NOT MY USUAL WORLD Novel Chapter 7

NOT MY USUAL WORLD
EPISODE 7
The journey to Anambra was long and quiet.
Tobe barely spoke.
His uncle understood.
When they finally arrived at their village, the air felt different. Slower. Less hostile.
But Tobe’s heart was not at peace.
Two days later, he bought a new phone.
When he held it in his hand, reality struck hard.
He could not remember Ronke’s number.
He had always just clicked her name.
He never memorised it.
He tried to recall the digits one by one.
Nothing.
Regret settled in his chest.
He searched for her online.
Instagram. Nothing.
Facebook. Nothing.
Twitter. Nothing.
Ronke was not on social media. She had always lived privately. Controlled. Guarded.
He had no email address.
No backup contact.
He sat back slowly.
He had lost the only direct line to her.
So he began writing letters.
Real letters.
He sent the first one to her house address in Lagos.
In Lagos, Ronke was fighting a different battle.
It started with small suspicion.
Her father suddenly became calm.
Too calm.
Wedding conversations resumed.
Anthony started visiting more often.
One evening, she walked into her father’s study without knocking.
Did you have anything to do with Tobe losing his house?
Chief Adebayo looked up slowly.
Be careful how you speak to me.
Answer me.
Silence stretched.
Then he said calmly,
I protect what belongs to me.
Her heart dropped.
You destroyed his life.
I corrected a mistake.
Tears filled her eyes.
You can control my life. My movements. My future.
But you cannot control who I love.
His gaze hardened.
Love does not feed you.
Love does not protect legacy.
Love does not negotiate power.
She walked out shaking.
That same week, the first letter Tobe sent arrived.
But it never reached her.
Chief Adebayo received it first.
He read every word.
Then he burned it.
The second letter met the same fate.
The third.
The fourth.
Ronke never saw any of them.
Pressure mounted.
Anthony began pushing for wedding dates again.
One afternoon, Ronke did something unexpected.
She asked Anthony to meet her privately.
He arrived confident.
You finally ready to behave?
She looked him in the eye.
I slept with Tobe.
Anthony stared at her.
Then he laughed.
That’s not funny.
I’m serious.
He waved it off dismissively.
Ronke, if this is your way of trying to get rid of me, it won’t work.
You’re too responsible to do something like that.
She didn’t argue.
She simply held his gaze.
Believe whatever you want.
He left unconvinced.
But something about her calmness unsettled him.
Days later, curiosity turned into suspicion.
Suspicion turned into investigation.
And when he finally made his findings…
The truth hit him hard.
This time, he did not laugh.
From that moment, their relationship shifted.
Arguments became frequent.
Anthony grew more possessive.
More controlling.
More desperate to prove dominance.
Six months passed.
No word from Tobe.
No closure.
No explanation beyond that single letter.
Ronke began to fade.
She stopped eating properly.
Stopped attending social events.
Stopped arguing.
The once vibrant Ronke became quiet.
Withdrawn.
Chief Adebayo noticed.
He did not apologise.
Instead, he made a decision.
You need rest.
He arranged everything within days.
Ronke was sent to the United States under the guise of “mental wellness” and “business exposure.”
Distance.
Silence.
Control.
Back in Anambra, life was not easy.
Work was scarce.
Money was tight.
But Tobe refused to give up.
His uncle watched him carefully.
One evening, his uncle called him outside.
I have made a decision.
Their only remaining family land, small but ancestral had been sold.
Tobe was shocked.
Uncle..
Listen to me. Opportunity came through the Igwe.
A connection in China.
Bag production factory. Hard work. But steady income.
We cannot stay small forever.
The money from the land was processed.
Documents arranged.
Within months, Tobe found himself on a plane for the first time in his life.
Destination: China.
As the aircraft lifted into the sky, he looked down through the window.
He had lost love.
Lost Lagos.
Lost everything familiar.
But he had not lost himself.
And somewhere across the world…
Ronke sat in a quiet apartment in the US, staring at nothing.
Two continents apart.
Both carrying the same wound.
Neither knowing the other was still fighting.
To be continued.