Jason’s POV
The first few weeks after Tiara left, I was barely functioning. Janet kept checking in on me, but we both knew something was wrong. She’d call Tiara too, every day, every night, but the calls just rang out or went straight to voicemail.
I tried not to panic, tried to trust that she was safe… but something inside me, something deep and cold, told me otherwise.
Our father’s trial was happening right here in Lagos. A part of me hated him. Another part was still trying to understand how everything fell apart so quickly. And in the middle of it all, Tiara. Gone. Silent. Like the world swallowed her.
A month later
Tiara’s message came in the middle of the night.
I had fallen asleep with my phone on my chest, and the vibration woke me up. My heart jumped when I saw her name. It felt like seeing a ghost, familiar, yet distant.
I sat up quickly, opened it, and pressed play.
Her voice was soft and broken. She sounded like she’d been crying.
And then she said the words:
“Jason… I think we should break up.”
I froze.
It didn’t feel real.
She said she missed me. Said thank you. Said goodbye.
And I cried. I didn’t think I would, but I did. Quietly, alone, in the dark.
I pressed my face into my pillow and just let it happen. I didn’t even try to fight it.
Days later
I was no good to anyone. My books stared back at me like strangers. Post-UTME was around the corner, but I couldn’t concentrate. Every page looked like noise.
My Aunt Joanna noticed. She always did.
She came into my room one evening, knocked softly.
“Jason?”
“Yeah,” I said, voice dull.
She stepped in, her expression tender. “I spoke to your Dad yesterday when I went to see him in custody.”
I looked up sharply. “What did he have to say?,” I muttered.
She sighed and sat beside me. “He is a man of pride Jason, I always knew. But he's still your father, so I asked him if I could take you kids, and be your legal guardian. He said yes."
“Of course, he doesn’t want us,” I said bitterly. “He made that clear.”
“He said doesn’t want to see the kids, he doesn't want you to see him behind bars.” Joanna said it quietly. “Which is why I’ve filed again, for custody. This time, I’m not leaving it up to chance. I’m taking you and Janet out of this mess.”
I looked at her, startled.
She smiled. “It’s time you had peace. I’ve arranged for you to move to Abuja first for your exams, stay with me and Lawanson, get ready for your exams. Janet and I will come later.”
I didn’t even know what to say.
She touched my shoulder. “Tiara’s in Abuja too, right?”
I nodded slowly.
“Maybe this is the beginning of something better. You need a fresh start, Jase.”
Abuja – Aunty Joanna’s house
When I first got to Abuja, all I could think of was Tiara, I could go to her right now, I would. I felt happy and sad, she was here, but would she want to see me? But I need to see her, I have not even been able to respond to her breakup message, I didn't know how to respond. More than that, I needed to know if she was okay, she must be going through a lot right now.
Mr. Lawanson, Aunty Joanna's Husband, welcomed me like I was his own son. No awkwardness, no forced conversations. Just warmth.
He helped me settle in, even showed me a corner in the house he called “the thinking spot”, a little garden area near the back porch with shade and quiet.
One afternoon, I found myself sitting there with him. We had both just watered the plants and were resting. I surprised myself by opening up.
“I feel like I’m losing everything,” I said quietly.
He turned to me gently. “What do you mean?”
“My dad… everything he’s done… It’s like I don’t even know who he is anymore. Our house is gone. Our name is everywhere for the wrong reasons. And Tiara...” My voice broke. “She broke up with me.”
There was a long pause.
He looked at me kindly. “Do you still love her?”
I nodded, eyes stinging.
“She’s going through something awful, Jason. Her mother’s in a coma. She probably doesn’t even know what she needs right now.”
“I want to be there for her, but she said goodbye.”
“She said goodbye because she didn’t want to pull you into her pain. But sometimes, the people who push us away are the ones who need us the most.”
I looked down.
He continued, “Listen. Focus on your exams first. Just get through that. Afterward, go see her. I’ll drive you myself if I have to. You need closure, or maybe a second chance.”
I stared at him for a second.
Then he pulled me in for a hug, his arm firm and steady around me.
I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I felt something that safe. Something fatherly.
I closed my eyes, my throat tight.
“Thank you, sir.”
He smiled. “Call me Uncle Lawan.”
Later that night
I sat at my desk, trying to read.
Tiara’s voice echoed in my head.
“Thank you for loving me the way you did. I miss you so much…”
I wrote in my journal:
She still misses me. Maybe this isn’t the end. Maybe I’m meant to fight for her. Maybe… I still have something to hold on to.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel completely lost.
