CHAPTER EIGHT “CONVINCED”

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde
As inspired by the DEEP ONE

Teju’s POV

“Teju… oh my! Feels good to see you too!”
Beauty said, acting as though the fifteen minutes we spent together earlier hadn’t happened at all.

The switch in her behaviour was suspicious. I quickly assessed the situation.

She obviously didn’t want Imade to know she had spoken with me.
But why?

Then I saw him…
the man Beauty was holding in a very intimate, very possessive way.

It was obvious they were an item.

Maybe that was why she wanted to keep our earlier conversation private. If she and this Man truly had something solid, she wouldn’t want any story that could be misinterpreted.

Beauty knew Imade would ask questions.
She always did.

Beauty turned to me with a bright, deliberate smile.

“Congratulations on finally getting Imade.
This is my fiancé, Richie.
I found love after I lost my husband. Nothing beats true, genuine love. I was in hell when I was with a man I didn’t love.”

She said it dramatically …. like she was telling a moral story on a stage.

At first, I wondered:

Why all this unnecessary backstory?
Why is she talking so much? Why is she oversharing?

Then it hit me.

Her message wasn’t random.
It was coded. It was directed at me.

“You can still find love…
End what you have with Imade.” this was her unspoken message to me…

I swallowed and forced a neutral smile.

“Nice to meet you,” I said to Richie.

Inside me, I was eager to extract Imade from this conversation because this New ‘Beauty’ was confusing … earlier she said she didn’t believe in love, now she was gushing over a man like she wrote the dictionary definition of Love.

Something was off.

“Imade, we should go in.
We have a flight to catch later today,” I said, gently nudging her.

“Alright… take care,” Imade said to Beauty and Richie.

We made our goodbyes and got into the elevator.

At first, silence.

Just the soft hum of the elevator moving.

Then I broke it.

“You guys… did you discuss us?” I asked.

“Us?” Imade repeated lightly. “Not really.”

The elevator continued ascending.

Then she spoke again … her voice softening a bit.

“My conversation with Beauty kind of reset my brain…and I think I’ve been looking at our marriage wrongly. I’m sorry for denying you your right.
I’m… ready.”

Her words should have made my heart leap.
They should have sounded like hope.

But instead…they felt strange….Rehearsed.
Not convincing.

A man knows when a woman means something….And when she is simply playing a card.

I kept quiet.

We entered the room.

I went straight to my box, picked out a change of clothes.
I was exhausted … mentally, emotionally, physically. All I wanted was sleep.

I went into the bathroom to freshen up.
Washed my face. Brushed. Took a minute to breathe.

When I stepped out…

I froze.

Because standing right in front of me was a sight I NEVER expected to see after the depressing evening /night we had.

To be continued…

🌐 www.deepthoughtsintl.org
📘 Facebook: @Opeyemi Akintunde
📸 Instagram: @OpeyemiAkintunde
🎥 YouTube: @DeepThoughtsTV

✍️ DEEP THOUGHTS NOVELS
Inspired by the TRUTH REVEALER
Written by Opeyemi Akintunde
📞 +234-8151103646