rising and falling rapidly. "I was scared, okay? I didn't know what to do, and I just—"
"Stop."
The single word froze me.
Daniel ran a hand through his hair, frustration written all over his face.
"You said enough already," he said quietly. "I heard you."
"No, you didn't," I shook my head, stepping closer. "You heard what I forced myself to say, not what I actually feel."
Silence.
His eyes locked onto mine, searching… hoping… doubting.
"What do you feel then?" he asked.
My heart pounded violently.
This was it.
No hiding.
No running.
"I—"
A car screeched to a halt behind me.
The sound was so sudden, so aggressive, it made both of us turn.
And the moment I saw who stepped out of the car…
Everything inside me dropped.
Tunde.
Oh God.
No.
No, no, no.
This couldn't be happening.
But it was.
And the look on his face?
I had never seen it before.
Hurt.
Anger.
Betrayal.
All at once.
"So it's true."
His voice was low, but it carried enough weight to make my chest tighten painfully.
"Tunde, I—"
He held up his hand. "Don't."
That one word silenced me instantly.
His gaze shifted between me and Daniel, his jaw tightening with every second.
"I gave you a chance to explain," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "I asked you a simple question."
I couldn't breathe.
"And you couldn't even answer me."
"I was going to—"
"Now I don't need an answer anymore."
The finality in his tone hit harder than anything else.
Because this time…
He wasn't asking.
He already knew.
Tunde let out a short, bitter laugh, running his hand over his face. "Wow… my own girlfriend."
The word girlfriend felt heavy now.
Wrong.
"I didn't plan this," I whispered, tears already forming again. "I swear, I didn't—"
"But you felt it," he cut in sharply. "Didn't you?"
Silence.
And once again…
That silence said everything.
Tunde nodded slowly, like he had just confirmed something he didn't want to believe.
"Yeah," he muttered. "That's what I thought."
He turned to Daniel, his eyes hardening instantly.
"And you," he said coldly. "My guy, right?"
Daniel didn't flinch, but I saw the tension in his shoulders.
"This wasn't planned," Daniel said calmly. "I didn't—"
"Don't," Tunde snapped. "Don't even try to act like this just happened."
The air between them thickened.
Dangerous.
"I trusted you," Tunde continued, his voice breaking slightly despite his anger. "You were around us. Around her. And this is what you were doing behind my back?"
"I wasn't doing anything behind your back," Daniel replied, his tone firm now. "I stayed away because I knew it was wrong."
"Then you should have stayed away completely!"
"I tried!"
Their voices were rising now.
People were starting to look.
But I couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
I felt stuck in the middle of something I had created… but couldn't control.
"This isn't just on me," Daniel added, his eyes flickering to me for a brief second. "You should ask her the truth."
Tunde laughed again, but there was no humor in it.
"Oh, I already know the truth," he said. "She just doesn't have the courage to say it."
That hurt.
Because it was true.
"I—"
"Do you love him?"
The question came out of nowhere.
Sharp. Direct. Impossible to avoid.
My heart stopped.
Everything went quiet again.
Even the world around us seemed to pause.
Tunde took a step closer, his eyes locked on mine.
"Answer me, Amara."
My throat went dry.
I looked at him.
Then at Daniel.
And in that moment…
I realized there was no escaping this.
No more silence.
No more hiding.
If I spoke…
I would break someone.
If I didn't…
I would break everyone.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as my lips parted slightly.
"I…"
My voice trembled.
"I—"
Daniel suddenly stepped back.
"Don't," he said quietly.
Both of us turned to him.
His expression had changed.
The anger was gone.
The frustration was gone.
All that was left…
Was pain.
"I don't want you to say it like this," he continued, his voice low. "Not because you're being forced to."
My chest tightened.
"Daniel—"
He shook his head, stepping back again. "This isn't how I wanted it."
Tunde scoffed. "Oh, now you care about how it happens?"
Daniel ignored him completely.
His eyes stayed on me.
Soft.
Broken.
"Figure out what you want, Amara," he said. "But don't choose me out of confusion."
And just like that…
He turned around and got back into his car.
"Daniel, wait—!"
But he didn't.
The engine started.
And this time…
He drove off.
For real.
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating silence.
I stood there, frozen, staring at the empty road like I could somehow bring him back.
But he was gone.
And now…
I was left with the damage.
Tunde let out a slow breath beside me.
"So that's it," he said quietly.
I turned to him, my vision blurred with tears. "Tunde, please—"
He shook his head.
"No," he said, his voice calmer now… but distant. "I think I've seen enough."
My heart dropped.
"I can't do this," he added. "I can't be with someone who's in love with someone else."
The words shattered something inside me.
"It's not that simple—"
"It is for me."
That was it.
No shouting.
No anger.
Just… an ending.
And somehow…
That hurt even more.