CHAPTER SEVEN: SHADOWS,SECRETS,BATTLE

Glory be to God—I finally got a roommate immediately from an agent. She was beautiful, calm, and truthful. The kind of girl whose presence felt peaceful, and I was grateful she wasn't a friend or family acquaintance. She was a stranger, someone completely new, yet she was my junior both in academics and age.

I was 21, and she was younger, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that I was happy. Life felt stable, and for once, I prayed this happiness would last. Despite having her as a roommate, my friendship with the three baddies I loved so much remained strong.

As the semester ended, I thanked God for a successful exam. My sweetest roommate ever traveled, leaving me alone once again. It was then that my bond with the three baddies deepened, pulling me further into their world.

Faith, Beauty, and Theresa were a force—wild, unbothered, and fiercely confident. At first, I felt safe in their company, laughing and enjoying their reckless energy. But then, I noticed something strange.

They spoke in a different language whenever they wanted to hide something from me. I shrugged it off, choosing happiness over suspicion.

They talked about men—always men. Love wasn't love to them; it was a game, a trade. They pushed different men toward me, urging me to try relationships, but each one ended the same. All they wanted was sex. There was no real love, no sincerity.

I felt like a giver, someone meant only to be taken from. It was as if men had to gain something from me before they could care.

Then, the truth about my friends hit me like a storm.

Beauty and Theresa were into hookups. They slept with men for money, parading themselves as "rich baddies" with the latest clothes, designer shoes, and luxury bags. Yet, their rooms were unkempt, their hygiene neglected. It was all an illusion. A fake, sparkling image masking a darker reality.

Faith, though, was different—or so I thought. She wasn't as obvious as the others, but she was rarely home. Her parents lived nearby, and she had been raised with discipline. Yet, there was something about her—a hidden madness, a streak of rebellion that made her a bad feather in disguise.

I never spoke badly about them. I never judged them. But soon, I began to feel small in their presence.

Beauty was only 19 but looked 23. Theresa was the same age, while Faith was 22. I was older than two of them, yet respect was something they lacked. They had no regard for anyone, not even me.

For a while, we remained close, until Theresa changed.

She became arrogant, reckless, and dangerous with her words. She exposed secrets carelessly, ruining reputations. She insulted me indirectly, throwing jabs that I chose to ignore.

But I stayed. Not because I wanted to, but because I was afraid—afraid of being alone, afraid of stepping into a man's house for comfort.

Then, it happened.

Theresa and Beauty betrayed me. They used my secrets against me, twisting my words into weapons. Beauty humiliated me in public, crushing what little self-worth I had left.

I cried that day. And in my tears, I swore an oath—I would never forget.

I withdrew from them, shutting them out. But Faith? She remained close. She was still kind to me, and I let myself believe I had found a second real friend.

She confided in me, sharing her secrets, but I held back. Something told me she wasn't worthy of knowing my deepest truths. She talked too much.

And nothing lasts forever.

Then came the nightmares. The torment.

Something dark hovered over me, a weight I couldn't shake off. I cast it away in prayer, but it clung to me.

Faith noticed my suffering and took me to church. Together, we fasted, we prayed, we attended adoration, yet the chains around me only tightened.

One day, a spiritualist reached out to me. He claimed he saw negativity surrounding me. Others came with the same message.

They told me I was great—but bound. That I came from water, that something deeper was holding me back.

Desperation drove me into the hands of a spiritualist. I paid him a huge amount of money, hoping for peace. Instead, my problems grew worse.

Pain became my shadow. Nothing favored me. My soft heart ached to change, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't.

When I told Faith what had happened, she was shocked. She blamed me for trusting the wrong people.

But what choice did I have?

I tried to move on, focusing on the one thing that brought me joy—my upcoming 22nd birthday.

Faith and I planned to celebrate together. She would be 23, and we both wanted something special. I saved money, hoping to create a memory worth holding onto.

And then, life played its cruel game again.

Theresa, Beauty, and I reconciled. It was as if nothing had happened. We laughed, we gossiped, we acted like we were never enemies. But this time, I was careful. I never told them anything real.

Yet, Faith's actions disturbed me. She was desperate for money for her birthday, and her methods were… dark. She slept with men. She had multiple boyfriends, several male best friends, all of them giving her something in return.

I didn't judge her. It was her life.

But it taught me a lesson—one I would never forget.

A child is raised by God, not just by parents. Those who choose the devil's path will walk it, no matter how they were trained.

Theresa, Beauty, and Faith were all into hookups. They hid it from me, thinking I was blind. But I was smarter than they knew.

I watched them buy new iPhones, flaunt expensive clothes, and act superior. They wanted me to feel small.

But I refused.

God's time is the best.

And I would wait for mine.