The kolanut felt like a live coal in Mina's palm, its intricate ridges pressing into her skin, a permanent brand of the choice she had just made. The world had not ended. The floor had not swallowed her whole. The only thing that had changed was everything.
Adams's hand remained closed over hers, his warmth seeping into her cold fingers. The devastating smile on his face was not one of triumph, but of a profound, almost reverent gratitude. He looked at her as if she had just given him the city of Lagos itself, not her complicated, messy life.
In the corner, Lara made a small, choked sound. The spell broken, Mina's gaze flew to her sister. Lara's face was a canvas of shock, fear, and a dawning, terrible understanding. She looked from the joined hands to Mina's tear-streaked face, her own eyes wide.
Adams followed her gaze. Gently, he released Mina's hand, though the ghost of his touch remained. He turned to Lara, his expression turning solemn, respectful.
"Lara," he said, his voice deep and steady. "I know this is… sudden. And unconventional. But I want you to know my intentions are honorable. I will speak to your family. All of them. Properly. With the respect your sister and your entire family deserve."
Lara could only nod, her throat working soundlessly. She looked utterly overwhelmed.
Adams turned back to Mina. "I should go. You need to… process. To talk to your sister." He reached into his agbada once more and pulled out a simple, burnished silver bracelet, its surface etched with a subtle, intricate pattern. It was beautiful, but understated. Not an object of extravagance, but a token.
"This was my mother's," he said quietly, holding it out. "She told me to give it to the woman who felt like home. I didn't understand what that meant until I met you."
The gesture undid her completely. Fresh tears welled in her eyes as he clasped the cool metal around her wrist. It fit perfectly. It felt both alien and like it had always belonged there.
He didn't try to kiss her. He simply bowed his head slightly, a gesture of deep respect, and let himself out, closing the door softly behind him.
The silence he left behind was deafening.
Mina stood frozen, staring at the closed door, her right hand still curled around the kolanut, her left wrist bearing the weight of his mother's bracelet.
"You said yes." Lara's voice was a hollow whisper. It wasn't a question.
Mina finally turned to face her. The euphoria was already being chased by a tidal wave of anxiety. "Lara, I… I had to."
"Had to?" Lara pushed herself up on her elbows, a flicker of her old strength returning. "Mina, what have you done? Mama… Tunde… his family! They have already started planning! Auntie Grace has practically picked out the aso ebi!"
"I know!" Mina cried, the words bursting from her. "I know all of that! But don't you see? That's the problem! It was all happening to me. Without me! Tunde's family was planning with Auntie Grace. When did Tunde even ask me what I wanted? He just… assumed. Because it was settled."
"And this?" Lara gestured wildly to the door. "This is better? A man you met three weeks ago who proposes in a fever dream after paying our bills? Mina, open your eyes! However beautiful his words are, it looks… it looks terrible!"
"Since when do we care more about how things look than how they feel?" Mina shot back, her defiance fueled by a deep, terrifying uncertainty. She clutched the kolanut tighter. "He sees me, Lara. Not just a teacher, or a good daughter, or a future wife. Me. My mind. My heart. He challenges me. He doesn't just want to put me in his house; he wants to build a home with me."
"And what happens when the challenge is over?" Lara's voice was sharp, laced with a cynicism that belied her years. "When the poetry books get old? When he's bored of arguing about destiny? You will be alone in a big house, Mina. And I will be here, and I won't be able to help you pick up the pieces."
The prediction was a knife to the heart. It was her mother's fear, given a sister's voice.
Mina sank onto the edge of Lara's bed, the fight draining out of her, replaced by a weary resolve. "I know the risks. I'm not a fool. But I also know what I feel. And what I feel with him… I've never felt it before. It's terrifying and huge and it feels… real. More real than anything I've ever known."
She looked at her sister, her eyes pleading for understanding. "I have to choose the real thing, Lara. Even if it's hard. Even if it's scary. I have to believe it's worth it."
Lara studied her face, seeing the determination warring with the fear. She let out a long, slow breath, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "You really love him."
It was the first time the words had been spoken aloud. They hung in the air between them, a truth so powerful it momentarily silenced all argument.
Mina nodded, a fresh tear tracing a path down her cheek. "I think I do."
Lara was silent for a long moment. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, she reached out and took Mina's hand, the one not clutching the kolanut. Her grip was surprisingly strong.
"Then God help us both," she whispered. "Because you have just declared war on our family. And I…" She squeezed Mina's hand. "…I suppose I am on your side."
It wasn't approval. It was allegiance. It was a thousand times more than Mina had hoped for.
The relief was so profound it made her dizzy. She leaned her forehead against her sister's, the two of them drawing strength from each other in the quiet room.
The moment was shattered by the shrill ring of Mina's phone on the small table. They both jumped.
The screen lit up, illuminating the dim room. The caller ID was unmistakable.
Tunde.
Mina's blood ran cold. She stared at the phone as if it were a venomous snake.
Lara's eyes widened. "Don't answer it."
"I have to," Mina whispered, her voice trembling. "I can't… I can't hide from this."
"Mina, no. Not now. You're too emotional. You'll say the wrong thing."
But Mina's hand was already moving, driven by a sense of grim duty. She had made her choice with Adams. Now she had to voice it to Tunde. To make it real in the world.
She took a deep, shuddering breath and picked up the phone. Her hand, with his mother's bracelet gleaming on her wrist, shook violently.
"Hello? Tunde?" she said, her voice barely recognizable.
"Mina!" His voice was warm, cheerful, oblivious to the earthquake that had just levelled her life. "I was just thinking about you. My mother was asking about dates. She thinks next month would be good, before the rains get too heavy. What do you think?"
The normalcy of it, the sheer, uncomplicated forward momentum of his plans, was like a physical blow. Mina closed her eyes, the kolanut digging into her palm, a painful anchor to her new, impossible reality.
She had made her choice. Now, she had to break a heart.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The words, the terrible, necessary words, were trapped in her throat, choked by guilt and fear.