💔 NEVER LET GO – EPISODE EIGHTEEN: “A Night of Unseen Comfort”
Cindy later arrived home with Ivy quietly walking beside her. They stepped into a modest but neat two-room apartment, the type that looked small on the outside but felt surprisingly warm on the inside. The faint sound of a ceiling fan hummed from the hallway. Cindy’s friends had already fallen fast asleep, their room door partially closed with soft breathing slipping through the gap.
“You can sit, feel at home please,” Cindy said kindly as she dropped her car key on the table.
“Thank you… thank you so much,” Ivy replied, her voice still weak, her face pale from exhaustion and fear. She lowered herself onto the couch gently, holding her stomach tightly without even realizing she was doing so.
Cindy noticed immediately. “Are you alright? You’re holding your tummy.”
Ivy tried to smile but failed. “I’m fine… it’s just— I’m really hungry,” she confessed, sounding embarrassed at how helpless she appeared.
“Oh no! Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Cindy exclaimed softly. “Hold on. I’ll get you something right away.”
She hurried toward the kitchen, but only a few seconds later her voice rose in annoyed disappointment.
“These two consumers have finished everything inside the pot!” she complained loudly, walking back to the sitting room with her hands on her waist. “Imagine! I cooked the food myself!”
Ivy chuckled weakly but remained silent, still clutching her stomach.
Cindy sighed and turned toward the fridge to get a drink for her, but out of the corner of her eye she suddenly spotted a covered plate on the dining table.
“Ah! Thank God,” she said with relief. “They kept mine for me. Please come and eat. You need your strength. I’ll get you some chilled drinks.”
Ivy didn’t hesitate. Hunger pushed her forward like a magnet. She sat at the dining table and devoured the food like someone who hadn’t eaten in days. Cindy watched her with wide, amused eyes.
“I have never seen someone finish food with so much passion,” Cindy joked lightly.
Ivy swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, feeling slightly shy. “I’m so grateful. I haven’t eaten since… since morning,” she said softly.
When she was done, they both settled on the couch, the room now silent except for the ticking wall clock.
“Thank you so much again,” Ivy murmured, her voice steadying for the first time. “You are truly a godsent.”
Cindy smiled warmly. “You don’t have to thank me. Meanwhile… I want to know more about you. I will be so delighted if you don’t mind sharing.”
Ivy nodded slowly and took a sip of her drink. The coldness travelled down her throat soothingly.
As Cindy looked at her, her eyes caught a glint from Ivy’s finger. “Hmm… are you engaged? Or married?” she asked curiously.
Ivy froze a little. The question scattered her emotions instantly. “Why… why did you ask?” she whispered.
Cindy pointed gently. “I can see a ring on your finger.”
Ivy lifted her hand and stared at the ring that once symbolized her future, her happiness, her home. Tears gathered in her eyes before she even realized it. Cindy’s face softened with regret.
“Oh no… I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to bring up something painful. Please don’t cry. You can tell me later if you want.”
“He’s a good man,” Ivy began tearfully, her voice cracking at the edges. “A very lovely man. We loved each other deeply. He changed my life… gave meaning to it. He cared for me, protected me, cherished me. He proposed and we were preparing for our wedding in a few weeks. Everything was going well, but… everything got shattered.”
Her tears dropped freely. Cindy placed a comforting arm around her as Ivy rested her head on her shoulder.
“I had to run away from him,” Ivy continued shakily. “I didn’t want to… I still love him. I will never stop. He will always occupy my thoughts and feelings.”
Cindy rubbed her arm soothingly. “Stop crying sweetheart… please. Whoever forced you to run away from your man? What happened? Were you threatened? Attacked?”
“It’s along that line,” Ivy replied, wiping her cheeks slowly. “Let me just shorten it. I was lured into an uncompleted building. A group of ladies were waiting there… they whipped me terribly. Their leader told me to stay away from my man forever. She said he was the reason she lost her first love and even her womb.”
Cindy’s eyes widened in shock.
“They had guns,” Ivy continued. “They said they’d kill me if I ever contacted him again.”
“This is terrible!” Cindy exclaimed. “Didn’t you explain to them that you two were engaged?”
“That was exactly why they wanted me dead,” Ivy whispered. “They spared me only on one condition — that I must never see him again.”
Cindy shook her head slowly. “I am so sorry, dear. You’ve been through too much.”
“Yes… extremely enough.”
“What about your parents? Did you leave them behind when you ran away?”
Ivy sighed heavily. “That’s another long story. I’m an orphan. My husband-to-be picked me up from the gutters… literally. He transformed my life.”
“I’m so sorry,” Cindy spoke gently. “I can only imagine the pains you have passed through as an orphan. But don’t worry. We’ll treat you like a sister here. I know we just met, but honestly… I like you already.”
“Thank you,” Ivy said with a faint smile. “People always used to like me. When Stanley picked me from the slums, his mother and his sisters loved me like their own. We lived like one happy family.”
“That’s because God fights for the orphans,” Cindy replied with a reassuring tone.
The night grew quiet, the lights dimmer, and the world outside silent. Cindy decided to share her room with Ivy since her two friends occupied the second room. They both walked in quietly, and Ivy lay on the soft bed, feeling a small piece of safety for the first time in days.
Even in her sadness, her heart whispered one last prayer.
“I hope tomorrow brings me peace…”
To Be Continued ✍️✍️✍️ #NeverLetGo #EpisodeEighteen #IvyFindsHelp #NightOfComfort #NewFriendship #SuspenseAndHealing #LagosStories #NigerianFiction #IvyStrong #LoveAndSacrifice #DangerAndHope #GirlInLagos #FaithAndSurvival
Cindy later arrived home with Ivy quietly walking beside her. They stepped into a modest but neat two-room apartment, the type that looked small on the outside but felt surprisingly warm on the inside. The faint sound of a ceiling fan hummed from the hallway. Cindy’s friends had already fallen fast asleep, their room door partially closed with soft breathing slipping through the gap.
“You can sit, feel at home please,” Cindy said kindly as she dropped her car key on the table.
“Thank you… thank you so much,” Ivy replied, her voice still weak, her face pale from exhaustion and fear. She lowered herself onto the couch gently, holding her stomach tightly without even realizing she was doing so.
Cindy noticed immediately. “Are you alright? You’re holding your tummy.”
Ivy tried to smile but failed. “I’m fine… it’s just— I’m really hungry,” she confessed, sounding embarrassed at how helpless she appeared.
“Oh no! Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Cindy exclaimed softly. “Hold on. I’ll get you something right away.”
She hurried toward the kitchen, but only a few seconds later her voice rose in annoyed disappointment.
“These two consumers have finished everything inside the pot!” she complained loudly, walking back to the sitting room with her hands on her waist. “Imagine! I cooked the food myself!”
Ivy chuckled weakly but remained silent, still clutching her stomach.
Cindy sighed and turned toward the fridge to get a drink for her, but out of the corner of her eye she suddenly spotted a covered plate on the dining table.
“Ah! Thank God,” she said with relief. “They kept mine for me. Please come and eat. You need your strength. I’ll get you some chilled drinks.”
Ivy didn’t hesitate. Hunger pushed her forward like a magnet. She sat at the dining table and devoured the food like someone who hadn’t eaten in days. Cindy watched her with wide, amused eyes.
“I have never seen someone finish food with so much passion,” Cindy joked lightly.
Ivy swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, feeling slightly shy. “I’m so grateful. I haven’t eaten since… since morning,” she said softly.
When she was done, they both settled on the couch, the room now silent except for the ticking wall clock.
“Thank you so much again,” Ivy murmured, her voice steadying for the first time. “You are truly a godsent.”
Cindy smiled warmly. “You don’t have to thank me. Meanwhile… I want to know more about you. I will be so delighted if you don’t mind sharing.”
Ivy nodded slowly and took a sip of her drink. The coldness travelled down her throat soothingly.
As Cindy looked at her, her eyes caught a glint from Ivy’s finger. “Hmm… are you engaged? Or married?” she asked curiously.
Ivy froze a little. The question scattered her emotions instantly. “Why… why did you ask?” she whispered.
Cindy pointed gently. “I can see a ring on your finger.”
Ivy lifted her hand and stared at the ring that once symbolized her future, her happiness, her home. Tears gathered in her eyes before she even realized it. Cindy’s face softened with regret.
“Oh no… I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to bring up something painful. Please don’t cry. You can tell me later if you want.”
“He’s a good man,” Ivy began tearfully, her voice cracking at the edges. “A very lovely man. We loved each other deeply. He changed my life… gave meaning to it. He cared for me, protected me, cherished me. He proposed and we were preparing for our wedding in a few weeks. Everything was going well, but… everything got shattered.”
Her tears dropped freely. Cindy placed a comforting arm around her as Ivy rested her head on her shoulder.
“I had to run away from him,” Ivy continued shakily. “I didn’t want to… I still love him. I will never stop. He will always occupy my thoughts and feelings.”
Cindy rubbed her arm soothingly. “Stop crying sweetheart… please. Whoever forced you to run away from your man? What happened? Were you threatened? Attacked?”
“It’s along that line,” Ivy replied, wiping her cheeks slowly. “Let me just shorten it. I was lured into an uncompleted building. A group of ladies were waiting there… they whipped me terribly. Their leader told me to stay away from my man forever. She said he was the reason she lost her first love and even her womb.”
Cindy’s eyes widened in shock.
“They had guns,” Ivy continued. “They said they’d kill me if I ever contacted him again.”
“This is terrible!” Cindy exclaimed. “Didn’t you explain to them that you two were engaged?”
“That was exactly why they wanted me dead,” Ivy whispered. “They spared me only on one condition — that I must never see him again.”
Cindy shook her head slowly. “I am so sorry, dear. You’ve been through too much.”
“Yes… extremely enough.”
“What about your parents? Did you leave them behind when you ran away?”
Ivy sighed heavily. “That’s another long story. I’m an orphan. My husband-to-be picked me up from the gutters… literally. He transformed my life.”
“I’m so sorry,” Cindy spoke gently. “I can only imagine the pains you have passed through as an orphan. But don’t worry. We’ll treat you like a sister here. I know we just met, but honestly… I like you already.”
“Thank you,” Ivy said with a faint smile. “People always used to like me. When Stanley picked me from the slums, his mother and his sisters loved me like their own. We lived like one happy family.”
“That’s because God fights for the orphans,” Cindy replied with a reassuring tone.
The night grew quiet, the lights dimmer, and the world outside silent. Cindy decided to share her room with Ivy since her two friends occupied the second room. They both walked in quietly, and Ivy lay on the soft bed, feeling a small piece of safety for the first time in days.
Even in her sadness, her heart whispered one last prayer.
“I hope tomorrow brings me peace…”
To Be Continued ✍️✍️✍️ #NeverLetGo #EpisodeEighteen #IvyFindsHelp #NightOfComfort #NewFriendship #SuspenseAndHealing #LagosStories #NigerianFiction #IvyStrong #LoveAndSacrifice #DangerAndHope #GirlInLagos #FaithAndSurvival
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