Can you blame me? You are my husband, but I know nothing about you, not even your real name.
My name is Daniel. Is it really? The man Daniel laughed. It was the first time she had heard him truly laugh.
Yes, that part is true. My name is Daniel Okonquo. Zara felt something shift in her chest.
Okono, that name was familiar. Very familiar. It was the name of one of the wealthiest families in Nigeria, the Okono Industrial Empire, real estate, manufacturing, technology.
They owned half of Legagos. But she said nothing. She just nodded and continued eating.
That night, as she lay on the mattress, Zara’s mind raced. Could it be true?
Was this homeless beggar actually Daniel Okonquo, the billionaire heir? The man whose face was sometimes in the newspapers standing next to presidents and governors.
It seemed impossible, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made.
The way he spoke, his education, his confidence, the strange disappearances, the careful maintenance of his disguise.
He was testing her, testing her character, testing whether she would treat him with kindness and respect when she thought he had nothing.
The next morning, Zara made a decision. She called the name again, Daniel Okonquo. Then she laughed at herself.
What a foolish thought. As if a homeless beggar could be connected to the wealthiest family in Nigeria.
She said to herself, the name was common enough. There were probably hundreds of Daniel Okonquos in Lagos alone.
Her mind was just playing tricks on her and probably false hope trying to set in.
This was her reality. Now this room, this life, this man who had once been educated, who had lost everything just like she had, she would not waste her energy chasing impossible fantasies.
She would not torture herself with false hope. Instead, she would accept what was. She would make the best of this situation.
She would find whatever happiness she could in the life that had been forced upon her because bitterness would only destroy her.
And she refused to let her uncle’s cruelty turn her into something ugly. When Daniel returned that evening, Zara had cleaned the entire room.
She had used some of the coins he had left to buy supplies at the market.
The floor was swept. The walls were wiped down. The small window was open to let in fresh air.
