Chapter 30 Chapter Thirty
Charity came out of the bathroom in a towel, steam still clinging to her skin, humming one of her feel-good songs. She reached for her body cream—then stopped.
Sitting right on top of her small travelling bag was a document she had never seen before.
Leon’s school docket.
Her humming stopped immediately.
She picked it up slowly, flipping it over as if the explanation would be written somewhere on the back.
How did this even get here?
He definitely didn’t give her this. And Leon wasn’t even around the hostel—he never came here unannounced.
Before she could spiral too far, the door opened and Felicity walked in with a nylon of snacks.
Charity lifted the docket. “Hey… did you drop this here?”
Felicity blinked. “Oh! Yeah. Sorry. His lecturer gave it to me to keep since Leon wasn’t in class today. I didn’t want to forget so I placed it where you’d see it.”
Charity stared at her for a second too long—just enough for something uneasy to flicker in her chest. It didn’t make sense. Why would Felicity be the one keeping Leon’s things?
But she forced a smile, swallowing the irritation forming at the back of her throat. Today was not a day she wanted to ruin with unnecessary thoughts.
“Oh, okay,” she said lightly, handing it back. “No wahala.”
Felicity took it, stuffing it into her tote bag. “I’ll give it to him tomorrow.”
Charity nodded and went back to her lotion. Whatever that uncomfortable feeling was, she refused to entertain it. Her weekend was already planned out, and nothing—absolutely nothing—was going to spoil her mood.
One by one, the girls left the room. Gwen went to night class, Victoria went to see her boyfriend, Chizobam and Vickian disappeared to buy suya.
Soon the room was quiet.
Only Felicity and Charity remained, Charity folding clothes into her travel bag for another weekend trip home.
The silence lingered long enough for Charity to feel it pressing on her. She sat on the bed, fingers playing with the strap of her handbag.
“You know…” she started quietly, surprising even herself. “People think I have this big loud life because of how many siblings I have. Seven of them, always everywhere, always noisy.”
Felicity looked up, unsure where this sudden confession was going.
“But I didn’t grow up feeling loud or confident,” Charity continued, her voice softer. “My dad—the real one… he passed away two years ago. When I was in 100 level.”
Felicity’s chest tightened.
“That time…” Charity took a breath, blinking fast. “Everything collapsed. I didn’t know how to function without him. My siblings were confused. My mum was… gone in her own way. And somehow… the only person who didn’t leave me to drown was Leon.”
Felicity’s fingers froze around her phone.
“He was there every day,” Charity whispered. “Every call. Every night I broke down. Even when I pushed him away, he stayed. And then we started dating not long after. I don’t think I ever really recovered. I just… held on to the person who made breathing easier.”
Felicity felt something heavy and unfamiliar settle under her ribs—guilt, sympathy, something painful she couldn’t name.
Charity let out a shaky laugh. “My mum remarried, you know. I’m still trying to get used to everything. Honestly, Leon and my mum… they’re the only people I really have.”
Felicity swallowed hard. “Charity… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine.” Charity zipped her bag, pushing the emotion down with a practiced smile. “Life moves.”
But Felicity could still feel the sting of her words. The timing, the vulnerability… it all made her chest twist uncomfortably.
She didn’t know how to comfort her without losing herself.
THE PROPOSAL PLANS
At home, Charity’s mother had everything in motion. Event planners, decorations, dinner reservations—every detail for the proposal night was locked in before Charity even stepped into the house.
And Charity?
She spent the entire day in her room, pulling out dress after dress, heels after heels, every new outfit she had bought in the past month. She tried them all on, twirling in the mirror, practicing her smile, imagining the exact moment Leon would kneel.
Nothing was allowed to ruin this day.
Not confusion.
Not doubt.
Not Felicity.
Her whole world had been leading to this.
LEON — THE FAMILY HOUSE
Leon, meanwhile, sat stiffly in the Wyatt family’s living room, surrounded by an atmosphere he couldn’t breathe in.
His stepmother, Mrs. Wyatt, was flipping through printed documents—contracts, clauses, expectations.
“Before the lawyers arrive,” she began, adjusting her glasses, “you need to understand what this marriage means. For you. For Charity. For the company.”
Leon felt the same pressure pounding in his skull again. He wanted to scream. To run. To tell the truth and walk away from all of it.
But he nodded.
Because the kind of trap he was in wasn’t one he could just escape by wanting to.
FELICITY — A DIFFERENT DAY ENTIRELY
While all of this unfolded, Felicity was standing in her closet, pulling out a hoodie and jeans.
Imran’s message sat on her screen:
Last day in town. Cinema? My treat.
Felicity smiled faintly.
Maybe a distraction was exactly what she needed.
Maybe she deserved one day without thinking about Leon, Charity, or whatever storm was brewing.
She texted back:
Sure. What time?