‎‎ CHAPTER ONE:‎‎The Night Everything Changed‎‎I never thought my life could change in one night.‎‎One minute, I was sitting on the cold floor of my tiny room, counting the last money I had left.‎₦2,500.‎‎That was all.‎‎I laughed bitterly, wiping my tears quickly before they could fall again. Life wasn’t supposed to be this hard. Not when I was trying. Not when I was doing everything right.‎‎“Maybe I’m just unlucky,” I whispered to myself.‎‎My phone buzzed suddenly.‎‎I picked it up, hoping,just maybe,it was good news.‎‎But it wasn’t.‎‎“You’ve been evicted. Please vacate the apartment tomorrow.”‎‎My chest tightened.‎‎“Of course…” I muttered, dropping the phone beside me.‎‎That night, I didn’t sleep.‎‎I couldn’t.‎‎I kept thinking about how everything was falling apart… school, money, my life.‎‎Around 11 PM, my best friend called me.‎‎“Come out,” she said. “Let’s go somewhere. You need to clear your head.”‎‎I didn’t want to go.‎‎But staying alone with my thoughts felt worse.‎‎So I agreed.‎‎That was my first mistake.‎‎‎The club was loud. Too loud.‎‎Lights flashing, people dancing, laughter everywhere.‎‎It felt like a different world.‎‎I sat quietly, holding my drink, watching everyone else pretend to be happy.‎‎“Relax,” my friend nudged me. “Tonight, forget your problems.”‎‎I forced a smile.‎‎If only it were that easy.‎‎Not long after, a tall man walked in.‎‎The entire room shifted.‎‎Whispers.‎‎Attention.‎‎Power.‎‎I didn’t know who he was… but everyone else clearly did.‎‎Our eyes met for just a second.‎‎And for some reason… my heart skipped.‎‎I quickly looked away.‎‎People like him and people like me?‎We don’t exist in the same world.‎‎I should’ve remembered that.‎‎Because the next morning…‎‎I woke up in a place I had never seen before.‎‎Soft bed. Expensive room. Silence.‎‎And a ring on my finger.‎‎My heart stopped.‎‎“What…?”‎‎The door opened.‎‎And he walked in.‎‎Cold. Calm. Dangerous.‎‎“You’re finally awake,” he said.‎‎I swallowed hard.‎‎“Who are you…?”‎‎He looked at me like I already belonged to him.‎‎“I’m your husband.”‎

Chapter 1: ‎The Night Everything Changed ‎‎I never thought my life could change in just one night.‎‎One minute, I was sitting on the cold floor of my tiny, half‑empty room, staring at the cracked wall in front of me. The fan above my head barely worked, making a slow, irritating sound that matched my mood.‎‎In my hand was all I had left.‎‎₦2,500.‎‎I counted it again… and again… like somehow it would magically increase.‎‎It didn’t.‎‎A bitter laugh escaped my lips as tears blurred my vision.‎‎“How did my life get here?” I whispered to myself.‎‎I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t careless. I was trying,so hard. Balancing school, small jobs, surviving each day… yet everything still felt like it was falling apart.‎‎My phone buzzed suddenly beside me.‎‎My heart skipped.‎‎Maybe… just maybe… something good for once?‎‎I grabbed it quickly.‎‎But the moment I read the message, my chest tightened.‎‎“You’ve been evicted. Please vacate the apartment tomorrow.”‎‎Silence filled the room.‎‎Then I let out a shaky breath.‎‎“Of course,” I muttered, dropping the phone beside me.‎‎Of course this would happen now.‎‎Tears slid down my face freely this time. I didn’t even bother wiping them. There was no strength left in me to pretend to be strong.‎‎That night, I didn’t sleep.‎‎I couldn’t.‎‎My mind kept running,what would I do next? Where would I go? How would I survive?‎‎Around 11 PM, my phone rang again.‎‎It was my best friend.‎‎“Come out,” she said immediately. “Let’s go somewhere. You need to clear your head.”‎‎“I’m not in the mood,” I replied weakly.‎‎“You need this,” she insisted. “Just come. Don’t overthink it.”‎‎I hesitated.‎‎Everything in me wanted to stay back… but staying alone with my thoughts felt even worse.‎‎So I agreed.‎‎And that… was my first mistake.‎‎—‎‎The club was loud.‎‎Too loud.‎‎Music blasted from every corner, lights flashing in different colors, people laughing, dancing, living like nothing else mattered.‎‎It felt like a completely different world from mine.‎‎I sat quietly at a corner table, holding my drink, watching everyone else pretend to be happy.‎‎“Relax,” my friend nudged me with a smile. “Tonight, forget your problems.”‎‎I forced a small smile.‎‎If only it were that easy.‎‎I took a sip of my drink, then another… and another.‎‎Maybe she was right.‎‎Maybe I just needed one night to escape reality.‎‎Not long after, the atmosphere shifted.‎‎I didn’t know why at first… until I saw him.‎‎A tall man walked into the club, and suddenly, it felt like all the air had changed.‎‎People whispered.‎‎Some stepped aside.‎‎Others stared.‎‎Power.‎‎That was the only word that came to my mind.‎‎He carried it so effortlessly.‎‎I didn’t know who he was… but it was obvious everyone else did.‎‎For a brief second, our eyes met.‎‎And my heart skipped.‎‎Not in a romantic way… no.‎‎It felt like danger.‎‎Like something in me was warning me to look away.‎‎And I did.‎‎Quickly.‎‎People like him and people like me?‎‎We don’t belong in the same world.‎‎I should have remembered that.‎‎I really should have.‎‎—‎‎The next morning…‎‎I woke up slowly.‎‎My head hurt.‎‎Everything felt heavy.‎‎For a moment, I didn’t move. I just lay there, trying to gather my thoughts.‎‎This bed… it was too soft.‎‎The air smelled different.‎‎Clean. Expensive.‎‎My eyes snapped open.‎‎This wasn’t my room.‎‎Panic hit instantly.‎‎I sat up quickly, looking around.‎‎The room was huge. Beautiful. Nothing like the small space I was used to.‎‎“What…?” I whispered.‎‎Then I felt it.‎‎Something on my finger.‎‎Slowly, I lifted my hand.‎‎A ring.‎‎My heart stopped.‎‎“No… no, no, no…” I muttered, shaking my head.‎‎This had to be a dream.‎‎A very bad dream.‎‎I jumped out of the bed, my legs slightly weak, my mind racing.‎‎“What happened last night…?”‎‎The memories were blurry.‎‎The drink.‎‎The club.‎‎My friend.‎‎That man…‎‎Before I could think further, the door opened.‎‎I froze.‎‎He walked in.‎‎The same man from last night.‎‎Cold. Calm. Untouchable.‎‎Like he owned everything,including the air I was breathing.‎‎“You’re finally awake,” he said.‎‎My throat went dry.‎‎“Who… who are you?” I asked, my voice barely steady.‎‎He looked at me like I should already know.‎‎Like I belonged to him.‎‎“I’m your husband.”‎