CHOICES - by Vivian Ikhomiya

Chapter 7 Three days.Three long, painfully quiet days.I stared at my phone so many times that I lost count.Every vibration made my heart race.Every notification made me hope it was Kelvin. It never was. I kept trying to convince myself he was just giving me space.Maybe he remembered what his mother had said. "Leave her. She'll calm down and come back." Maybe he thought he was respecting my decision by not calling.Maybe...But with each passing day, the silence became louder.Not once did he call.Not once did he text.Not once did he ask if I'd gotten home safely.I wasn't asking him to choose between me and his mother anymore.I just wanted him to choose me once.Just once.One phone call. One message saying, "Can we talk?" Maybe that would've been enough to make me reconsider everything.But it never came.Instead, I packed a few more things and drove to my parents' house.We were supposed to visit them together that weekend.They had already met Kelvin.They'd welcomed him into our family.They'd been excited about the wedding, asking about colours, venues, grandchildren...Now, I was showing up alone. The moment my mum opened the door, she knew. She didn't ask any questions.She simply wrapped her arms around me.And that was all it took. I broke down. For the first time since leaving Kelvin's parents' house, I cried without trying to hold it in.Later that evening, I told them everything.From the constant comparisons...To Anita making decisions about my wedding...To Kelvin telling me to calm down while defending his mother.Neither of them interrupted.They simply listened.When I was done, my dad let out a long sigh. "I liked Kelvin," he admitted quietly. "So did I," my mum added. "But not at the cost of our daughter's happiness." My father reached across the table and held my hand. "If this is how they're treating you before the wedding..." He didn't finish the sentence.He didn't have to.I understood.Neither of them tried to convince me to stay.Neither of them pressured me to leave.Instead, they gave me something I hadn't felt in days. Support. "No matter what you decide," my mum said softly, "we're with you." I stayed with my parents for the next few days.Trying to clear my head.Trying to convince myself I wasn't making a decision I'd regret.But every morning I woke up hoping to see Kelvin's name on my phone...And every night I went to bed disappointed.Eventually...The silence became my answer.If losing me wasn't enough to make him fight for us...Then maybe there was nothing left to fight for. The next morning, I got dressed, picked up my handbag and car keys, and drove to his parents' house. His mother opened the door. The moment she saw me, a knowing smile spread across her face. "I told Kelvin you'd come back." "I knew you'd calm down." She stepped aside as though expecting me to walk in and apologize. "I need to speak to everyone," I said calmly. Her smile widened. "Of course." She called for her husband before picking up her phone. "Let me ask Kelvin to come over." Less than thirty minutes later, he walked through the front door. The moment he saw me, relief washed over his face. "I knew you'd come around." I didn't answer. His parents sat across from us in the living room. No one spoke. The silence was heavy. Kelvin smiled nervously. "So... are we okay now?" I looked at him. Really looked at him. The man I had imagined spending the rest of my life with. The man I had defended countless times. The man I had hoped would fight for me. He never did. I took a slow breath. "I'm not here to apologize." The smile on his face disappeared. His mother frowned. "What do you mean?" I folded my hands together to stop them from shaking. "I've spent the last few days thinking about everything that's happened." I looked directly at Kelvin. "And I've made my decision." His expression slowly changed. "Stella..." "I don't want to marry you anymore." The room went completely silent. You could hear a pin drop. Kelvin stared at me as though he'd misheard. "What...?" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "The wedding is off." And for the first time since I met his family... No one had a response.

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