CHAPTER 17
They say silence is peaceful. But silence after love—it’s cruel. It crawls into your chest and sets up camp. It echoes louder than any scream.
The day I walked away from Chen, I told myself I was protecting my heart. That he would understand. That space was what we both needed.
But by the third night, space felt like punishment.
I threw myself into school. Woke up earlier than usual. Sat in front during lectures. Read chapters ahead. Joined two study groups. I even started answering in class again—the way I used to before grief made me a ghost.
My friends noticed. Nkechi said I looked “less drained.” Temi thought maybe I was finally moving on.
I smiled when they said those things. I nodded. I even let myself believe it, just a little. But at night, when I lay in my tiny ro
