Novels by Oluokun Ayuba

‘A billionaire's wife bashed his house due to jealousy!’That was a trending headline that people were picking up like hot cake. In my naivety, I thought that public opinion would sway in my direction. But oh boy was I very wrong. The support wasn't even split down the middle, with some people on my side and others on my husbands. No, everyone was after me like hungry wolves. Each of them aching to get a piece of my flesh. I scrolled hundreds of comments curled up in my old bedroom, under my parents' roof. I hadn't told them about the divorce. In fact, I'm not sure what excuse I mumbled when I came here two nights ago, but they reluctantly let me through the door, and I've been staying here ever since. “Nadine !” The harsh call of my name all the way from the lower floor told me that my stay might have reached its end. I turned off my phone, and threw off my duvet. With hastened steps, I rushed to meet my parents in the living room where they were

David, no, Christian, was seated beside Sofia . He looked up when he saw me. For a second, I thought I saw regret. Then I realized it was what it was. Fear of inconvenience. Like I was a problem he needed to deal with, not a person.Sofia kept staring at the television. As though this were any other night. As though nothing mattered."Here," Christain said, holding out a manila folder. "We thought it would be easier this way. No lawyers. No dragging out the inevitable. Just sign."He held out a pen as though doing me a courtesy.I did not move. I looked at the folder. Then at the check in his other hand."Twenty million," he said, as though that kind of money meant anything anymore. "Tax-free. It's already done. All you have to do is sign the papers and take it."I didn't say a word.He waved the folder again. "Nadine . Let's not make this harder than it has to be."My fingers clenched on the envelope I was holding. I took a step forward. One more step. Close enough to see the faint

I leaned in the hall, my body propped against the wall, the cold of the plaster holding me fast, keeping me from breaking.Sofia 's heels were clicking behind me on the wooden floor. I prayed she'd drop it. Returned to her wine and was satisfied with silence. But she followed after me instead."Nadine ," she whispered. "Wait."I faced her, my eyes afire. "What now?"She spread her hands up like I was some sort of wild animal she didn't wish to frighten. "I just wanted to say something before you go do something… dramatic."I chuckled bitterly. "You mean cry? Scream? Or perhaps punch you in the face?"She disregarded that. "We're making you an offer."I flinched. "Making me an offer?""Yes," she said, drawing closer. David and I, we talked. We're willing to compensate you."I stared at her, stunned. "Pay me? For what? My silence?""For everything," she said. "For your time." Your help. Your kidney."Silence fell around us for a moment. My heart dropped."What did you just say?"Sofia

“Hey Kris.”She looked up at me, smiling like this was just another Thursday. Hair curled, legs crossed, wearing one of those blazers that said I’m important but relaxed. She held a glass of wine, nails painted pale pink, soft, perfect, smug.I blinked, trying to catch up.“What’s this?” I asked, chuckling, confused. “When did Sofia become a surprise guest to me?”My eyes flicked to Christian, my husband, standing next to her like a statue. He wasn’t smiling. No sheepish grin. No nervous twitches. No wink to say go with it, babe. Just… still. Like he’d already left the room hours ago and forgot to take his body with him.“I’m serious,” I said, half-laughing now. “What’s going on?”Christain took a breath, then sat down across from me like this was some calm, adult conversation. Like we were about to go over the tax returns together. “You should sit too.”That’s when my chest tightened.“Why?” I asked, still standing. Still holding the damp kitchen towel I’d been using to wipe down t

“Everything is going to be fine,” I mumbled. “Everything is going to be just fine.”I sat at the edge of the exam table draped with paper, the crinkle beneath me echoing in the quiet room. My feet dangled like a child's. My arms rested flat on the table for balance, but in part because I was trying to get my center. Something about being in medical offices always made me expect the worst, even when everything would be okay.But today, all wasn't going to be okay.The fluorescent lights whirred softly overhead. The air was too clean, too sterile, the kind that washed emotion out of your body. I watched the sink in the corner, how light dropped across the chrome faucet. Anything to not look at Dr. Ramos's face.She stood beside the monitor, thumbing through my chart. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. She was reading, but she wasn't simply reading. She was balancing something. How much to tell me, how much to break it to me gently. That pause be