Writers 
The internship was coming to an end, and honestly, my time at the company had been one of the best experiences of my life. Sometimes, I blamed myself for leaving in the first place, but there was no point dwelling on the past. Things were finally going well for me, and Adrian was a big part of that happiness.
He was always there for me, available whenever I needed him, and satisfying me in almost every way. Mama was now healthy, thanks to Adrian's financial support. We had started eating good food, wearing better clothes, and living a more comfortable life than we had before. For the first time in a long while, I no longer had to worry about where our next meal would come from.
Adrian even offered to change our house, but I refused. I was afraid Mama and my friends would begin asking questions about where I was suddenly getting so much money from. Although I had been telling them that I was making money from a new online business, I knew that excuse could only work for so long. I couldn't risk anyone discovering the truth about my relationship with Adrian.
However, beneath all the happiness and comfort I was enjoying, there was one thing that continued to trouble me: Daniel.
I was cheating on him, and the guilt was slowly eating me alive. I knew how much he loved me, and the thought of betraying his trust made me feel terrible. Yet, whenever I was with Adrian, I found myself enjoying every secret moment we shared. I enjoyed the attention, the affection, the financial support, and the comfort he brought into my life.
Sometimes, I would look at myself in the mirror and wonder what kind of woman I was becoming. I felt like a terrible person, someone who didn't deserve the love Daniel was giving me. The guilt was so overwhelming that I sometimes felt I deserved to be punished for what I was doing to him.
I knew I couldn't continue living that way forever.
One fateful afternoon, after the commencement of my internship, I finally made up my mind to return to school. I had carefully saved the money I received from Adrian, and I believed it was time to put an end to everything between us. I wanted to stop seeing him secretly, stop answering his calls, and stop responding to his messages.
I wanted to return to my normal life and focus on Daniel.
At least, that was what I thought I wanted.
Before returning to school, I decided to visit Daniel at his house. I missed him, and I thought spending some time with him would help me forget everything that had happened during my internship.
When I arrived, he welcomed me warmly and left me in his room to get me a soft drink. Unfortunately, he didn't take his phone with him.
A few minutes later, a message popped up on his screen.
At first, I had no intention of checking it, but something about the notification caught my attention. Curiosity got the better of me, and I picked up his phone.
What I discovered shattered me.
Daniel had been dating another woman long before he met me. According to the messages, their relationship had been going on for two years before I came into his life.
I couldn't believe what I was reading.
My hands began to tremble, and tears rolled down my cheeks. I felt betrayed, confused, and completely heartbroken. How could Daniel, the man who made me feel loved and special, have been hiding something like this from me?
Just then, he walked back into the room.
The moment he saw me crying with his phone in my hands, he rushed towards me and snatched it away.
"Amara, I can explain," he said.
But I didn't want to hear anything.
I couldn't even find the right words to express how I felt. I simply stood up and walked out of the room, leaving him behind.
As I made my way home, my phone began buzzing continuously. Daniel was calling, and so was Adrian. I ignored every call, too overwhelmed by my emotions to speak to anyone.
Mistakenly, I picked Adrian's call, I began crying uncontrollably, blaming him for ruining my relationship with Daniel. I told him that everything had been fine before I met him, that I had never imagined myself becoming the kind of woman who would cheat on the man she loved.
Adrian didn't say much. He simply kept calling my name.
"Amara, please calm down. Where are you?"
I ended the call without answering.
I didn't want to speak to him. I didn't want to speak to Daniel either. All I wanted was to be alone with my pain.
When I finally arrived home, I saw Adrian standing beside his car.
Before I could even ask what he was doing there, he rushed towards me and pulled me into a comforting embrace. He could see how broken I was, and without asking too many questions, he gently led me towards his car.
He quickly ushered me inside before anyone in the house could see us together.
I didn't resist.
At that moment, I was too exhausted to care about anything else.
He took me to his house, where he looked after me for three days. He made sure I ate, rested, and had everything I needed. During those three days, I barely spoke about Daniel. I was still trying to understand how the man I had trusted so much could have been hiding such a huge secret from me.
But the truth was, I couldn't ignore my own guilt either.
I had accused Daniel of betraying me, yet I had been doing something similar behind his back. The difference was that I had never imagined he was doing the same thing to me.
After three days, I finally decided to return home.
When I arrived, Mama was surprised to see me. She had thought I had already returned to school, and she couldn't understand why I was back so soon. I told her everything that has happened between me, Adrian and Daniel
"Amara, whatever you decide to do, make sure you think carefully about it."
Her words stayed with me long after our conversation ended.
I had returned home hoping to find answers, but instead, I found myself facing even more questions.
Did I still love Daniel after discovering his betrayal?
Could I ever forgive him?
And what about Adrian, the man I had tried so hard to leave behind, but who had been there for me when I needed someone the most?
For the first time, I realized that I wasn't the only one hiding a secret.
And perhaps, the truth had only just begun to unfold.
