In what Esaaba believed to be her lover’s former bedroom, she gave herself fully to him. Meeting Reggie’s “family” had given her a sense of trust, and Reggie, only waiting for the right moment, had been eager to see if he could father a child. Meanwhile, downstairs, Nancy busied herself in the kitchen, her mind consumed with worry about what was happening upstairs. She hoped Reggie’s plan would work but feared that it might backfire disastrously.

Later that evening, Reggie and Esaaba finally emerged from the room. As they walked to the car, Reggie was overcome with shame and guilt about what had happened. Esaaba, unaware, rushed innocently to the passenger seat, and as he drove her home, he couldn’t shake the nagging worry of what might happen if she became pregnant. To Esaaba, everything had been “protected”—and that’s what weighed heavily on Reggie.

As they drove, Esaaba broke the silence. “Is your sister married? I saw a ring on her finger,” she asked, startling Reggie. He was an only child, and it took him a second to remember his lie. Nancy was supposed to be his “sister” in this charade.

“Yes, she’s married,” he said quickly, “and she’s one month pregnant. Her husband’s abroad, but he’ll relocate them here soon.”

Esaaba then glanced at him thoughtfully. “When we get married, you wouldn’t want to live with Reuben, right?”

Reggie laughed uncomfortably. “What?”

“I mean, where would we stay?” she asked, “With your mom too?”

“Married...well, no, not with my mother. That’s why I got a bigger place for you—I’ll just move in with you.”

“So, why don’t you move in now?” she asked.

“Isn’t it a bit early?” he replied, dodging her gaze.

“If you say so, but please, spend the night with me,” she pleaded.

Jittery but not wanting to raise suspicion, Reggie agreed. As he parked outside her place, he quickly texted Nancy, “Nancy, you’ll need to sleep alone tonight. I’m staying with Esaaba. These are the small sacrifices we have to make if we’re going to achieve our goals.”

Other chaps: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22