I woke to sunlight spilling unevenly across Lia's floor, warm and unfamiliar, and for a moment, I let myself just exist...without anyone's expectations pressing down on my chest. No one demanding obedience, no one questioning my choices, no one waiting for me to shrink.
I hadn't done that in weeks. Months. Maybe years.
I sat on the edge of the bed, knees pulled close, and let my fingers trace the seam of the blanket. I thought of Daniel. His calls. His carefully measured anger. His questions always turned back to me, like I had no story of my own.
And I thought of my parents. Their voices, still sharp in my memory, condemning me for wanting… something they couldn't name, something they refused to understand.
And I thought of Femi. Calm. Patient. The way he listened, the way he gave space while still seeing me. That quiet respect that felt like it demanded nothing, yet required everything from me—everything that I hadn't even allowed myself to feel before.
I took a deep breath.
I didn't need to decide between them—not yet. But I needed to decide for myself.
Not the daughter. Not the girlfriend. Not the girl everyone else had already judged.
Me, Morayo.
I poured a cup of tea, watching the steam curl in lazy spirals. I realized for the first time that choosing myself didn't mean I had to reject anyone else. It didn't mean I had to abandon my family or Daniel outright. It just meant I could stop bending, stop shrinking, and stop performing to fit their expectations.
I could breathe.
I opened my phone. Daniel had called twice overnight. I stared at the notifications. My first impulse was guilt—but I silenced it. I didn't owe him answers I didn't have yet. Not today.
I sent him a short message:
"I need time to think. I'll reach out when I'm ready."
No explanations. No justifications. Just my choice.
The message made my chest tighten ,not with fear, but with something heavier, something like liberation.
Later, when Lia came back from class, I finally told her everything I hadn't been able to say before.
"I reached out to Femi," I confessed, my voice shaky. "And he… explained why he gave me distance. It wasn't rumors or gossip. He doesn't even know about myparents orr the drama with Daniel. His world… it's different. And yet, he stepped back. Not out of disinterest, but because he wanted me to have space to decide for myself."
Lia listened, silent, letting me speak.
"He's… older, established. Wealthy in a quiet, effortless way. He'scalm and, patient, and I feel… seen around him. Like I matter without having to perform. When we talk, it's not about impressing him or meeting expectations; it's about thoughts, ideas, and, what's inside my head. And I… I care, Lia. I think I've been scared to admit it because of everything else...the pressure, Daniel, my parents. But it's real."
My hands shook slightly as I sipped my tea.
"I don't know what to do with it yet," I whispered, almost to myself. "I feel… torn. Daniel is still part of my life, my parents are still furious, and Femi… he's patient. Too patient, maybe. And I don't know what that means for me, or what I should do next."
Lia reached out, placing her hand over mine. "It means you're human, Morayo. And it means you're finally listening to yourself."
I nodded, tears threatening again—not of despair, but of something raw, of the weight finally lifting. I wasn't ready to solve everything, or choose between Daniel and Femi, or confront my parents.
But for the first time in weeks, I was choosing myself.
And that felt like the only place I could start.