C1 Chapter One

My name is Chinyere.

For three beautiful years, I had been in a relationship with the man I loved, Ebere.

I loved him more than I could put into words. To me, Ebere was everything I had ever wanted in a man. He was loving, caring, handsome, successful, and, most importantly, he made me feel safe. I had always dreamed of spending the rest of my life with him.

So when that evening came, I had no idea that it would become one of the most memorable nights of my life.

Ebere had taken me out for dinner. We spent the evening together, laughing, eating, and talking about everything and nothing. I was simply enjoying being with the man I loved.

After dinner, as we sat together, Ebere looked at me.

“Baby.”

I smiled. “Yes, honey?”

“There’s something I want us to do.”

“What is it?”

“Within the next two weeks, I want you to take me to your parents. I want to meet them.”

For a moment, I just stared at him.

Then he continued.

“After that, we can start making plans for our wedding.”

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

“Wow, baby!”

I could hardly contain my excitement.

“You don’t know how happy I am to hear this. I can’t wait to be your woman. I can’t wait to live with you as your wife.”

"Honey , I love you"

And he replied.

"I love you too"

Ebere smiled and pulled me closer and we had a passionate kiss.

That night, I went home happier than I had ever been.

The moment I entered the house, I rushed to meet my roommate and best friend, Ngozi.

“Babe! Guess what!”

Ngozi looked at me.

“What?”

“Guess!”

She rolled her eyes.

“You know I’m not good at guessing. Just tell me what happened.”

I could no longer hide my excitement.

“Very soon, I’m leaving the singles’ market!”

Ngozi jumped up from where she was sitting.

“Wow! You mean it? He proposed?”

I laughed.

“No. My man is not that kind of person. But he told me that in two weeks, he wants to visit my parents. After that, we’ll start planning our wedding.”

Ngozi stared at me for a moment before breaking into a huge smile.

“Wow, babe! I’m so happy for you. Congratulations!”

Then she sighed dramatically.

“When will it be my turn?”

I laughed and hugged her.

“Come on, babe. Your time will come. And when it does, it will be beautiful.”

“I pray so,” she replied.

We continued talking excitedly about the wedding, and then I told her about my plans for the weekend.

“I’m going to visit Ebere this weekend,” I said.

Ngozi suddenly looked interested.

“Babe, can I come with you?”

I looked at her in surprise.

“You want to come with me? Why?”

She laughed.

“Come on, babe. You know your man has friends. And he’s rich and influential. Who knows? Maybe I’ll meet one of his friends who will like me.”

I laughed.

“Okay, no problem. You can come with me. But you have to look good. My man doesn’t like women looking shabby.”

“Okay, no problem. No problem at all.”

She paused, then looked at me.

“But you know I don’t have clothes as fine as yours. Maybe you can lend me something to wear.”

“Of course,” I replied. “You can choose any outfit you like from my wardrobe.”

Ngozi smiled brightly.

“Thank you so much! I can’t wait for the weekend.”

I smiled back at her.

At that moment, I had no idea that the friend standing in front of me was about to become the greatest threat to everything I had ever dreamed of.

TO BE CONTINUED.