let us share the same pain

chapter 2

It was early morning. Franklin sat by the window, gazing outside. The sun was rising, casting a warm golden glow over the horizon. Despite the beauty of the morning, his face was clouded with worry. Something was weighing heavily on his mind.

"Hey, babe," Natasha said softly as she kissed his cheek and hugged him briefly.

That simple gesture brought a faint smile to his lips, but it quickly disappeared. Jemimah, watching from across the room, couldn't help but feel happy for them.

"They really seem to have fallen for each other," she thought to herself.

"But when I was at work, I missed you so much," Natasha continued, holding his hand. "And now that we're together again, it feels like a perfect moment."

"I missed you too, love," Franklin replied with a forced smile.

"So, how was work in Italy?" she asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"It was exhausting," he admitted. "We had meetings that lasted almost a whole week. It wasn’t easy for us. But... babe, you seem worried. Are you okay?"

Franklin hesitated, trying to push his thoughts aside. "I'm okay, babe. Let’s just go get some breakfast."

As they walked down the stairs, Jemimah couldn't help but express her feelings.

"Franklin, you are so sweet, romantic, caring—everything a woman could ever want in a man. I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have you." She paused and sighed deeply before adding, "That’s why it hurt me so much when I heard you were thinking about marrying that... ashawo prostitute."

Franklin stopped in his tracks for a moment, his jaw tightening. "Jemimah, we've been through a lot," she continued. "Our relationship has had its bumps. We've almost broken up a couple of times. But we’re still here, still going strong. And now, I’m just waiting for you to propose to me. Will you marry me, babe?"

Franklin swallowed hard. "I’m glad you’re happy," he said, his voice distant as he looked around for a good place to eat.

Just then, he spotted his brother sitting at a nearby table. He murmured, "Is that my brother? Let’s join them."

Jemimah smiled excitedly. "That would be a great idea!"

They walked over and greeted him. "Hello, brother. How are you? Hope you’re fine. It's such a beautiful morning. Order anything you like," Franklin said, trying to sound cheerful.

Jemimah, still glowing with happiness, giggled. "You look happy this morning. I can see a crescent-shaped smile on your face."

Natasha and Jemimah exchanged warm smiles and hugged.

"I think I’ll have a chicken salad," Jemimah said. "I’m in the mood for something light today. Want to share it with me, babe?"

"That sounds perfect," Franklin replied, though his mind seemed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sarah and Sharon were still sleeping. The previous day had been exhausting—they had spent the entire time swimming and lounging by the pool.

"Sarah, Sarah, wake up! It’s morning already," Sharon called out, stretching.

Sarah groaned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. "What’s for breakfast?" she asked, heading toward the mirror to check herself.

Just then, her phone vibrated on the bed. She picked it up and read the message. It was from her mother.

I’m sending you some money so you can extend your vacation.

Sarah gasped. "Wow! What great news!"

The two girls hurried to the elevator, eager to join the others downstairs.

On the ground floor, Franklin was sitting with Natasha and Jemimah, still trying to suppress whatever was bothering him. Just as he was about to take a sip of his coffee, he saw Sarah and Sharon approaching.

His face went pale. Without saying a word, he quickly got up and rushed toward the restroom. His brother, confused by his sudden behavior, followed him.

"Franklin, what’s going on? Why are you hiding?" he asked as Franklin leaned against the sink, taking deep breaths.

"I... I wasn’t expecting Sarah to be here," Franklin muttered.

His brother frowned. "Wait… don’t tell me she’s the reason you’ve been acting so strange?"

Franklin remained silent, but the guilty look on his face said it all.

His brother sighed. "You have to deal with this, Franklin. You can’t keep running from your past."

Franklin splashed cold water on his face and exhaled deeply. "You’re right. I need to face her."

With that, he straightened his shirt and walked out of the restroom.

At the table, Sarah and sharon had already joined the Natasha sharon was Natasha's friend, chatting casually. But the moment she saw Franklin approaching, her expression changed.

"Franklin," she said coolly, her eyes locking onto his.

"Sarah," he responded, forcing a small smile.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Sarah finally spoke. "So... it’s been a while. I didn’t expect to see you here."

"Yeah, same here," Franklin replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

Jemimah, sensing the tension, leaned in closer to Franklin. "Babe, is everything okay?"

Franklin hesitated, but before he could answer, Sarah chuckled bitterly. "So, this is your new girl?" she asked, tilting her head.

Jemimah frowned. "Excuse me?"

Sarah ignored her and turned back to Franklin. "You really moved on fast, didn’t you?"

Franklin sighed. "Sarah, I—"

"You don’t have to explain," Sarah cut in. "I just find it funny how men claim to love someone, but the moment things get tough, they run into someone else's arms."

Jemimah’s patience was running thin. "Who even are you, and what do you want from my fiancé?" she snapped.

"Fiancé?" Sarah laughed, shaking her head. "Wow, Franklin. So, it’s serious, huh?"

Franklin swallowed hard. "Sarah, let’s not do this here."

"Why not?" Sarah shot back. "Afraid the truth might come out?"

Jemimah narrowed her eyes. "What truth?"

Franklin clenched his fists, feeling trapped. But before he could say anything, Sarah leaned in and whispered, just loud enough for Jemimah to hear:

"The truth about how he left me... when I needed him the most."

Jemimah’s eyes widened. "What?"

Sarah and stepped back, a smirk on her lips. "I’ll let him explain that to you. Have a great breakfast."

She turned and walked away, leaving a heavy silence behind.sharon also left the table

Jemimah turned to Franklin, her voice shaking. "Franklin… what was she talking about?"

Franklin took a deep breath, knowing he could no longer avoid the truth. "Jemimah, there’s something I need to tell you."

Natasha, sensing the conversation was about to take a serious turn, quietly excused herself.

Franklin looked Jemimah in the eyes. "Before I met you, I was with Sarah. We were together for a long time. But something happened… something that changed everything."

Jemimah crossed her arms. "Go on."

Franklin hesitated before finally saying, "i was to marry her but i didn't attend the wedding ceremony I panicked. I left her."

Jemimah gasped. "You left her? While she was to be married by you

Franklin nodded, his face filled with regret. "I was not ready for the ceremony and scared. I didn’t know what to do. I made a terrible mistake."

Jemimah took a step back, processing his words. "So… what happened to the bride's family?"

Franklin exhaled sharply. "I Don't know cause know one in our family attended

Silence fell between them. Jemimah didn’t know what to say.

"You should have told me," she finally whispered.

"I know," Franklin admitted. "I just didn’t know how."

Jemimah looked at him, disappointment evident in her eyes. "I need some time to think."

Without another word, she grabbed her bag and walked away, leaving Franklin alone with his guilt.