Chapter 004

"Dee, please tell me everything."

I couldn't help but notice the hardness underlying Yemi's placid voice. As I wiped the last of the soap off the dishes, I remained motionless at the kitchen counter, my hand trembling. Fortunately, the twins were in their room and unaware of the stress that had already tainted our relationship. I was uneasy in a way I hadn't anticipated since I could feel Yemi staring at me from the other side of the room.

I was having trouble breathing.

"Everything?" With a softer tone than I had intended, I repeated. I could feel my meticulously built life's walls beginning to crumble, one fragment at a time. I frantically tried to think of a response that would sidestep his demand.

However, there was no simple solution or means to prevent the past from coming to light.

He stepped closer, his dark eyes never leaving mine, and said, "Don't play coy with me." "Dee, you've been concealing stuff. Keeping them hidden from everyone, including myself. I am aware that you have been fleeing from something. What is it?

Each phrase stung more than the last as they struck me like a slap. Trying to force the thoughts of that night—the night we were together—out of my head, I swallowed hard. The night that had made all the difference. I couldn't afford to lose the night that had cost me so much.

"I have no idea what you're discussing," Even I knew it sounded weak when I lied.

Yemi's gaze remained fixed on mine. "Dee, don't tell me lies. I've witnessed your gaze on me. I've witnessed your reactions to me being close to you. Do you believe I have no idea what this is? What are we?

My heart was racing in my chest, threatening to escape its confines. Unresolved past and stress that I was unable to release filled the space between us. There was too much danger in his closeness. I moved away from him, but it felt like we were getting closer to one other every second.

Hating the way my voice quiver, I murmured, "Yemi, you don't know anything about me." "You didn't."

"Is that correct?" His concentrated stare examined me as if I were a conundrum he had to solve. Then, Dee, tell me. Why did you abandon me so long ago? What made you run?

I inhaled, my thoughts racing. This was not what I had anticipated. Not like this, not right now. I had nearly persuaded myself that I could live without the truth ever coming to light again because it had been hidden for so long. Yemi, however, was not going to allow it to occur. Not right now. Not when he was there in front of me, his weight pressing down on my chest.

Eventually, before I could stop myself, I said, "I didn't want to ruin your life." It was the narrative I had told myself over the years, but it wasn't the whole truth.

Yemi's gaze softened somewhat as he cocked his head. "Destroy my life? You are the one who abandoned me, Dee. The person who vanished silently. Not a trace. Do you not believe that I was entitled to know?

With the guilt beginning to seep into my bones, I turned my back on him. His steady, methodical footsteps, like a predator closing in on its prey, could be heard behind me. My pulse quickened as the tension between us crackled. Of course, he was correct. I had withheld a lot of information from him. But how could I be honest with him? The whole truth?

I answered, scarcely raising my voice above a whisper, "I didn't think you needed to know." He had hurt and wrath on his face, and I didn't want to look at him. "This is how I thought it was better."

"Better?" His voice was low and menacing. "You believed it would be best if I never found out about our kids?"

I felt as though the room was spinning around me. I tried to stabilize myself by holding onto the edge of the counter as my stomach lurched. I pleaded, my voice cracking, "Please." "Avoid doing this. Don't force me to return there. You're not understanding. You have no idea what I've endured.

His hand brushed mine as he took a step closer. Despite the confusion in my head, the electric touch gave me a surge of want. I was unable to resist. It was impossible to deny the draw between us.

Yemi murmured, his voice gentler now, as though the fight had temporarily left him, "I want to understand, Dee." "I'd like to know what took place. I must know.

I wished I could get away from this moment as I closed my eyes. from him. However, the truth could no longer be avoided. Yemi's remarks were too forceful and too full of sensitivity, which I hadn't anticipated.

With a voice full of emotion, I said, "You don't get it." "I was unable to admit you. Then no. Not while I was so... shattered.

There was a brief period of silence. Then Yemi said, "What happened, Dee?" in a voice that was almost audible above a whisper.

My thoughts immediately returned to the evening we had spent together. The evening I believed would be an error. a one-time event. However, it hadn't been. There had been more. Furthermore, I had never been ready for the aftermath. I had been afraid. I'm afraid of him. afraid of the consequences for us. I'm afraid of the consequences for my future.

"I was pregnant," I eventually murmured, letting the words escape my lips. "With twins."

Yemi became motionless. It was as though the room's air had been drawn out. His silence weighed heavily on me, the astonishment looming over him like a dense mist.

His voice was scratchy as he said, "You... you never told me." "You never mentioned them to me. Regarding my kids.

With the tears that threatened to fall suddenly streaming down my face, I answered, "I couldn't." "I was unable to tell you. I was unable to inform anyone. I was terrified. Fearful of your thoughts. Fearful of losing it all.

The seriousness of my confession weighed heavily on the room, and neither of us moved for a long time. The twins kept playing in their chamber, unaware of the storm that was building in the adjacent room. However, I was aware that a change was imminent.

There was a long pause before Yemi said, "Dee." "Why didn't you approach me? Why didn't you be honest with me?

I said it again, my voice cracking, "I couldn't." "I couldn't take the chance. Not with them. Not with my kids.

Yemi's face softened, but his remarks still had a hint of sharpness. Do you believe I wouldn't have been able to assist you? Do you believe I would have left you and my children behind?

With tears now running down my cheeks, I shook my head. "I'm not sure what I should believe anymore."

Yemi's thumb brushed away the tears as he reached out to touch my cheek. My heart raced as I felt a shock from his contact. I wanted to back off. I wanted to keep myself safe. However, there was something about the way he held me and looked at me that led me to trust him.

His voice was low as he murmured, "Dee, I'm not leaving." And I won't abandon you or our children. Not right now. Never.

The sound of the twins' footsteps pierced the dense silence before I could reply. From the corridor, David's voice yelled.

"Mum? Who is he?

Like an accusation, the question lingered in the air. With a sinking heart, I turned quickly. The time had arrived. The running had stopped. The past was in front of me, right here. Furthermore, there was no going back.