CHAPTER 3.

Life isn't all rain and sunshine—it's complicated. There's a saying: "When life throws a dagger at you, you can either catch it by the blade and harm yourself, or by the handle and use it to fight through the obstacles ahead." Those words struck Amelia deeply when her father died.

Now, let's see how Amanda's journey unfolds. She returned to enroll at the University of Delta, and alongside that, she opened a fashion design shop. She taught ten students, but only two became significant in Amelia's personal and family life: Delilah Ozioma and Lily Daaluchineke. More on them later.

Amanda juggled school and running her business—it was exhausting.

One day, Amanda and her classmates went on an excursion to Lagos. While the students returned to Delta State, Amanda stayed behind to visit her cousin, Iris Adelola, who lived there with her husband and two children. They welcomed Amanda warmly.

The next morning, Amanda went downstairs to fetch water for brushing and bathing. That's when the landlady, Kate Abosede, saw her—and was instantly drawn to Amanda's charisma and beauty.

The following morning, while Amanda was eating, a sudden knock startled her.

"Who could that be?" she wondered.

She opened the door to find an elderly woman. Amanda greeted her politely and invited her in.

"I'll get straight to the point," the woman said. "My name is Kate Abosede. I'm the landlady of this building. I want you to marry my son. He's a fine young man, and you're beautiful. Just think about it—no pressure."

Amanda was stunned. At that moment, Iris entered the room.

"Who is that?" Iris asked.

"Mrs. Kate," Amanda replied.

Iris greeted Kate and asked what brought her by. After hearing everything, she laughed and said she understood. She assured Kate that Amanda would consider it and bid her farewell.

Amanda stayed for a week before returning to school in Delta State. But she kept thinking about Kate's proposal. Eventually, she decided to visit Kate again.

She knocked on the door, and a tall, handsome man opened it.

"Hi, good morning. I'm looking for Mrs. Kate," she said.

"Oh, please come in. I'm her son. And you're beautiful," he replied.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you," Amanda smiled.

"Likewise. I'll go get my mom. Please have a seat."

Amanda sat down and glanced around the living room. A few minutes later, Mrs. Kate and her son returned.

"Good morning, Amanda," Kate greeted.

"Good morning, ma. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. So—have you considered my proposal?"

"Yes, I have. And… Yes, I'll marry him. But first, I'd like to get to know him better. How does that sound?"

"That's fantastic! Of course, you can. I have two children—my son here, and a daughter who lives with her husband. My husband passed away years ago."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, ma'am," Amanda said softly.

"Thank you, my dear. What about your family?"

"They're doing well in Delta State, thank you."

"Oh, that's good to hear. I'd love to meet them someday. Now, I'll leave you two to talk."

As Kate exited the room, her son smiled. "So… you're marrying me, huh?"

"I guess so," Amanda chuckled.

"My name is Elijah Abosede."

"And I'm Amanda Chukwudalu."

"Wow. That's a beautiful name for a beautiful lady. I'm lucky."

"Thank you. I'd really like to get to know you better. I'm traveling back to Delta tomorrow—please put your number in my phone so I can call you every day."

"I'd be honored. Here's my number—I'll always pick up."

Amanda beamed. "I'm going to pack my bags now. Say hi to your mom and sister for me."

"I will. Bye for now."

But things didn't go as planned. Let's go back to Amelia.

When Amelia was four years old, she had what seemed like a crush—or maybe just an innocent attraction—to her next-door neighbor, Oliver Fumnanya. He was kind and helpful. But that feeling faded. It wasn't romantic—it was just friendship.

Then, life fell apart. Amelia's parents meant the world to her. She knew they weren't the happiest couple. They often misunderstood each other, fought, and argued—but they still tried to make it work.

Her father was drowning in debt, owing money to many people. Yet whenever he had cash, instead of paying debts or doing something meaningful, he'd squander it on drinks with friends. Her mother struggled to repay the debts whenever she could.

Suddenly, her father became ill. They rushed him to the hospital where Amelia's mom worked as a nurse. Scarlett, Amelia's mom, was on duty. She took her husband, Noah, to the lab for tests—but they couldn't find the lab key.

Before anything could be done, Noah passed away.