Chapter 1: The Betrayal

My junior post bed photos of my fiancée for his WhatsApp status.

Ocean view room, she dey wear sexy lingerie, dey sleep well well. The kind red lace wey I know say I buy for her last Valentine, now another man dey use am show off for social media like say na trophy.

Friends' discussions just explode, everybody dey tag me. My phone dey vibrate non-stop like say alarm bell dey ring.

[@Emeka, no be your fiancée dey that bed so?]

[This room suppose cost eight thousand eight hundred per night. Rich people sabi play sha.]

[Who exactly be her boyfriend? Wetin dey happen? Una dey play wild o.]

I receive the messages and I call her sharp sharp. My hand dey shake small as I dey press her number. This girl wey I don buy engagement ring for, now another man dey...

Who know say she no even send me message for the other side: "Wetin concern you? Our wedding still get one year to go. E never reach your turn to dey control me."

"Besides, I only gree say I go marry you, I no gree say I go love you." Her voice cold like harmattan breeze, like say she dey talk to stranger, not person wey she don know for twenty-three years.

Before I fit talk anything, she cut the call. The beep beep sound dey echo for my ear like mockery.

Not long after, my junior post another photo. This one worse pass the first one.

Both of them dey wear light clothes, his arm dey round my fiancée waist, pride full his eyes. The boy chest dey swell like say him be peacock wey just win competition.

I just remove the engagement ring straight, come send message. The diamond ring wey cost me six months salary, I pull am comot like say na ordinary rubber band:

[The wedding don cancel. I go mail the ring back to you. Do wetin you like.]

Adaeze and I na childhood sweethearts, we grow up together, our families arrange the marriage since we small. From the time wey we dey wear school uniform go primary school, everybody don dey call us husband and wife.

I been think say we love each other, say we match well well, say na complete win-win situation. Our fathers na business partners, our mothers na secondary school friends, everything just align like say na destiny.

But I no expect say she go dey date one person after another. First na that banker Chidi, then the DJ from Lekki, now na this my junior Kelechi.

Before, I been think say she just never play enough, say she no wan make marriage tie her down too quick. I been dey tell myself say na phase, say e go pass.

Because I love her, I fit tolerate am. But tolerance get limit, and my own don reach breaking point.

But now, I just dey wonder. The question dey echo for my head like broken record.

Wetin exactly she take me for? ATM machine? Safety net? Fool wey go dey wait while she dey gallivant?

Adaeze call me for voice call, disdain full her voice, she dey mock me: "Young Master Emeka dey throw tantrum? You talk say no wedding mean no wedding? You don call ask if Mama agree?"

The anger wey don gather for my heart just catch fire. Like kerosene wey dem pour for fire, everything just explode.

"My word na my family position. From now on, you and me no go contact each other again." I talk with the kind authority wey I inherit from my papa, the type wey no dey accept argument.

Adaeze pause small, like say she confuse: "Wetin dey worry you? When I dey with my ex-boyfriend before, you no even buy food for us?" She dey talk like say na normal thing, like say every man suppose happy make him fiancée dey knack another person.

The voice of junior Kelechi for her side enter my ear. He dey laugh: "Oh, your fiancé don vex. Tell am say we dey play house. Anyway, you go still marry am for the end." The boy voice get that kind arrogance wey young boys wey never see life dey get. My jaw just lock, I no fit even curse.

Play? My chest just tight like say somebody dey squeeze am with pliers.

You wan play for bathroom or for sofa? If una born pikin, the pikin go call me daddy? The bitter thoughts dey run through my mind like wildfire.

Kelechi continue dey yarn leisurely for the other side: "Baby, you no go pet Young Master Emeka? I dey see say he really vex o." Him dey talk like say I be small pikin wey dey throw tantrum for toy.

I dey annoyed, wan cut the call. My thumb don already dey hover over the red button.

I come hear Adaeze voice, cold, her tone dey certain. The kind certainty wey only person wey never face consequence before fit get:

"Nothing to pet. Na so he don dey since we small. After he throw finish tantrum, he go dey alright. No mind am." She dey dismiss twenty-three years like say na dust wey she fit blow comot.

Then she talk with sweet voice. The same sweet voice wey she use tell me say she love me for our graduation day:

"Kelechi, you no talk say you never fly first class before? I go book the most expensive ticket for you for tomorrow return." Like say she dey reward dog wey do good trick.