Chapter 003

"Dee, you've been avoiding me."

There was an unmistakable edge to Yemi's voice despite its calmness. With my fingers clutching the door handle and my heart pounding, I stood in my apartment's hallway. Somehow, he had discovered me once more. His arrival was not surprising this time. He seemed to have been waiting for this moment, as though he knew just where to look for me.

I responded, a bit too loudly, "I'm not avoiding you," revealing the stress that was growing inside of me. "I have been occupied. with the children.

Yemi repeated, "The kids," almost as a query, but with a menacing curiosity in his voice. "I've seen them, yes, but I'm not merely referring to them. Dee, you have been avoiding me. I also dislike being disregarded.

It was difficult for me to breathe because I could feel his eyes bearing down on me. This was not what I wanted to do. With him, I didn't want to go back in time. But here he was, unrelenting, and the truth that hovered between us like an unsaid storm could not be avoided.

I reiterated, "I'm not avoiding you," even though it sounded false to my own ears. "All I'm trying to do is move on."

The tiny gap between us was filled with Yemi's presence as he moved closer. "Go on?" He gave a little sour laugh. "You believe you can simply forget about me? From us?

I took a deep breath. "Yemi, it's not like that. You are a part of my history. And I—

"You believe I'm merely a chapter you can end and move on from?" He interrupted me, his voice now like a razor. "Dee, what about the kids? How about them? You cannot claim that they are not a part of who I am.

I winced at what he said. They were too personal, and I detested how quickly he could break me. The kids. I had attempted to shield them from this muck and disorder, but now that we were here, I was powerless to stop it.

With a voice full of sorrow, I muttered, "You don't know anything about them." "You have no idea what they have endured. You have no idea how much they mean to me.

Yemi stepped nearer again, his gaze fixed on mine. What they imply to you is unknown to me. I understand exactly what they mean to you, Dee. And I'm wondering why you haven't shared them with me. Why haven't you allowed me to see them?

I didn't respond. How could I respond? How could I justify the years of silence and the choices I had made to shield children from a guy who had the power to destroy their entire world?

It seemed hollow, but I said, "I don't want anything to do with you anymore." "Not after everything."

For a brief moment, his face softened, but his gaze simply became more intense. "Dee, you're lying. You're against me leaving. You want me to stay with you, to help you understand everything. Do you believe I'm incapable of reading you?

With a shudder down my spine, I backed up a little. "Yemi, I don't need your assistance. I didn't.

"So, what keeps you here?" His voice was soft but full of significance as he inquired. "What's letting me in?"

I tried to calm my breathing by closing my eyes, but I was unable. He had always had the ability to irritate me and make me doubt all of my assumptions. I was unwilling to deal with this. Not like this, not right now. However, he was there, directly in front of me, and the chemistry—the attraction—was still there.

My voice trembled as I said, "You are no longer my responsibility." "You don't exist in my life. Additionally, I don't want you to be

Yemi's mouth clenched. I briefly feared that he would quarrel with me, but he simply stood there and observed me. Although the stillness between us seemed to go on forever, it wasn't uncomfortable. It had a charge. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as my mind raced. Like a magnet, I couldn't help but feel the old spark and draw between us.

He took a step back and combed his hair. He said softly, "Dee, you're still the same." "Always trying to hide behind a mask, acting as though you have no emotions."

"I'm not acting," I yelled. "You no longer know anything about me."

"I recognize you," he uttered quietly. "You don't realize how much I know you. I am aware that you are deceiving yourself. You cannot act as though we are without anything.

Something. I was unable to get the term out of my head. This was not how I wanted to feel. I couldn't deny it, but I didn't want him to affect me in this way. The attraction had not diminished despite the years of separation. It had, if anything, made it more intense.

I muttered, more to myself than to him, "Don't."

Yemi disregarded me, though. His eyes never left mine as he closed the distance between us once more. "Dee, I'm not going anywhere. I am unable to. Until I find out the truth, no.

"The reality?" My voice was hardly heard as I asked. "What is the truth?"

When his hand touched mine, I felt a shock of electricity that I was unable to stop. "The reality about us. Why didn't you tell me about the twins? Why didn't you tell me? Dee, I'd like to know. And until I have the answers, I won't give up.

His comments were so intense that they swept over me like a wave and dragged me beneath. I had made an effort to forget the past. I had made an effort to forget the errors, the pain, and everything that had brought us to this point. Yemi, though, wouldn't let me. I had been attempting to conceal the thread for years, but he was getting closer.

I trembled as I said, "I told you that I don't want anything from you."

He didn't back down or move. He looked into my eyes as though he could see right through me. "You're lying once more," he said in a hushed voice. "You still have feelings for me."

I wanted to argue. I wanted to slam the door in his face, push him away, and deny everything. However, the words refused to come. Instead, when he moved closer, I just remained there, motionless. His body was radiating heat, and I could feel his pull drawing me closer.

The twins' shouts cut through the tension before I could respond. "Mom? Who is that?

My heart skipped a beat when I turned and found David and Dara standing at the living room entry, their looks bewildered.

Yemi took a step back, his face unreadable. He murmured gently, "I think we have company," with a darker tone that I couldn't quite identify.

I tried to conceal the whirlpool of emotions roiling inside of me as I turned back to the twins. I forced a smile and added, "It's nothing, darling." "Just a friend."

A companion. My tongue tasted harsh from the lie. I couldn't continue to tell them lies. No more.

There was a sense of impending disaster as the twins approached. Yemi's presence in my life was a catalyst for everything that was still to come, not just a question of the past.