“I’m on time.”
She laughed softly. Even her laugh sounded trained—never too loud, never careless.
“You look beautiful,” he said, because it was expected.
“And you look exactly like a man who would rather be anywhere else,” she replied.
For one second, honesty passed between them.
“Do you ever get tired of it?” he asked quietly.
“Of what?”
“This performance.”
Diana glanced around the room, still smiling for anyone watching. “It is not a performance. It is responsibility.”
“To whom?”
“To everyone who depends on us.”
That was the difference between them.
Diana accepted the life she had been given.
Okafor questioned it.
During dinner, their families discussed investments, alliances, and future plans. Their fathers spoke like generals preparing for war. Their mothers made sure the conversation stayed smooth.
Then Diana’s father finally said what everyone had been circling.
“The wedding should not be delayed any longer.”
Okafor’s father nodded. “I agree.”
All eyes turned to Okafor.
His mother added gently, “This union is long overdue.”
Okafor set down his glass.
There it was again. His future, laid out like a contract waiting for his signature.
“Perhaps,” he said slowly, “we should take more time.”
The room cooled.
“Time?” his father repeated.
“Yes.”
“For what purpose?”
Okafor hesitated. How could he explain something he barely understood himself?
“I want to be sure.”
His father’s expression hardened. “Sure of what? This is not a gamble. This is your future.”
“That is exactly why I want to be sure.”w
Silence fell.
Then Diana spoke.
