Desmond made himself a cup of tea and sat before his laptop.
He searched for a movie, hoping it would distract him long enough for his thoughts to settle. His head already ached badly, and he knew that if he continued overthinking everything, he might genuinely fall sick.
Should he tell Feire the truth?
Should he continue pretending?
Or what exactly could he do to escape the disaster slowly tightening around him?
He took another sip of tea and suddenly realized the movie had already played for almost five minutes without him understanding a single scene.
Frustrated, he shut the laptop immediately and gulped down the remaining tea.
Then another idea crossed his mind.
Twitter savages.
At least scrolling through nonsense online would distract him and possibly improve his mood a little.
Feire already knew Mosun would be waiting impatiently to hear the outcome of the meeting.
Honestly, she only wanted to rest.
But resting peacefully while Mosun was around was almost impossible.
The moment she opened the door, she met Mosun seated comfortably with a bowl of popcorn resting on her lap and both legs crossed over a stool.
“Welcome,” Mosun greeted dramatically.
Feire stood by the door and stared at her.
“Where did you get popcorn from?”
“I bought it.” Mosun grinned. “Obviously, I needed something to chew while you gist me properly about today. Come and sit down.”
Feire hissed softly and dropped beside her.
“You’re not serious, Mosun.”
“I’m very serious. Start talking.”
“It was just a meeting,” Feire replied casually. “He wants me to join his company and he’s offering me triple my current salary. That’s all.”
Mosun clasped her hands together in disbelief.
“You really don’t know how to gist somebody, Feire. I’ve been teaching you since university days. Was the conversation this short?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why are you summarizing everything?” Mosun snapped playfully. “Alaye, explain properly jare.”
Feire burst into laughter.
“You’re actually mad.”
“I’m begging you. I’ve been bored all day. NEPA refused to restore light and I’ve just been waiting for you to return.”
“Why didn’t you put on the generator?”
“I was waiting for you.”
Eventually, Feire gave in and started narrating everything — from the meeting itself to Desmond calling while she sat with Fola.
Soon enough, both of them were eating from the popcorn together.
Sunday morning arrived quietly.
After thinking through everything repeatedly, Desmond finally convinced himself that telling Feire the truth would destroy her completely.
Maybe the best option was to continue acting along.
Marry Kike.
Help her out.
Then perhaps, after some months, they could separate quietly and he could eventually marry Feire properly.
At least that was the lie he told himself to sleep peacefully.
After church service, he decided to visit his parents.
As he parked outside their gate, another thought struck him.
He should have asked Kike to follow him.
That would have made things easier.
He only hoped the entire situation would remain hidden from Feire long enough for him to figure something out.
He stepped out of the car and adjusted his shirt slowly.
It had been months since he last visited his parents because every single visit eventually turned into discussions about marriage.
Ironically, the fake news he was about to deliver would finally make them happy.
“Mama,” he called warmly, hugging his mother from behind.
She turned immediately, joy spreading across her face.
“Desmond! How are you?”
“I’m fine, Mum. Happy Sunday.”
“Come and sit down.”
He greeted his father and sat beside him.
African Magic was playing loudly on the television — the same station they had always loved watching together.
“How was service?” he asked casually.
“It was fine,” his mother replied. “Did you go to church too?”
“Yes. I came straight from church actually.”
“That’s good.” She smiled. “Are you eating pounded yam?”
Desmond grinned immediately.
That was always the bonus of visiting home.
“Yes.”
“I’ll put the yam on fire now. You’ll be the one pounding it.”
His smile disappeared instantly.
“I’m suddenly not hungry again.”
She shrugged while standing up.
“Whether you’re hungry or not, you’ll still pound it.”
He laughed.
“Mum, you’re not considerate at all. Imagine me using pestle while wearing shirt and tie.”
“Who else will pound it for you?” his father asked calmly.
“What if I didn’t come today?”
“That’s another matter entirely. But now that you’re here, you’ll pound it.”
“Mum, wait,” Desmond interrupted quickly. “I actually came for something important.”
“Can it not wait until the yam enters fire?” his father replied immediately. “I’m hungry.”
Desmond exhaled slowly.
“So what exactly is the discussion?” his father asked finally.
Desmond didn’t bother beating around the bush anymore.
“A lady is pregnant for me.”
The words dropped heavily into the room.
Immediately, he lowered his head, avoiding their faces completely.
He already knew disappointment was coming.
They would probably preach the entire King James Bible before addressing the actual situation.
“Desmond…” his mother called softly.
She had already started toward the kitchen before turning back to sit beside him.
“I knew the yam would either burn or become cold before this discussion ends,” he muttered internally.
“And you still call yourself a child of God?” his father asked sharply.
“How could you sleep with a woman you’re not married to?” his mother added.
“And you’re smiling while announcing it like good news?” his father continued.
“It was a mistake,” Desmond finally said quietly.
“So all those years we trusted you in university, believing our son feared God, you were secretly doing nonsense with women?”
“No, Dad—”
“Or maybe they’ve been aborting before now and this time the doctor said she would die if she tries again,” his mother added immediately.
Desmond inhaled sharply through his nose.
“No! This is the first time something like this has happened. I made a mistake and I regret it. But I couldn’t kill my child. That’s why I came here.”
Then frustration pushed the next words out before he could stop them.
“You people are even making me regret why we didn’t abort the child.”
“Abort?” his mother exclaimed immediately. “And whose hands should God find the blood on?”
“Mum, I know the Bible—”
“But you didn’t practice it!” his father interrupted. “What’s the point of knowing scripture without obeying it?”
“Dad, I know all these scriptures already!” Desmond snapped finally. “I’m sorry for what happened, but quoting Bible verses won’t solve the reality on ground right now.”
Silence followed briefly.
Then his father sighed.
“So what exactly is the next step?”
Desmond immediately explained everything that happened at Kike’s house and what her parents expected from him.
He spoke quickly because honestly, he couldn’t wait to leave.
A part of him desperately wanted to confess the truth — that the child wasn’t his.
But what would happen to Kike if he walked away now?
“So what’s the girl’s name?” his father eventually asked.
“Kike.”
“The only daughter?”
“Yes.”
His father turned toward his wife.
“What do you think?”
She shrugged calmly.
“What else can we do? The mistake has already happened. Let us just play our role and move forward.”
His father sighed heavily again.
After church, Feire returned home to an unusually quiet apartment.
As stressful as Mosun could be, her absence suddenly made the place feel empty.
She barely sat down before remembering the contract offer.
She still needed to tell Desmond properly and hear his opinion.
Maybe discussing it with him would even give her an excuse to leave the house later.
She picked up her phone immediately.
Meanwhile, Desmond was just leaving his parents’ house when her call entered.
His heart skipped violently.
For a second, he thought she had somehow discovered everything already.
Still, he picked the call and tried masking his emotions.
He eventually agreed to come over so they could discuss properly since Mosun had already left.
By the time he arrived, Feire was in the kitchen.
The rice was almost ready and she had already warmed stew from the refrigerator.
She hugged him warmly and invited him to either sit near the dining or simply keep her company inside the kitchen.
He joined her there quietly.
“So how was service?” she asked.
“Fine. Yours?”
She nodded excitedly.
“It was really good. We had something like a family talk session today. Honestly, if I knew that was the topic, I would’ve dragged you to my church.”
He forced a smile.
“I’m a worker in my church too.”
“That’s not the point.” She laughed lightly. “The pastor talked about marriages, forgiveness, hiding things from partners and—”
“Feire,” Desmond interrupted suddenly. “I thought you wanted to discuss the contract.”
She blinked.
“You missed the whole gist jor. I’m trying to update you.”
“Tell me the contract details first.”
Something in his tone immediately felt off.
“Why are you sounding like this?” she asked carefully. “Did something happen in church?”
He shook his head.
“I’m just tired.”
They moved to the dining table after she served the food.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” she asked again softly, wrapping her arms briefly around his neck.
“I’m fine.”
“So what do you think about the offer?”
“I don’t think you should take it.”
Feire paused.
“Why?”
“I feel the man is trying to get close to you. Who offers triple salary just because of one show? What exactly is so special about your shows?”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Desmond looked up slowly and realized Feire had frozen completely.
“Feire?”
She turned toward him slowly.
“What did you say?”
He immediately realized his mistake.
“That’s not what I meant—”
“What exactly is so special about my shows?” she repeated quietly.
He sighed.
“Babe, don’t misunderstand me—”
“Are you telling me not to take the job because you’re insecure?”
“No, that’s not it—”
“Or you think I’ll sleep with him for opportunities?”
“Feire—”
“Or maybe the salary itself is the problem?”
Desmond rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“I’m sorry. You misunderstood me. If you want the job, then take it.”
Then she suddenly asked:
“Why did you rush out of Domino’s that day?”
His body stiffened instantly.
“I got an urgent call.”
“From who?”
“Kike,” he answered quickly. “It was work-related.”
Feire nodded slowly.
“I trust you,” she said softly. “I was only worried because you disappeared too suddenly.”
Then she smiled faintly.
“If you can work with Kike without any strings attached, then I should also be able to work with Fola professionally too.”
Desmond lost his voice immediately.