Chapter 201

"You didn’t think it was over, did you?"

Dee froze at the voice behind her. Her fingers, which had been tracing lazy circles on Yemi’s palm, clenched involuntarily. She turned slowly, her breath catching in her throat as she faced the man standing in the doorway.

A man she never expected to see again.

Yemi, sensing the shift in the room, straightened beside her on the couch. His warmth disappeared as he pulled his hand away and stood up. His gaze was sharp, unreadable, as he looked at their uninvited guest.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yemi’s voice was low, but there was no mistaking the steel beneath it.

The man smirked, stepping inside as if he belonged. As if he hadn’t just shattered the peacethey’d spent so long rebuilding.

"Nice to see you too, Yemi."

Dee swallowed hard, willing herself to find her voice. "You need to leave."

The man tilted his head, amusement flickering across his face. "Come on, Dee. After everything we’ve been through, is that really how you greet me?"

Yemi took a step forward, his body taut with restrained fury. "You don’t get to say her name. Not after what you did."

Dee could feel the tension in the air thickening, pressing against her skin like a vice. She forced herself to breathe.

"Tell me why you’re here, Malik."

Her ex-husband’s smirk faltered, but only for a second. His dark eyes scanned the room, lingering on the framed photos on the fireplace—the life Dee had built with Yemi, a life he had no place in.

"I came to make things right."

Yemi let out a sharp laugh. "You think you can just walk in here after years of silence and—what? Apologize? Fix things?"

Malik’s gaze flickered to Dee, something unreadable flashing behind his eyes. "I need your help."

The room fell into a suffocating silence. Dee felt Yemi’s gaze on her, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Malik.

"You’re out of your mind," she said, her voice quieter than she intended.

Malik sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. For the first time since he walked in, the arrogance in his posture wavered. "Dee, please. This isn’t just about me. It’s about you too. You deserve to know the truth."

Her stomach twisted. The truth?

Yemi shook his head. "You don’t deserve to say her name, and you damn sure don’t deserve her help. Get out."

Malik’s jaw tightened. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and placed it on the table between them.

"Read this." His voice was softer now, almost pleading. "Then decide if you really want me to leave."

Dee hesitated, her pulse hammering against her ribs. Something about his tone made her uneasy, made the air around her feel suddenly too thick, too heavy.

Yemi exhaled sharply, stepping in front of her. "I don’t care what’s on that paper. She’s not getting dragged into whatever mess you’ve created this time."

Malik’s expression hardened. "I’m not the one who created this mess."

Dee’s fingers twitched at her side. Against every instinct, she reached for the paper. The weight of it felt heavier than it should.

Yemi’s voice was tight, warning. "Dee."

But she had already unfolded it.

Her eyes scanned the words, and the room around her blurred. Her breath hitched, her vision tunneling as everything she thought she knew tilted violently beneath her feet.

No.

No, this couldn’t be real.

The paper trembled in her hands as she read the last line, her heart slamming into her ribs.

She barely heard Malik’s voice, low and firm.

"Now you understand why I came."

The words barely registered. Because there, on the paper, in black and white, was something that changed everything.

And just like that, the storm she thought they had escaped pulled her right back in.