Chapter Six

Ghosts Don't Knock

Morning arrived quietly over Lagos.

The rain had washed the city clean, leaving behind damp roads that reflected the pale glow of the rising sun. From the fifth floor of St. Catherine's Specialist Hospital, the endless stream of vehicles below looked almost peaceful, as though the city had forgotten the storm that had kept so many awake through the night.

Amara knew better.

Some storms never ended when the rain stopped.

She had barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan standing in the reception area, his expression frozen somewhere between disbelief and pain. She had spent seven years convincing herself she would never see him again. Then fate had chosen the worst possible night to prove her wrong.

A soft groan pulled her back to the present.

Lily blinked awake.

"Morning, Mummy."

Amara smiled immediately, relief spreading across her face.

"Good morning, sunshine."

"Did I sleep all night?"

"You certainly did."

Lily looked around the unfamiliar room before remembering where she was.

"The hospital."

"Yes."

She frowned.

"I don't like hospitals."

"I know."

"They smell funny."

That earned a quiet laugh from Amara.

"I don't think anyone comes here because they like the smell."

Lily giggled, then suddenly grew serious.

"Am I going to die?"

The question struck Amara like ice water.

She immediately reached for her daughter's hand.

"No."

"But the little boy in the next room was crying."

"He was scared."

"Was I scared too?"

"You were very brave."

Lily looked thoughtful.

"My teacher says brave people are scared."

Amara nodded.

"That's true."

"Then I was brave."

"You were."

The little girl smiled proudly.

"I knew it."

The doctor entered a few minutes later, carrying Lily's chart.

"Good morning, young lady."

"Morning, Doctor."

"I hear you're feeling much stronger."

"I even feel hungry."

The doctor laughed.

"That's the best news l've heard today."

After another examination, he looked at Amara.

"Her fever has dropped significantly. If everything continues this way, she can go home tomorrow."

The words felt like sunlight after a long night.

"Thank you."

"You brought her in just in time."

Those words lingered in Amara's mind after he left.

Just in time.

What if she had arrived an hour later?

What if Ethan hadn't been there?

She pushed the thought away.

There was no point wandering through roads that no longer existed, but in her head they did. 

A knock sounded at the door.

This time it wasn't a doctor, nor was it a nurse. 

A young receptionist stood outside carrying a large paper bag.

"Mrs. Okafor?"

"Yes?"

"This was delivered for Lily."

Amara frowned.

"I wasn't expecting anything."

"The gentleman asked us to bring it after breakfast."

Before she could ask another question, the receptionist smiled politely and walked away.

Confused, Amara placed the bag on the bed.

Lily's eyes widened.

"Is it for me?"

"I think so."

Together, they opened it.

Inside were coloring books.

A box of premium crayons.

Storybooks.

A soft pink teddy bear.

A puzzle.

And a handwritten card.

There was no signature.

Only seven simple words.

For brave little fighters. Get well soon.

Lily hugged the teddy bear immediately.

"Mummy!"

"It's beautiful."

Amara stared at the card.

She didn't need a signature.

She knew exactly who had sent it.

Across the city, Ethan arrived at Cole Dynamics headquarters before eight.

The forty-story glass building overlooked the Lagos skyline, a monument to ambition built from years of relentless work.

Employees greeted him respectfully as he crossed the lobby.

"Good morning, sir."

"Morning."

"Board meeting at nine."

"I know."

His assistant hurried beside him.

"Your schedule is completely full until six this evening."

Ethan continued walking.

"Cancel my afternoon appointments."

She blinked.

"Sir?"

"I'll be unavailable."

"But the investors from Dubai-"

"Reschedule."

His tone wasn't harsh.

It simply left no room for negotiation.

"Yes, sir."

Inside his office, he ignored the stack of documents waiting on his desk.

Instead, he picked up his phone.

"David."

His head of security answered immediately.

"Good morning, sir."

"I need everything."

"On whom?"

There was a brief silence.

Then Ethan said the name he hadn't spoken in seven years until yesterday.

"Amara Okafor."

David hesitated.

"You want a background investigation?"

"I want facts."

"What kind of facts?"

"Where she's lived."

"Where she works."

"Who her friends are."

He paused.

"And..."

His voice became quieter.

"...who Lily's father is."

David had worked with Ethan for years.

He had never heard that tone before.

"I'll begin immediately."

"Discreetly."

"Of course."

The call ended.

Ethan leaned back in his chair.

He wasn't trying to invade Amara's privacy.

He simply couldn't ignore the questions that had kept him awake all night.

Why had fate returned her now?

And why did that little girl feel strangely familiar?

Several kilometers away, Vivian Morgan sat in her penthouse overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

She had not slept either.

Michael entered carrying a tablet.

"You asked for everything we could find."

Vivian accepted it.

"Talk."

"Amara Okafor."

He swiped to the first page.

"Fashion designer."

"Owns a small tailoring shop in Surulere."

"Widowed?"

Michael frowned.

"No marriage records."

"No husband."

Vivian looked up sharply.

"No husband?"

"No."

"What about the child?"

"No birth registration naming a father."

Vivian's expression slowly hardened.

She looked out toward the ocean.

A child with no registered father.

Amara suddenly returning.

Ethan paying the hospital bills.

Too many pieces were beginning to move at once.

"What else?"

Michael hesitated.

"There is one thing."

"Go on."

"The child's age."

Vivian looked back at him.

"Six."

Silence filled the room.

She quietly did the calculation.

Seven years ago.

Amara disappeared.

Six years ago...

A child was born.

For the first time in years...

Fear crossed Vivian's face.

Not fear of Amara.

Fear of what Ethan might discover if he started asking the same questions she had just asked.

She slowly placed the tablet on the table.

"Michael."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I don't care how."

Her voice became dangerously calm.

"I want to know who that child's father is."

Michael nodded.

"I'll find out."

As he left the room, Vivian whispered to herself,

"It can't be..."

But deep inside, she was no longer certain. And uncertainty was the one thing she had never allowed herself to live with. Life turns on us what we detest sometimes.