chapter seventeen

Adaora's pov

I squinted, trying to see his face, to find anything solid in the shifting mass of water, but there was nothing. No eyes, no features only the vast, endless ocean forming his shape, towering over me.

"I will always be with you, my love," his voice echoed, blending with the waves. "I always have. Nothing keeps me away."

A chill ran through me. My breathing turned rapid, shallow. The way he spoke so certain, so absolute it terrified me more than anything else.

His voice wasn't just a sound. It was everywhere, rolling over me like waves crashing on the shore, deep and unshakable. It wasn't human.

I felt my body trembling. My fingers dug into the golden pendant he had given me, desperate for something real, something solid to anchor me.

I wanted to wake up.

I needed to wake up.

I squeezed my eyes shut, begging my body to jerk awake, to pull me out of this watery abyss.

But the voice only came closer, surrounding me completely.

"Do not fight me, Adaora. This is where you belong."

I gasped, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from my chest. "No," I whispered, shaking my head. "This is just a dream. You're not real."

His laughter rippled through the waves, a deep, soothing sound that somehow made my skin prickle. "You still do not understand, my love. I have always been real. Always with you."

The water beneath me shifted, rising to support me as though it had hands of its own. I flinched, but it didn't let me fall.

"Open your eyes," he murmured.

I was awake. Wasn't I?

I forced my eyelids open, expecting to see the ocean, the endless water surrounding me.

But instead, I was back in my room.

Sweat clung to my skin. My breath came in sharp, uneven gulps. The bedsheet was tangled around me, as if I had been thrashing in my sleep.

For a brief moment, I thought it had all been a dream until I looked down.

The golden necklace lay against my chest, glinting in the dim light.

I sucked in a sharp breath.

No. No, no, no.

I scrambled back, pressing myself against the headboard. My fingers trembled as I touched the pendant. It was cold, smooth, solid.

It was real.

A voice his voice whispered in my mind, soft as the tide lapping against the shore.

"Hope you like my flowers, my love. I picked them myself."

I let out a shaky breath.

I was awake.

And he was real.

I sat there, frozen, my fingers gripping the golden pendant as if letting go would make it disappear. But it didn't. It stayed warm against my skin, its delicate chain resting just above my collarbone.

I turned sharply to my side. Ifunanya was still there, her chest rising and falling peacefully. She had slept through everything.

I swallowed hard, my hands trembling as I reached up to touch the necklace again. It was real solid, warm, and impossibly back around my neck.

I nudged Ifunanya's arm. "Ify," I whispered, my voice shaky.

She groaned, turning her back to me. "Mmm… what?"

I hesitated, my fingers brushing against the pendant. "Did you… put anything on me last night?"

Ifunanya let out a sleepy chuckle. "Hah? You think I have time to be decorating you in your sleep?" She shifted, pulling the blanket tighter. "Let me rest abeg."

I stared at her, my heart still pounding. If she didn't do it, then who…?

I clenched my fists, trying to calm down. Maybe I was overthinking things. Maybe I had put it back on myself and forgotten.

But deep down, I knew the truth.

He put it back.

I shuddered.

Ifunanya rolled over again, her eyes cracking open. "Why are you looking like that?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

How could I explain that something—someone had entered my dreams and left behind proof in the real world?

That a presence I couldn't see had claimed me as his?

That I was no longer sure if I was awake… or still trapped in his world?

A feeling.

Like I was being watched.

I slowly turned my head toward the window. The curtains were slightly open, revealing the night sky. The air outside was still. Too still.

A chill ran down my spine.

I grabbed the necklace, yanked it off, and threw it across the room. It landed with a soft clink on my desk.

I buried myself under my blanket, squeezing my eyes shut, praying for morning to come quickly.

---

When I woke up, sunlight streamed through the curtains. Birds chirped outside. The normal sounds of the village eased my nerves.

For a second, I almost convinced myself that last night was just a dream.

Until I sat up.

The golden necklace was back on my neck.

I choked on a gasp, scrambling to unhook it. My hands shook, fumbling with the clasp. How? I threw it away!

A whisper echoed in my mind, deep and affectionate.

"You cannot reject what has always been yours, Nkem."

I clutched my chest, my heartbeat wild.

I stumbled out of bed, my pulse hammering in my ears. My fingers wouldn't stop trembling as they hovered over the golden chain, still resting against my skin.

I had thrown it away.

Twice.

Yet here it was. Again.

I turned sharply, expecting to see Ifunanya still curled up beside me. But—

The bed was empty.

A strange chill ran down my spine.

I rushed out of the room, my bare feet slapping against the cold floor as I made my way to the parlor. My heart eased slightly when I spotted Chuka, still in his school uniform but sprawled on the floor, completely absorbed in his PlayStation game.

I frowned. "Chuka, what are you still doing here? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for school?"

He barely spared me a glance. "Madam, go and prepare o. Or has your birthday yesterday made you forget you're still a student?"

I blinked, my mind sluggish, still caught between the remnants of last night and the glaring reality of this morning. My birthday. Right.

I should be getting ready too.

But—

The necklace.

My fingers brushed over it again, the smooth, solid gold unnervingly warm.

How do I explain this?

How do I tell anyone that I woke up wearing something I had thrown away? That a voice I couldn't see had called me Nkem and whispered to me in my sleep?

That I wasn't even sure if I was awake or still trapped in his world?

I shook my head, forcing myself to move. Bath first, think later.

I turned and headed to the bathroom, my legs still unsteady.

As I scrubbed my skin under the cool water, my mind raced.

I rushed through my morning routine, my mind tangled in a mess of thoughts. The golden necklace sat heavy against my skin, a constant reminder that something someone was always there. Watching. Waiting.

Chuka was already ahead of me as we walked to school, but my mind was elsewhere. Every time I touched the necklace, a strange warmth spread through my chest, like an invisible hand holding me close.

I should have left it behind. I should have tried to fight whatever was happening. But even when I had thrown it away, it had come back.

What was I supposed to do?

At school, my friends were already chatting when I sat down. Their laughter and easy conversation filled the air, but I felt disconnected, like I was only half there.

Then Jude passed by.

"Hello, Adaora," he greeted with a friendly smile.

I forced myself to return the greeting, but the moment I spoke, the necklace grew heavy.

So heavy it felt like something was pressing me down, holding me in place.

Then I heard it.

A voice.

Low, steady, and close.

"If I were you, I would avoid him… so I won't hurt him."

My breath caught.

I snapped my head around so fast my vision blurred, searching who said that?

But—

There was no one.

No one close enough to have whispered in my ear.

No one standing behind me.

No one looking at me strangely, as if they had just spoken.

Cold fear crawled down my spine.

I shot to my feet, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. My friends paused, looking at me in confusion, but I couldn't explain.

I didn't want to explain.

I turned and rushed out, leaving Jude behind without another word.