LOST SOUL

Chapter One: The Girl Who Stopped Smiling The rain fell like it had a story to tell. Amina stood by the roadside, clutching her thin shawl tighter around her body as cold drops soaked through her clothes. Lagos never waited for anyone—not the traffic, not the noise, and certainly not broken hearts. Once upon a time, she used to smile. Not the polite smile she wore now like borrowed clothes, but the kind that made people stop and stare. The kind that came from a heart that believed in love… in forever. But that was before him. Before the promises. Before the betrayal. Before the night everything inside her went silent. Amina looked across the street at couples running under umbrellas, laughing, holding hands like nothing in the world could separate them. She turned away quickly. Love? That word had become a wound. A bus splashed muddy water near her feet, dragging her back to reality. She sighed and stepped forward, ready to disappear into another long, ordinary day. But fate had other plans. A black car slowed beside her. The window rolled down. “Amina?” Her heart skipped. No. It couldn’t be. She turned slowly… and her past came staring right back at her.