All Chapters of The reluctant vow: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The car ride home from the shoot was quiet, but Zara felt anything but still. Her chest swelled with a cocktail of relief, excitement, and disbelief. The shoot had gone way better than she imagined. Even without Kemi’s usual backup, she pulled it off—and when she spotted her best friend in the crowd with that familiar smirk, it felt like her wings spread wide again.But now, with her makeup cleaned off and her hoodie wrapped tightly around her braids, she looked and felt like the normal Zara again—just a girl from Surulere with a father who didn’t want her to dream too loud.When she walked into the house, nothing felt off. The atmosphere was normal. Her mum was in the kitchen humming as she fried plantain, and her dad was on a call in the sitting room, his glasses hanging low on his nose. Zara quickly greeted him and walked to the kitchen to steal one or two pieces of plantain, then helped set the table.Dinner that evening was one of the few peaceful ones they’d had in a while. Her

Zara’s fingers trembled as she hit send on the message: “Regan is here and I think my dad knows I lied.”Within seconds, her phone buzzed with an incoming video call. Kemi.Zara picked up and barely got out a greeting before Kemi said, “Turn your camera. I want to see for myself. Are you sure it’s him?”Still catching her breath, Zara turned the camera shakily toward the corridor where she’d last seen Regan, but the hallway was empty now.“What the actual hell? He was just there! I swear—Kemi, I’m not losing it—I saw Regan!”“Babe, maybe it was someone that looked like him,” Kemi offered, her tone soft but unsure.“No, no, Kemi—I know what I saw. It was him. He even sent me a text!”“Wait, text?” Kemi sat up straighter. “What did it say?”Zara switched to her other phone, quickly screenshotting Regan’s message: “Your lies are getting better, but not good enough.”She forwarded it to Kemi.Kemi stared at it and exhaled slowly. “Okay, he’s definitely close by. But try not to panic. You’

The Abuja sun blazed high as Zara stepped out of the white-walled studio, her feet aching from the black heels she had worn for the final shoot. The commercial was finally a wrap. Her skin glistened with sweat, makeup melting slightly, and her body ached from all the dramatic poses. But she had nailed every single frame.“Yes! That’s it! Hold that pose. Eyes softer… perfect!” the photographer shouted, clicking away.A stylist rushed in to adjust her necklace mid-shoot. “Your neckline is too hidden. Let’s show off the product.”Zara nodded, standing still like a mannequin while hands fussed around her.The makeup artist whispered after the shoot, “Girl, you just ate that shoot. You might get picked for next month’s cover job.”Zara smiled faintly, exhausted but giddy. Her heart pulsed with joy. She wasn’t just playing dress-up—she was finally living her dream. Her first paid modeling gig had just ended, and it felt like a beginning.She stepped outside, the heat of the day wrapping aro

The streets of Lagos blurred past as Regan gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles pale against the leather. He wasn’t headed anywhere in particular — just driving, trying to outrun the chaos swirling in his chest. The confrontation with Imani played in loops through his head like a haunting tune he couldn’t turn off.A baby.She claimed she was pregnant with his child. And the timeline… two months ago? That night. That stupid, foggy night when they ran into each other at that bar, both downing more drinks than they should have. He remembered being with her… vaguely. The bar. Her laugh. The taxi ride. Her apartment. But nothing intimate. Nothing sexual.Still, Imani had recounted everything with confidence — where they sat, what they drank, how he had kissed her. He had no recollection of even holding her hand.Could she be lying?His head throbbed. He thought of Zara, her soft laugh, the way she’d curled into his chest in Abuja. How, for the first time in a long time, something had

The morning sun barely warmed Zara as she sat by her window, staring out blankly at the street below.She hadn’t slept much the night before — every time she closed her eyes, flashes of her conversation with Regan haunted her.The words repeated themselves in her mind, over and over:“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to think it meant anything serious.”Her heart ached with humiliation.No matter how much she tried to act tough, the truth was she felt discarded, like a fool.Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.She glanced at it — a message from Kemi.Kemi: You awake? Should I come over?Zara thought for a moment, then replied:Zara: Give me like two hours. I’ll come to yours instead. I need a change of environment.Kemi replied with a string of heart emojis. Zara forced a smile.At least she still had friends who genuinely cared.Dragging herself up, she got dressed in jeans and a loose T-shirt, tied her braids into a messy bun, and slipped out quietly.Her parents were downstairs — her fa