Poached Heart

my sister’s keeper

“Nomafu… you really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” Nomadlozi stuttered, stepping back instinctively.

But Nomafu didn’t stop advancing. Her eyes were sharp. Almost too calm.

“Is that why you told him about the wedding? To sabotage me?”

Her voice sliced the air.

Nomadlozi flinched.

“What? No, that’s… that’s absurd,” she stammered, instantly feeling cornered.

Her chest tightened.

She had been doing everything in her power to stay away from Adam—for her sake. But suddenly, she felt like a criminal caught in the act. She wasn’t even sure what act anymore.

Would Nomafu still be marrying him if she knew how much Nomadlozi liked him?

The thought made her stomach turn.

“Then answer me!” Nomafu snapped, stepping closer.

“Don’t dance around this, Dlo!”

Nomadlozi turned her back and began walking toward her room, but Nomafu followed, her words chasing her like bullets.

“I…I…” Nomadlozi tried. Nothing came out.

“I…what?!” Nomafu barked.

“Is that why you opposed the marriage? Because you want him for yourself?”

Nomadlozi shook her head, but her silence was a weapon Nomafu used against her.

“Did you two date after we broke up? Were you hiding something all along?”

Each question landed on Nomadlozi like bombs. Her legs wobbled beneath her.

“No! It’s not like that!” she finally burst.

Her voice cracked.

“I told him earlier that I was feeling overwhelmed. That’s all. So he came to check on me.”

Her hands trembled as she tried to steady her breath.

Her throat was tight. Her eyes reddened. She didn’t want to cry—but the tears were coming.

In truth, what really broke her wasn’t Nomafu’s accusation—it was Adam’s silence. The way he didn’t call out to her when she walked away. Like maybe her leaving didn’t mean anything.

But how could she say that to her sister?

How could she explain that her heart was trying to climb out of her chest every time he looked at her?

So she stayed silent.

She swallowed her pain and lied with a soft voice.

“It’s just one of those days, Fufu.”

Nomafu sighed. The sharpness in her eyes softened.

“Why didn’t you speak to me, huh?”

She moved in and hugged her sister tightly.

The sudden shift caught Nomadlozi off guard.

She didn’t return the hug right away.

Something about the embrace felt… off. Like sugar dusted over something rotten.

“You also have a lot going on. I didn’t want to scare you guys,” Nomadlozi said quietly into her sister’s shoulder.

Nomafu pulled back and gently wiped away Nomadlozi’s tears with her thumb, smiling with concern.

“You know we all care about you, right?”

Her voice was warm again. Almost motherly.

It was a reminder—soft but pointed.

A reminder that everyone tiptoed around Nomadlozi’s mental health. That her silence was tolerated only because her mind had once shattered… and could again.

Nomadlozi felt it in her gut—this was comfort wrapped in guilt.

She nodded anyway.

“Aiva’s coming back tomorrow,” Nomafu said with a small smile.

“I’ll ask Thomas to drop her off at the shop around lunch. We can all have lunch together, neh?”

It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command disguised as kindness.

Nomadlozi nodded again.

Because she knew what that meant:

Aiva was the peacekeeper.

Aiva would remind them both what love looked like when it wasn’t so complicated.

“Okay,” she whispered.

But inside, she felt like she was standing on a cliff, wind roaring in her ears, unsure whether to jump, hold on—or let go.