Chapter 10
1055 Words
Chapter 10 — A Complicated Feeling
Amara tried to ignore it.
She really did.
For the next few days, she focused on school.
Lectures.
Practicals.
Assignments.
Her mother's appointments.
Anything that could keep her mind occupied.
But somehow, Daniel kept finding his way into her thoughts.
It wasn't anything dramatic.
It was the little things.
The way he remembered her schedule.
The way he never interrupted when she was studying.
The way he always asked about her mother.
The way he listened when she spoke, even when the topic had nothing to do with him.
And worst of all, she had started looking forward to seeing him.
That was dangerous.
---
On Monday morning, Amara rushed downstairs.
She was already late.
“I can't believe I'm going to miss this lecture.”
Daniel looked up from his coffee.
“You're forgetting something.”
“What?”
He pointed at the table.
Her lunch.
She stopped.
“Oh.”
“You were going to leave without it.”
“I would've remembered.”
“You didn't.”
She grabbed the lunchbox.
“Thank you.”
Daniel nodded.
She turned to leave.
“Amara.”
She looked back.
“Good luck with your test.”
She smiled.
“Thanks.”
She walked out.
Daniel watched her leave.
Neither of them noticed Victoria standing across the hallway.
---
The test went better than Amara expected.
When she came out of the examination hall, she immediately reached for her phone.
She had a message.
Daniel: How did it go?
Amara smiled.
Amara: Good, I think.
His reply came almost immediately.
Daniel: I knew you would do well.
She stared at the message.
Then typed:
Amara: You sound very confident.
Daniel: Someone has to be.
She laughed quietly.
Nia looked over.
“Who is making you smile?”
“Nobody.”
“Amara.”
She locked her phone.
“Let's go.”
Nia followed her.
“You're hiding something.”
“I'm not.”
“You're definitely hiding something.”
Amara smiled.
Maybe she was.
---
That evening, Daniel returned home with a small box.
Amara was sitting in her new study.
“What is that?”
He placed the box on the desk.
“Open it.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“That's not a good enough reason.”
Daniel sighed.
“Just open it.”
Amara opened the box.
Inside was a simple wristwatch.
She looked at him.
“Daniel…”
“You've been using your phone to check the time during your lectures.”
“How do you know?”
“You complained about it.”
“I did?”
“Twice.”
Amara laughed.
“You remember everything.”
“Only important things.”
The words slipped out before Daniel could stop them.
Silence.
Amara looked at him.
Daniel looked away.
“I mean—things that concern you.”
She smiled.
“Right.”
She picked up the watch.
“It's beautiful.”
“You don't have to wear it.”
“I will.”
Daniel nodded.
“Good.”
He started to leave.
“Daniel?”
He turned.
“Thank you.”
He smiled.
“You're welcome.”
---
Later that night, Amara sat on her bed staring at the watch.
She turned it over in her hands.
It wasn't expensive-looking.
It wasn't flashy.
It was simple.
Thoughtful.
And that was what made it dangerous.
Because Daniel wasn't supposed to be thoughtful.
He was supposed to be her husband on paper.
Nothing more.
She placed the watch on the bedside table.
Then her phone rang.
It was the hospital.
Her heart dropped.
“Hello?”
The doctor's voice was calm.
“Mrs. Adeyemi's latest results are encouraging, but we need to discuss her next stage of treatment.”
Amara listened carefully.
When the call ended, she immediately called Daniel.
He answered after one ring.
“Amara?”
“Sorry for calling so late.”
“What happened?”
“It's my mother.”
Daniel sat up.
“Is she okay?”
“She is. The doctor just wants to discuss the next stage of treatment.”
“I'll come with you.”
“You don't have to.”
“I know.”
She went quiet.
“Daniel…”
“Where are you?”
“At home.”
“I'll be there in ten minutes.”
The call ended.
Amara stared at her phone.
He didn't ask whether she needed him.
He simply came.
---
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the car outside the hospital.
Daniel turned toward her.
“Ready?”
Amara nodded.
They walked inside together.
Her mother's appointment lasted almost an hour.
When they finally stepped outside, Amara looked exhausted.
Daniel noticed.
“Come here.”
She looked at him.
“What?”
“You look tired.”
“I'm fine.”
“You always say that.”
She smiled faintly.
“You're starting to sound like me.”
“That's concerning.”
She laughed.
For a moment, they stood beneath the hospital lights.
Then Amara said quietly,
“I'm scared.”
Daniel's expression softened.
“Of what?”
“That one day I'll lose her.”
He didn't give her an empty promise.
He simply said,
“You don't have to go through it alone.”
Amara looked at him.
Those words stayed with her all the way home.
---
That night, she couldn't sleep.
She thought about her mother.
The contract.
The family.
The deadline.
And Daniel.
She finally admitted something to herself.
She was beginning to care about him.
Not because he was rich.
Not because he was her husband.
Not because he had saved her mother.
She cared because of who he was when nobody was watching.
And that frightened her.
Because the contract had rules.
Feelings didn't.
Across the house, Daniel sat alone in his study.
The lawyer's letter was still on his desk.
He picked it up and read the final paragraph again.
Failure to satisfy the conditions of the agreement will result in the immediate transfer of controlling authority.
Daniel closed his eyes.
He had entered the marriage believing he could control every outcome.
Now there was one thing he couldn't control.
His feelings for Amara.
And that was the one thing that could ruin everything.
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