Wasn't that the first time he suspected he might have feelings for her?
He remembered lying awake, staring at the ceiling, telling himself it was impossible. After Adaugo. After everything he had survived. He had made a decision back then, clear, firm, unshakable.
I will never love again.
So no, it couldn't have started there.
It had to be before that or after.
Because during the family ball, when Liam used her as part of whatever scheme he was playing, what truly unsettled Chibuzor wasn't anger.
It was fear.
The fear that history was repeating itself.
That once again, someone he had started to care about was standing between him and peace. Just like his father had stood between his mother and happiness. Just like Adaugo had smiled at him while sharpening the knife behind his back.
That night, he wasn't just worried about scandal.
He was worried about loss.
And everything that happened after the ball only made it worse.
Nnenna's hospital admission.
