With You, For You

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Warning: Mature Content ahead.  Read at your own risk.

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Her voice sounded cold and she wanted to act tough,  if not for the way her knees shook...

I couldn't understand the look in Brian's eyes. He just looked at her quietly as emotions swirled in them. "Brian..." Chidera could not bear the silence, I presumed.

"What happened to you?" He asked, finally speaking. "Why do you look so...haggard?"

"What's your business? Are you trying to say that I'm ugly?" My sister put her hands on her waist.

"Stop twisting my words." Brian's face was contorted in anger. He held her arm and scanned her body. "Who did this to you? Your husband?"

"It's not your business, Brian. If this is what you wanted to talk about, I'm leaving." But she didn't even move an inch.

Brian looked at the orange sky. "You know I thought the feeling was mutual." He looked at her. "That you loved me as much as I loved you."

I heard a gasp and I pinched Chioma's cheek. I placed my index on my lips and she nodded. "Brian I did. I really loved you but..."

Brian grabbed her arm and Dera flinched. "Why? Till now I can't understand why you stopped loving me. That is if you did."

Dera's eyes watered. "You don't believe me? Do you think I didn't love you, Brian? I loved you more than anything. You were my whole world."

"Then why did I lose my place in your heart?"

"Because you left. You left me, Brian."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Two years. Two years was all I asked for them we could announce our relationship. Then we could be together.  But you didn't wait."

"I waited!" Tears rolled down her face. "I waited for you but you suddenly stopped calling. You stopped sending texts. I waited months for those but none came. Even when you returned for breaks you didn't come to see me.

Do you know how heartbroken I was? I was scared too. Scared that something had happened. Scared that you had forgotten about me. Scared that you didn't love me anymore."

"But I came back. I came for you and you told me to stay away."

"I was married!"

"You were not." He stated it like a fact. "You were not yet married. I knew it was your dad's arrangement but if you loved me you would've fought. You would've fought for us."

"Did you fight? Did you?" Chidera asked

"I begged uncle to set up the arrangement with me instead but he refused. I went to his office every day till your wedding."

"That was why you didn't come?" How could he see the one he loved exchanging vows with another man. He couldn't bear it. Brian nodded. "I'm married now."

"Mmm. You're married. I'm sure your husband treats you well. Better than I could ever have." His words were sarcastic.

"Brian stop."

"Are you hurting? I mean your husband loved you. He treats you well too. It's written all over you. You're living a life I could never have given you."

"Brian stop. Everything that happened between us is history."

"Yeah. Even I have a girlfriend now." Hurt flashed past Chidera's eyes. I scoffed inwardly. What did she think? That he'd spend the rest of his life thinking about her? This was reality; he had to move on.