Before I say I do - episode 8 - by Matilda🪷🫧

Daniel sits, slow and deliberate, like a man lowering himself into cold water. The office is quiet except for the muffled chatter still drifting from the hall outside — a party trying to pretend nothing happened. AMARA: “Two months ago, Kemi messaged me out of nowhere. Said he had heard I was engaged. Said he needed to see me once before I did something he thought I’d regret.” DANIEL: “And you went.” AMARA: “I went to tell him no. To his face. So there’d be no doubt left in me.” DANIEL: “Was there doubt?” Amara takes a breath, steadying herself. AMARA: “There was history. That’s different from doubt, but that night, for about an hour, I wasn’t sure I could tell the difference.” Daniel’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t interrupt. He remembers his promise to Mrs. Adeyemi — listen to the end. AMARA: “He apologized. For everything. The cheating, the way it ended. He said leaving me was the worst decision of his life. And some small, stupid part of me that I thought I’d buried years ago — it wanted to hear that.” DANIEL: “So what stopped you?” AMARA: “You did.” Daniel looks up, surprised. AMARA: “Not you, specifically, in the room. But I pictured telling you about that night. Pictured your face. And I realized — I didn’t want to lose what we have for a feeling that was really just old wounds finally getting an apology they were owed. That’s not the same as wanting him back.” DANIEL: “So nothing happened.” AMARA: “Nothing happened. I left. I blocked him. I told myself it was over and it would stay in the past where it belonged.” DANIEL: “Except it didn’t stay there. It showed up tonight in front of my mother.” AMARA: “I know. And I should have told you the moment it happened instead of burying it and rushing us toward the wedding like speed could outrun the truth.” Daniel stands, walks to the small window, hands in his pockets.DANIEL: “Do you know what’s strange? I did something almost identical. I called Sarah because I was scared, and I told myself it didn’t count because nothing happened. And here I am, furious at you for doing exactly what I did.” AMARA: “It’s not identical, Daniel. I didn’t just call him. I went to see him.” DANIEL: “And I blocked Sarah the second you asked. Did you block Kemi the second it got hard?” Silence. Amara doesn’t answer immediately, and that’s enough of an answer. DANIEL: “That’s what I thought.” AMARA: “I was trying to protect you from something I thought I’d already handled.” DANIEL: “You don’t get to decide what I need protecting from. That’s not partnership, Amara. That’s just a prettier kind of lying.” The words hang in the air, harsher than anything he’s said all night. Amara flinches, because she knows he’s right. A long silence. Then, quieter: AMARA: “So where does that leave us? Tomorrow?” Daniel turns back to face her, and for the first time, his expression isn’t anger — it’s exhaustion, and underneath it, something like grief. DANIEL: “I don’t know anymore. Twenty-four hours ago I was certain. Now I’m standing in a room asking myself if certainty was ever real, or if we were both just moving fast enough that neither of us had to look too closely.” A soft knock at the door. It’s Mrs. Okafor this time — Daniel’s mother — her earlier joy replaced by quiet concern. MRS. OKAFOR: “The guests are asking if we’re still doing a toast to close the night. I can tell them it’s postponed, if you need me to.” Daniel and Amara look at each other across the small office — the space between them now wider than it’s ever been, even though neither of them has moved. DANIEL: (to his mother, eyes still on Amara) “Give us five more minutes, Mum.” Mrs. Okafor nods slowly and steps back out. The door clicks shut. Daniel turns fully to Amara, his voice low, final-sounding in a way that makes her stomach drop. DANIEL: “I need to ask you one question, and I need the real answer. Not the one that keeps the peace.” AMARA: “Okay.” DANIEL: “If Kemi walked back through that door right now, and told you he was ready — really ready — to do it properly this time… would there be any part of you that hesitated before saying no to him?” Amara opens her mouth to answer immediately — and stops. The hesitation itself lasts only a second. But Daniel sees it.

Other insights from Matilda🪷🫧

Contributor Points

Points-to-Coupons

Referral Earning