Esaaba headed straight to Ruby’s house, beaming with excitement as Reggie dropped her off. She knocked vigorously on the door until Ruby opened it, frowning.

“Esaaba! Do you want to break my door?” Ruby yelled, clearly irritated.

“You said Reggie was a red flag because he hadn’t taken me to his place. Well, guess what? I just got back from there,” Esaaba announced proudly, grinning ear to ear.

Ruby nodded, allowing her friend to continue.

“He’s such a neat guy, so organized! I felt so at peace that I accepted his proposal,” Esaaba gushed, her excitement uncontainable.

Ruby’s expression changed, her face falling into dismay. “You accepted just because he took you to his place? Seriously? How well do you even know this guy?”

Esaaba rolled her eyes at Ruby’s skepticism. “Stop it, Ruby. Just because a man deceived you doesn’t mean every man is like that.”

Ruby sighed, shaking her head. “Esaaba, trust me, in our part of the world, if a man has a car, his own place, a job, and his life all figured out, there’s usually a woman somewhere who helped him get there.”

“Not everyone is struggling like us, Ruby. Some people are from wealthy homes,” Esaaba countered, defending Reggie.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Okay, and how old is he?”

“He’s in his early 30s.”

“And you honestly believe he’s not seeing anyone else?”

“No, he’s not,” Esaaba replied firmly, standing her ground.

Ruby threw her hands up in defeat. “Fine, I lose, you win. But be careful, Esaaba, and make sure to pay him surprise visits every now and then. You never know.”

Esaaba waved her off, feeling triumphant, and left Ruby’s house, sure she had made the right choice.

That night, however, Reggie lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind in turmoil. Anyone looking at him could tell something was wrong.

Nancy, lying beside him, sensed his unease. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

He sighed deeply. “Do you think we’re bad people? For leading Esaaba into this, making her fall blindly into our trap?”

Nancy shook her head, her voice cold and matter-of-fact. “We’re not bad people, Reggie. Life just happened to us. Besides, we’ll compensate her. I’ll pull some strings and help her get a well-paying job, so she’ll be financially secure by the time she delivers our baby.”

Reggie exhaled slowly, his guilt still gnawing at him. “She said yes today and even gave me a kiss,” he admitted.

Nancy felt a strange mix of jealousy and satisfaction swirl inside her. She tightened her grip on the pillow and, with a distant look, said, “Good. We’re finally making progress.”

Other chap 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22