“Court rise!”

As Justice Paul entered his chambers for a five-minute recess, with Divine following him, the rest of the workers took their seats, ready to use those few minutes to have some needed rest.

As Elias sat back in his seat, still smarting badly over the previous night’s events, Wayne’s voice broke into his reverie. “Yo, Eli!”

He turned to face Wayne, who had an expectant grin on his face. “Sooo…”

Elias blinked. “So… uh, I’m confused.”

Wayne smirked. “The proposal, my guy, the proposal! Last night! How’d it go?”

Of course, how could he forget that Wayne was aware of his intention to propose? He quickly forced a grin, knowing better than to spill those beans. He nodded as he pulled on the mask of cheerfulness. “Oh… yeah, it went great, chale,” he answered, giving a thumbs-up.

Wayne nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Nice one, nice one! I knew it would go well. So, what did she say?”

Elias’s smile stiffened. Oh, if Wayne only knew how it didn’t go well at all!

He fumbled for words, trying hard to keep up the façade. “She, uh… she said she needed some time to think about it, you know. Didn’t want to rush an answer.”

Wayne raised a brow. “Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Elias replied quickly, his voice a lot firmer. “I mean, it’s understandable. It’s a big thing to consider.”

Wayne studied him for a moment. “Is that why you’ve been quiet all morning? Coz the way you’ve been serious-looking and all… I almost thought some bad news bi had dropped. Like she bounced you straight away or something.”

Elias chuckled and waved the comment away. “Oh, nahh, nahh. That didn’t happen. Don’t worry. It’s just my nerves, that’s all. Can’t help overthinking. Wondering if I said the right thing, them kinda things some…”

Wayne’s expression softened, and he gave Elias a firm pat on the shoulder. “Relax, okay. You’re a solid guy, and she’s a lucky girl. It’ll all work out. Trust me.”

Elias nodded, his grin still plastered on. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

As Wayne nodded and turned to the papers before him, Elias leaned back in his seat, the thoughts ravaging his brain anything but happy thoughts. The ache in his chest continued to flare, a mix of hurt and anger.

He had not seen Akyaa since overhearing her conversation with her mother, and he honestly did not want to see her. He felt so betrayed.

Couldn’t she have said something—even just in passing—to let him know about her boyfriend?

***

“Ei, sister nie! This one that she’s entered his office, we all know she’s going to collect wotowoto.”

Alayaa, walking beside Stephanie as they checked the various wards, shook her head in response to Stephanie’s comment. One of their colleagues, Mellie, had just entered the office of one of the doctors, Dr. John Ewudzi. Everybody who worked in Garsah Medical Center knew one thing about Mellie: she had a lot of ‘doctor’s appointments’ with some of the younger doctors. And as she had entered, it was clear she was getting herself some ‘medicine’.

“That girl diɛ, unless a new doctor doesn’t join us,” she remarked. “Before you know it, she’s throwing herself on him. I seriously think some fornication principality is working on her, because what at all is this?”

Stephanie shook her head in scorn. “Her house people are doing her, but she doesn’t know it. Because this level of shamelessness diɛɛ, I don’t understand…”

“Alayaa?”

Alayaa turned and saw Madam Henrietta, the elderly therapist, walking up to her. “Yes, Madam Henrietta,” she greeted politely, as did Stephanie. “Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, my dear. How are you doing?”

“All is well by God’s grace.”

Madam Henrietta nodded, her expression kind. “And the little one inside?”

Alayaa laughed softly. “Oh, so far, so good. He’s growing nicely.”

“Wonderful. And how is your husband?”

Alayaa responded, “He’s also doing great.”

“Thank God, thank God. Just wanted to follow up on what we discussed the last time. Are you both ready to meet Nii Sodjah?”

Alayaa took a deep breath. “He’s still preparing himself,” she replied, her voice steady. “He needs a little more time. There’s still a lot of… hurt. He doesn’t really react well to disrespect, so… he’s still working on it.”

Madam Henrietta placed a comforting hand on Alayaa’s shoulder. “I understand, Alayaa. Trust me, I do. But please encourage him, okay? Nii Sodjah has deeply regretted his foolishness. He’s eager to make amends and truly wants to heal the past. I’ve spoken to him about it a few times, and I’ve made it clear how ungrateful and bad it was to do that to you guys. And he’s accepted it. Regarding his previous calls and some of the words he used, I pointed out to him how bad it is to paint a picture of entitlement. And he’s acknowledged it and wants to settle the matter. So please, do your best, okay?”

Alayaa nodded as she gazed briefly at Stephanie, who nodded in agreement. They might have ripped him to shreds for his silly entitlement, but if he had repented, there was no need to hold on to the offence. They knew Madam Henrietta well enough to know she wouldn’t lie about this; if she said he had accepted his folly and wanted to do the right thing, he really did.

“No worries, Madam. Hopefully, we’ll be ready soon. When we are, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, my dear, and may God bless you. Anyways, have you seen Mellie? I was looking for her.”

Alayaa and Stephanie nodded in the direction of Dr. Ewudzi’s office, the looks of disapproval on their faces.

Madam Henrietta immediately got the message, and shook her head, the distaste apparent on her face. “That girl needs deliverance. Honestly.”

“Just what we were saying oo, Madam Henrietta…”

***

Natalie was seated on the couch, curled under a soft blanket as she stared at a notepad on the coffee table in front of her. It was late afternoon, and she had left the court early, managing to avoid the traffic. Now she was home, alone with nothing but her thoughts.

Thoughts about the proposal.

It wasn’t supposed to be complicated; this was a married man, and any relationship beyond a platonic one was supposed to be rejected outright. Yet, it was. So much so that as she sat there, she didn’t know what choice to make.

Exhaling sharply, she sat up, picked up a pen, and tapped it against the edge of the notepad. Throwing the blanket aside, she wrote two words at the top of the page: Marty’s Proposal.

She drew a line down the middle of the page and labeled the columns: Pros and Cons.

Under Pros, she wrote the following…

• He cares about me.
• I feel safe with him.
• He’s willing to leave his marriage.

Sitting back and looking at them, she furrowed her brows and scrunched up her lips. Those were the only ones her mind could gather.

“Hmmm… the last one, mpo, I should put an asterisk there,” she murmured. “Coz until he actually does, I can’t be too sure.”

Sighing, she then proceeded to write under the Cons column…

• He’s married.
• It feels wrong.
• What if I’m just a distraction?
• Power imbalance.
• It could ruin my job.

Sitting back and staring at it, it was as clear as day. The Cons list dwarfed the Pros, staring back at her like a judgment.

Based on the length and content of the lists, the disadvantages held more weight.

It was a pure no-brainer. She had to say no.

But still, something inside her hesitated.

She glanced back at the notepad, her gaze shifting between the two columns. She knew what to do. Yet, she didn’t want to.

Was it out of fear for how Marty would react? Was it out of guilt after all that he had done for her? Was there real affection for him? Or did she feel too indebted to him to refuse his true motives?

The truth was, she didn’t know.

She sighed and buried her face in her hands. “Why can’t this be easier?” she whispered.

***

“How many times have we talked, shared jokes, and spent time together? Wasn’t it obvious how I felt about her? Couldn’t she have said something to me? Huh?”

The sun hung low on the horizon as Elias trudged home, still in the most sour of moods. His mind replayed the events of the previous night like a scratched record, each loop making his chest tighten further with fury.

Surely she should have had the decency to say something to him. Considering how often they spoke, it should have slipped at some point. But nope, she had kept it secret, giving him the impression she was a single girl open to love. Now here he was, heartbroken and mad that she was taken. And happily taken at that.

By the time Elias reached Horez House, the ache in his chest had hardened into a simmering anger. He pushed the gate open with more force than necessary.

And there she was.

Akyaa stood on her balcony, leaning on the railing as she always did. Clad in a loose, colorful dress, with her hair pulled back into a simple bun, she looked as radiant as ever.

“Hey, Elias!” she called out cheerfully. “Good evening!”

On any other day, that greeting would light up his evening and fill him with glee.

Today was not going to be one of those days.

Without a word, Elias shot her a cold, sharp glare—a look filled with all the unspoken frustration and disappointment that had been building inside him since hearing of Francis.

Akyaa’s smile faltered. “Elias?” she asked softly, her voice tinged with confusion at his glare.

But he didn’t respond. He turned on his heel and continued walking, his footsteps heavy against the pavement.

“Eli? Eli!”

He continued to ignore her as he made his way up to his apartment.

For the first time since they’d met, Elias didn’t feel the usual warmth Akyaa brought to his life. Instead, there was only the sting of betrayal and the bitter question that wouldn’t stop haunting him.

Why didn’t she tell me?

So Elias is mad at Akyaa now. Hmmm. And as for Natalie, I dunno what’s up with her. It’s so clear she shouldn’t be getting with Marty, but she’s playing unsure. Smh…