A WEB OF DECEIT ✔️

chapter 59

Thelani

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers playing with the hem of my dress, nerves running through me like electricity. Mbali’s voice echoed in my head: You need to be honest with Nkosi. It’s the only way.But how could I? How could I look him in the eyes and tell him that the man he loves, the father he looks up to, was the same man I had once been entangled with?

I glanced down at my phone again, my heart pounding as I let it rest on the nightstand. The truth—if I even dared to speak it—would rip Nkosikhona’s world apart. It would destroy him, destroy us. And for what? I had worked so hard to build this life with him, to move past the mistakes of my past. I couldn’t let everything come crashing down because of one secret I couldn’t undo.

The door creaked open, and I quickly composed myself. Nkosikhona walked in, holding up a bag from our favorite restaurant. "I got your favorite—pasta with extra sauce. Thought you might need a little pick-me-up."

I forced a smile, one that felt heavy on my face. “Thanks, babe.”

He sat beside me, unpacking the food with a smile so genuine it hurt to look at him. I could see the love in his eyes, his trust. And here I was, sitting with a secret that could shatter all of that. I felt the weight of it pressing down on my chest, threatening to suffocate me.

"I know things have been rough with your family and everything," he said, his voice soft. "But we’re going to get through this. Just you and me, like always."

I swallowed hard, the guilt clawing at me from the inside. He had no idea, no clue about the storm brewing right in front of him. Could we really get through this? Could our love survive if he knew the truth?

He reached for my hand, squeezing it gently. "You okay?"

I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over. I wanted to tell him, to finally let the truth come out, but the words stuck in my throat. "Yeah," I whispered. "I’m just tired. Everything is so… overwhelming."

He nodded, understanding in his eyes. "I get it. But soon, all this mess will be behind us. We’re getting married, babe. Once that happens, everything will be different. Just us, no more drama."

Marriage. The word felt like a cold, sharp blade in my chest. How could I even think about marrying him when I was keeping something so massive from him? But what choice did I have? Telling him now would ruin everything, everything we had worked so hard to build. Maybe, just maybe, if I buried this deep enough, we could move past it. Maybe he’d never have to know.

"I can’t wait," I said, forcing a smile that felt like it might crack my face in two. "A fresh start for both of us."

He smiled, leaning in to kiss me softly. "Exactly. A fresh start."

I watched him, my heart aching with the weight of the lie. He had no idea that our fresh start was built on a foundation of secrets and silence. But for now, it was the only thing holding us together.

---

Later that night, after Nkosikhona had fallen asleep beside me, his arm draped protectively over my waist, I lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. My mind raced with thoughts I couldn’t control. I thought about Mbali’s advice again, her insistence that the truth was the only way. But honesty wasn’t an option for me. Not now.

The truth would destroy everything. It would shatter Nkosikhona’s love for me, his trust, his sense of family. How could I put him through that? How could I break him like that?

I shifted carefully in the bed, not wanting to wake him, when my phone buzzed softly on the nightstand. I frowned, glancing at the screen.

**“We need to talk. - L”**