He stepped back.
A murmur moved through the guests.
Diana turned to him. “Okafor?”
He did not answer.
He walked away from the altar.
Gasps filled the hall.
His father’s voice thundered. “Where are you going?”
Okafor did not stop.
Ada stood frozen as he reached her.
“Okafor,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
He looked at her like a man seeing daylight after years underground.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I left.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I never stopped choosing you.”
The room went silent.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she whispered.
“You shouldn’t have left.”
“I did it for you.”
“No,” he said firmly. “You did it without me.”
“You were suffering.”
“And now I’m empty.”
The truth landed between them.
“I thought I was saving you,” she said.
“You were breaking me.”
He reached for her hand.
She did not pull away.
“I went back,” he said. “I did everything they wanted. I tried to live the life they chose for me.”
His voice softened.
“And it meant nothing without you.”
Ada cried openly now.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Behind them, the hall erupted into whispers and outrage.
His father stepped forward. “Have you lost your mind?”
Okafor turned, still holding Ada’s hand.
“No,” he said calmly. “For the first time, I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“You are humiliating this family,” his father snapped. “You are throwing everything away for this girl.”
“She has a name,” Okafor said. “And yes, I am choosing her.”
