THREE YEARS AGO

Ada stared at her phone. For a few seconds, she didn't understand what she was looking at. The message was short. Only seven words. I know what you did three years ago. She read it again. Then again. Her fingers tightened around the phone. “What?” She looked at the number. Unknown. There was no name attached to it. No profile picture. Nothing that could tell her who had sent it. Ada quickly locked her phone. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe someone had sent the message to the wrong person. She tried to convince herself of that. But something inside her refused to believe it. Three years ago. Those words were enough to make her heart race. There were some memories you could forget. There were some you could pretend never happened. And then some memories stayed somewhere at the back of your mind, waiting for the smallest thing to bring them back. Ada looked at her phone again. The message was still there. She opened it. Her eyes moved over the words slowly. I know what you did three years ago. She swallowed. “How?” The question escaped her lips before she could stop it. Nobody was supposed to know. Nobody. Ada placed the phone on the bed and stood up. She walked towards the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her. She looked normal. At least, she thought she did. Her hair was slightly messy. She had barely finished getting ready for the day, and there was still a tiredness around her eyes. Nothing about her appearance suggested that her entire world had just been shaken by seven words. She touched her face. “Calm down, Ada.” She tried to laugh. It didn't work. Three years. It had been three years. She had spent three years trying to move forward. Trying to forget. Trying to convince herself that what happened was over. And now, just when she was finally getting ready to start a new chapter of her life, someone had decided to remind her. University. That was supposed to be what she was thinking about. Not the past. Not secondary school. Not what happened three years ago. University. After three unsuccessful attempts at gaining admission, Ada had finally received the news she had been waiting for. She was going to university. Her parents had been so happy that day. Her mother had hugged her so tightly that Ada had almost complained. Her father had smiled proudly. Her younger siblings had celebrated with her even though they didn't completely understand why the admission meant so much. For the first time in a long time, Ada felt like things were finally falling into place. She had always been the responsible one. The first child. The one her parents expected to do well. The one teachers praised. The one people described as brilliant. Three years ago, she had been fifteen. She had been the head girl of her school. Brilliant. Hardworking. Ambitious. At least, that was what everyone believed. Ada had believed it too. Until the final year. Until the pressure became too much. Until one terrible decision changed everything. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to remember. Not now. Not today. Her phone vibrated. Ada jumped. She immediately picked it up. Another message. Her heart began beating faster. She opened it. You thought everyone forgot. Ada stared at the screen. Her mouth went dry. She typed: Who is this? She stared at the message before sending it. Then she deleted it. She typed again. What do you want? She deleted that too. What if replying made things worse? What if the person was only looking for a reaction? She locked the phone. Then unlocked it again. Nothing. She waited. One minute. Two minutes. Five. Still nothing. Ada exhaled slowly. Maybe that was it. Maybe whoever had sent the messages had gotten what they wanted. But deep down, she knew it wasn't over. She sat on the edge of the bed. Her mind went back to secondary school. Three years ago, everything had seemed so simple. She had friends. She had teachers who believed in her. She had plans for the future. She had been counting down the days until her final examinations were over. She remembered sitting in the classroom. The sound of papers moving. Pens scratching against answer sheets. The nervous whispers before the invigilator entered. She remembered the pressure. The fear of disappointing her parents. The fear of failing. The fear that after being praised for so long, she would suddenly become the girl everyone felt sorry for. She had wanted to make her parents proud. That was all. At least, that was what she told herself. But somewhere along the way, she had made a decision she wished she could take back. And Femi had found out. Ada opened her eyes. Femi. She hadn't thought about him in days. Well, that wasn't completely true. She had thought about him. She just hadn't allowed herself to think about him for too long. Femi had been one of the few people who knew what happened. He had seen enough to understand. And when Ada begged him to keep quiet, he had agreed. His family had helped keep the matter from becoming bigger than it already was. At least, that was what Ada believed. She had never asked too many questions. She didn't want to. Sometimes, not knowing everything felt safer. Her phone vibrated again. Ada froze. She looked at the screen. Another message. Ask Femi. He remembers. Her heart dropped. For several seconds, she couldn't move. Then she stood up. “No.” She shook her head. “No, no, no.” This couldn't be happening. She had spent three years trying to leave that part of her life behind. Why was it coming back now? And why was Femi being mentioned? Ada opened Femi's contact. His name appeared on the screen. She stared at it. Her thumb hovered over the call button. She couldn't do it. Not yet. What would she even say? Hello, Femi. Someone just reminded me about the secret we buried three years ago. She imagined his reaction. Maybe he would panic. Maybe he would deny everything. Maybe he would ask who was messaging her. Or maybe... Maybe he already knew. Ada quickly put her phone down. That thought frightened her more than anything else. What if Femi had received a message too? What if this person wasn't only targeting her? She walked to the window and looked outside. Everything seemed normal. People were moving around. A car passed on the road. Someone nearby was talking loudly. Life continued as though nothing had happened. But Ada didn't feel normal anymore. She felt watched. She looked behind her. Nobody. She checked the window again. Nothing. Her phone vibrated. Ada slowly turned around. She didn't want to look. But she did. There was one final message. You should have told the truth three years ago. Ada's eyes filled with fear. She stared at the words. Then she whispered, “Who are you?” No answer came. Only silence. Ada sat down again and held the phone tightly. For three years, she had believed the past was behind her. She had believed that whatever happened had ended. She had believed that the people who knew had moved on. But now she wasn't sure of anything anymore. Someone knew. Someone remembered. And somehow, that person had found her again. Ada looked at Femi's name one more time. Her heart sank. Because if the stranger was telling the truth... then Femi wasn't just someone from her past. He might be the first person she needed to question. And for the first time in three years, Ada wondered if the secret she had tried so hard to forget... had ever really been forgotten at all.