18/10/2025
Part 5 – The Redemption
The evening sky was painted in orange and gold when Precious arrived at the hospital.
Her heart beat faster with every step she took down the long corridor toward the ward where Femi worked.
She found him sitting outside, his white coat folded on the chair beside him, eyes weary but calm.
“Femi,” she said softly.
He looked up slowly, surprise flickering in his eyes. “Precious… you came.”
She took a deep breath. “I read your note. And I spoke to Ada.”
He nodded silently, unsure of what to expect.
“I realized something,” she continued. “I’ve spent so long blaming the past that I forgot the present is still mine to choose.”
Femi rose to his feet, his voice low. “And what do you choose?”
She stepped closer, her eyes glistening. “I choose peace. I choose healing. I choose you.”
For a moment, neither spoke — then Femi’s lips curved into that soft, disbelieving smile she’d missed so much.
He reached out gently, as if afraid she might disappear. “Are you sure?”
She smiled faintly through tears. “For the first time in my life, yes.”
He pulled her into his arms, and in that quiet hospital courtyard, surrounded by the scent of rain-soaked flowers, everything that once hurt began to fade.
Weeks later, at the same café where it all began, Precious, Femi, Emeka, and Ada found themselves in the same room again — but this time, it felt different.
Emeka walked up to her. “I just wanted to say… I’m sorry. For everything.”
She smiled, calm and genuine. “We all made mistakes, Emeka. But maybe they led us where we were meant to be.”
Ada squeezed her hand gently. “Thank you… for forgiving us.”
Precious looked at Femi, who sat by her side, eyes warm and certain.
“I didn’t forgive you for you,” she said with a soft smile. “I did it for me — so I could finally love again.”
Outside, the sky began to drizzle, just like that first day — but this time, the rain felt like renewal.
And as Femi leaned in to whisper, “Still no sugar?” she laughed softly.
“Still none. But you make it sweet anyway.”
The End.
Adaobiajulu