A Twisted Christmas

Chapter 2

The moment he walked in, Tola’s breath stilled. Her chest tightened. Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach as if to steady the chaos churning inside. He was here? But how?

Muna.

He hadn’t changed. Taller, maybe. His skin still had that golden glow, his jawline was sharper now, eyes hidden behind dark shades. His lips curled into a grin as he caught Eliora in his arms and spun her around.

"Hey, baby doll," he beamed. "You’re getting big. What are they feeding you?"

"Too much, obviously," their mother quipped. Muna turned and grinned as he wrapped her in a warm hug.

"Mama. Still as stunning as ever."

Tola stood awkwardly behind Dylan, hoping her presence would go unnoticed. Her fingers dug into her palm. Her throat was dry. She wasn’t ready for this.

But Dylan had other plans.

He pulled her gently beside him, turning her into full view, arm wrapped around her waist. Then it happened. They locked eyes.

"Tola?" Muna’s voice cracked as he paused, clearly stunned.

"You know her?" Dylan asked, slightly taken aback.

Muna hesitated. "She was my—"

"Doctor," Tola interjected quickly. Her tone was clipped but steady. "I treated him a few years ago. Bike accident."

"Wow," their mother added with a chuckle. "So you’re the pretty doctor he wouldn’t stop talking about back then? Small world."

"What are you doing here?" Muna asked, more shocked than curious.

"She’s with me," Dylan cut in. His tone was proud, but there was a flicker of confusion beneath it. "Tola, meet Muna, my younger brother. Muna... this is my fiancée."

Tola gave the faintest smile, raising her hand a bit to show the ring.

Muna’s eyes dropped to it. The glint of the diamond caught in the golden rays of the chandelier. A moment passed.

"Fiancée," he repeated softly.

"Muna, where are my dresses?" Eliora piped up, oblivious to the tension now thickening the room.

"In the car," Muna replied, eyes still on Tola. "Tell James to get them for you. I need to get some rest but don't worry. I got some fantastic gifts for my favorite ladies," he smiled at the girl, finally peeling his eyes from the bride-to-be.

He tossed his keys to his sister and turned to head upstairs.

Tola watched him retreat. The confident stride. The set of his shoulders. That same scent of arrogance and regret lingering behind him. She knew what he was doing. That wasn’t fatigue, that was avoidance.

A throat cleared beside her.

"You never told me you knew my brother," Dylan said quietly. Everyone else had gone outside.

Tola turned. "You never mentioned him by name."

"I told you he was in entertainment, didn't I?"

Her eyes flickered. "I didn’t know he was Myst, Dylan. You didn't think it important to have mentioned that?"

"Is it a problem that you knew him?" His voice had an edge now.

"Is it a problem that I didn’t bring it up?"

He looked at her, jaw tense, then sighed. "No. I guess not."

Tola exhaled, her pulse still wild. But it wasn’t over.

Not even close.

Later that evening, Tola sat on the couch with a champagne flute in hand, her fingers tracing the rim mindlessly. Across from her, Ronke, her cousin sat cross-legged with an expectant look, swirling her drink like she was watching the season finale of a drama.

"Then what happened?" Ronke asked, raising her brows.

"He didn’t come down for dinner. Said he was tired," Tola said quietly. "Stayed upstairs. Didn’t even say goodbye to his brother when Dylan and I were leaving."

"Tired? Rubbish," Ronke scoffed. "That boy saw a ghost and ran."

Tola groaned, pressing her palms into her eyes. "Ronke, what the hell am I going to do? How could Dylan leave out something so important?"

"Girl, he messed up. How do you just forget to mention that your younger brother is a literal popstar? Myst! I mean...come on."

Tola stared down at the glass in her hands. "I can’t do it. I can’t marry into that family."

Ronke's head snapped up. "Wait—are you mad? Because of Muna?"

"Yes. I used to date him, Ronke. Now I’m supposed to be his sister-in-law?"

"But...are you still in love with him?" Ronke asked, her tone gentler now.

"Of course not," Tola snapped. "He wrecked me. You saw what that breakup did to me."

"Exactly. So why let the ghost of an ex ruin something good? Dylan loves you. You love Dylan. Muna is just a complication. Complications don’t deserve power."

Tola leaned her head back and sighed. "But I'’ll have to see him. At holidays. At birthdays. At random pop-ins. I’ll see the face that left me in pieces."

"But you won’t be with him," Ronke reminded her. "You’ll be with Dylan. That’s the whole point. Muna’s just noise now."

Tola’s silence spoke louder than her next sentence. "I thought I had buried him. But he just walked into the living room like a bomb."

Ronke got up and sat beside her, nudging her shoulder. "You buried him. He just doesn’t know it yet."

Tola managed a weak laugh, blinking back the sting in her eyes. She needed to believe that.