The message was still on his screen. “Has she seen the lipstick?” My brain paused. My heart pressed restart. I turned to Chijioke. “Oya, talk. What is this nonsense?” “Nma…” He sighed. “There’s something I need to tell you.” He leaned forward. “It wasn’t a coincidence… me talking to you at the wedding.” I folded my arms. He continued. “The bride asked me for a favour… weeks ago.”

I blinked. “Bride? Which bride?” He nodded. “She knew you might show up. She said she had a feeling. That you’d come, looking like fire, and maybe start… something.” I scoffed.

“What kind of something? Did she think I came to scatter her chairs?” He didn’t answer. He just said, “She begged me to keep you distracted. Make you feel… noticed. So you wouldn’t ruin the day.” I laughed. That wicked type. That “I’m about to break bottle” type. “So I was the assignment. The project work. I was the mission.”

He said, “It wasn’t like that. At first, yes… but it changed.” “From the moment I saw you at the hall, I was… done for.” He touched his chest. “I didn’t plan the kiss. I didn’t plan last night. It was supposed to be a harmless distraction.” So I asked him, “Did she pay you?” He hesitated. I picked up my bag. “She didn’t pay me, Nma. She begged. Said she was insecure.

That you were his biggest ‘what if.’ That she needed to be sure he was over you… and that you were over him.” I was shaking. My pride? Doing Big Brother eviction countdown. “So you’re her spy?” He looked up. “No. But I did owe her one.” I walked toward the door. “You’re a liar.” He didn’t deny it. He just said, “I didn’t expect to feel this way about you. It was supposed to be a 2-hour distraction. But somehow… I’m still here. Still watching you walk away.” I paused. But I didn’t turn.

When I got home, there was a DM waiting. Anonymous. It said: “They lied to you. Both of them. And your ex? He’s hiding something worse. Want the full gist?”

Attached: A 2-minute voice note. Caption: “Press play. But sit down first.” I didn’t press play at first.

I stared at the message. The words “they lied to you” echoed louder than the thunder outside. I paced. I prayed small. Then I sat. Put on my AirPods. Closed my eyes. And pressed play.

The voice? Feminine. Low. Calm but loaded. “I sent you the wedding invite. Don’t bother asking who I am. Just know I gave up my own slot to make sure you could attend.” She chuckled bitterly. “I thought you’d come to scatter it. Instead, you were there looking fine, drinking zobo, dancing with the groomsman. Did you forget so quickly? Weren’t you still in pain?”

My heart thudded. “How does a man you’ve dated for 3 years, break up with you 2 months ago, and now he’s smiling at the altar? Do you even know he was married in the US? Two kids. All the while you were sending him money, hustling for him, helping him build his family.”

I froze. She didn’t pause.

“Your father’s money… wasted. Your loyalty… mocked. And now he’s got a new victim, the bride. Do you think it’s love? Her father is the IG of Police, filthy rich. This marriage is for a reason. I don’t know what it is. But we must save another sister.” My chest tightened.

“From what I know, this was just the wedding party. The legal paperwork is next week. If we can stop that, we can save her from being shackled for life.” Then she hung up. The message ended. My phone was shaking in my hand. Or maybe it was me. I stared into the dark.

Then I messaged the account: “Who are you?”

No reply. But 30 seconds later… Another message came through. Not a voice note. Not a text. A picture. Of me and Chijioke laughing.

Captioned: ex and cousin vibes.

Before I could breathe, another message dropped, a photo of me and Chijioke, neck‑to‑neck on the dance floor.

Caption: “This is not what I expected.”

Nma’s Diaries….Life…Lessons…And everything inbetween