SAMUEL'S TEARS
1699 Words
Samuel’s heart was restless. He stood outside the mansion gates, his hands shoved deep inside his pockets, as if hiding them could stop the trembling. The night air was warm and heavy, yet he felt cold inside.
He had been waiting for Blessing’s reply, staring at his phone screen until his eyes hurt. But nothing came. She had read his message. He knew she had. Still, no answer.
A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “So it’s true… she married him.”
The words tasted like poison in his mouth. He shook his head slowly, pressing his fist against his chest. It was the only way to stop the sharp pain shooting through his heart.
Images of Blessing in a white gown flashed before his eyes. He imagined her standing beside Rakeem at the altar, her small hands in his, her eyes lowered in shame. The thought made Samuel’s blood boil. He grabbed the iron bars of the gate and shook them hard, his teeth clenched.
“She was mine,” he whispered hoarsely. “We had plans, we had dreams… How could she do this to me?”
A security guard nearby glanced at him suspiciously, but Samuel stepped back, wiping his face quickly. He didn’t want to look weak. Not here. Not in front of strangers.
But as soon as he turned away from the mansion, the tears broke free. They rolled down his cheeks, hot and unstoppable. He covered his face with his palms, ashamed of his own helplessness.
He remembered their last night together before the wedding. How Blessing had rested her head on his chest, whispering about a future where it would just be the two of them. They had promised each other forever. And now, that forever was gone in one cruel day.
“Blessing…” he muttered her name like a prayer. But this time, it carried no hope only pain.
His phone buzzed suddenly. For one wild moment, his heart leapt. Maybe it was her. Maybe she had finally chosen him. With shaky fingers, he unlocked the screen.
It wasn’t Blessing.
It was his cousin, Emeka.
“Guy, I just heard. Is it true? She married that Rakeem?”
Samuel’s chest tightened. He typed back quickly. “Yes. It’s true.”
The reply came almost instantly. “Ah! But how? I thought she loved you. What happened?”
Samuel stared at the words until they blurred. He wanted to explain, but how could he? How could he put into words the betrayal, the helplessness, the way her family had stolen her away from him?
Instead, he wrote only two words. “Ask them.”
He slid the phone back into his pocket, his vision cloudy with fresh tears. He began to walk, his steps slow and unsteady, as if every movement dragged the weight of his broken heart.
Everywhere he looked, he saw her face. The streetlights reminded him of the evenings they had walked home together. The night wind carried echoes of her laughter. Even the silence mocked him, whispering the truth he didn’t want to accept , Blessing now belonged to another man.
His chest heaved as anger battled sorrow. He wanted to march back into that mansion, to drag her out with his own hands, to remind her of their promises. But he also feared the truth: maybe Blessing hadn’t been forced. Maybe she had chosen comfort, wealth, and family approval over his love.
That thought was the sharpest knife of all.
By the time Samuel reached his small apartment, his legs felt weak. He collapsed onto the bed without removing his shoes. The room smelled of dust and old wood, but he didn’t care. He buried his face in the pillow and let his body shake with sobs.
For hours, he lay there in darkness, caught between anger and grief. His phone buzzed a few more times, but he ignored it. He didn’t want anyone’s pity.
At last, exhaustion pulled him into sleep. But even in his dreams, Blessing haunted him. He saw her in white, walking down the aisle with tears on her face. He reached for her, calling her name, but she kept drifting further and further away, until Rakeem’s tall figure appeared and pulled her into his arms.
Samuel woke with a start, sweat running down his face, his fists clenched tight. He sat up, breathing heavily.
“No,” he whispered into the silence of his room. “This cannot be the end.”
He stood and walked to the mirror. His eyes were red, swollen from crying, but in them burned a fire he hadn’t felt before.
“If they think they can take you from me so easily, Blessing,” he said, his voice shaking, “then they don’t know me. I will not let this go. I will not.”
His phone buzzed again on the table. This time, it was another message from Emeka.
“Samuel, listen. Be careful. I heard something tonight about Rakeem. Something dangerous.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed. He quickly typed back. “What did you hear?”
The typing bubbles appeared, then stopped, then appeared again. Finally, a message came through.
“Meet me tomorrow. Don’t text about this. It’s not safe.”
Samuel’s heartbeat quickened. He stared at the screen, his mind racing. What secret about Rakeem was so dangerous that it couldn’t be sent over text?
He clenched his phone tightly, his teeth grinding. His pain was still fresh, but now it was mixing with something else suspicion.
If Rakeem had secrets, Samuel would find them. And maybe, just maybe, that would be his chance to win Blessing back.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his face pale in the dim moonlight, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.
Outside, the night was quiet. But inside Samuel’s heart, a storm was already rising.
Samuel couldn’t sleep again. The room felt too small, the air too heavy. He got up from the bed and began to pace. His bare feet slapped against the cold cement floor, the sound echoing in the silence.
He read Emeka’s message again. “Meet me tomorrow. Don’t text about this. It’s not safe.”
Not safe? Samuel’s frown deepened. What could be so serious about Rakeem? Everyone knew the man was powerful, wealthy, and proud. But dangerous? That was a different matter.
Samuel’s mind refused to rest. He remembered the way Blessing had once told him she feared Rakeem. Not because of his wealth, but because of the way he carried himself like a man who owned not just money, but people.
He rubbed his hands over his face, frustration boiling in his chest. “Blessing, what have they thrown you into?” he muttered.
The night dragged on, long and merciless. At dawn, Samuel finally left the house. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair rough, but he didn’t care. He just needed answers.
He met Emeka at a small buka near Ojuelegba. The place smelled of fried akara and hot oil, the morning noise of buses and traders filling the air. Emeka sat in a corner, cap pulled low over his eyes.
When Samuel walked in, his cousin raised a hand quickly. “Guy, sit down.”
Samuel dropped into the chair opposite him. “Talk, Emeka. I didn’t sleep all night.”
Emeka leaned forward, his voice low. “What I’m about to tell you, keep it to yourself. If Rakeem’s people hear, e fit cause wahala.”
Samuel’s chest tightened. “Tell me.”
Emeka glanced around before speaking. “I heard Rakeem has enemies. Not small enemies o. The man is into deals… things not everyone should know. Some say he has hands in politics, others whisper about money that is not clean. That’s why his marriage was important. It was supposed to join his name with Hannah’s family. Powerful families, working together. But now…”
He spread his hands wide.
Samuel’s jaw clenched. “Now it’s Blessing.”
Emeka nodded slowly. “Yes. Your Blessing. Do you see why I said be careful? If you go around shouting that she is yours, you will only put her in more danger. And yourself too.”
Samuel gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white. His stomach turned, but not from the smell of frying oil. “So you’re saying Rakeem is not only proud and wicked, but also dangerous?”
Emeka sighed. “That’s what I’m hearing. Samuel, listen to me. Forget her. Move on. You can’t fight a man like that.”
The words stung like pepper in Samuel’s ears. Forget Blessing? Move on? How could he, when every part of his heart still belonged to her?
He shook his head firmly. “No, Emeka. I can’t leave her there. You didn’t see her face at that wedding. She was crying. She didn’t want it. They forced her.”
“Samuel…” Emeka began, but Samuel cut him off.
“I don’t care if Rakeem has money, power, or a thousand enemies. Blessing is not safe with him. I know it. I can feel it. And I won’t stand by and do nothing.”
His voice was shaking, but his eyes were steady. The fire inside him was stronger than his fear.
Emeka sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. “You go die for love o.”
Samuel leaned forward, his tone firm. “Then let me die fighting for her. At least I won’t live as a coward.”
For a long moment, silence hung between them, broken only by the noise of the market outside. Finally, Emeka shook his head slowly. “You’re stubborn, just like your father.”
Samuel didn’t reply. His mind was already racing with thoughts of Blessing trapped in that mansion with Rakeem, enduring God knows what.
As he left the buka, Samuel made a silent vow. He would uncover Rakeem’s secrets. And when the time was right, he would use them to bring Blessing out of that cage.
But deep down, a question lingered in his mind, sharp and unshakable:
What if Blessing was already too broken to return to him?
- Writer
