11/10/2025
Part 3 – The Secret Between Us
Precious stared at her phone, the words blurring from the tears she didn’t realize had fallen. Ask him about Ada.
It couldn’t be true. Femi — gentle, genuine Femi — couldn’t be part of that past.
But the mind is cruel when the heart is healing.
That evening, she called him. Her voice trembled slightly. “Can we talk? It’s important.”
When he arrived, she didn’t even wait for him to sit.
“Who is Ada to you?” she asked quietly.
Femi froze. The question hit him like lightning. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply, guilt flickering in his eyes.
“I was hoping it would never come to this,” he said softly. “Ada is… my cousin.”
The words hung heavy in the air.
Precious’s breath caught. “Your cousin?”
“Yes,” Femi said. “I didn’t know until after I met you. She and I aren’t close — our families drifted apart years ago. But when I found out, I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want it to ruin what we had.”
She stepped back, heart racing. “You should have told me, Femi! You knew what she did to me — what they both did!”
“You should have told me, Femi!” Precious’s voice cracked — a mix of hurt and disbelief. “You knew how much pain Ada caused me, and you hid it?”
Femi’s expression softened. “I didn’t hide it to protect her — I hid it to protect us. I wanted you to know me for who I am, not for who I’m related to.”
Precious turned away, her chest tightening. “You sound just like him,” she whispered. “Always with reasons, always with excuses.”
“Don’t compare me to Emeka,” he said firmly. “I would never do to you what he did.”
Silence lingered. Then, quietly, she said, “Maybe I just don’t know who to trust anymore.”
Femi stepped closer, but she didn’t move. “Then let me prove it,” he said softly. “I’m not your past, Precious. I want to be your peace.”
She looked at him — torn between the warmth she felt and the ache she feared.
“Then prove it,” she murmured, and walked away.
