Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE LOVE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

The restaurant Vanessa picked buzzed with soft music and chatter, neon lights glinting off glass walls. Amina sat between her and Freya, a name that rolled off her tongue with effortless charm. It was supposed to be a girls’ night out, something light, something fun. Vanessa had practically dragged Amina out of the house, saying, “Babe, if you stay indoors one more day sulking, you’ll rot into the couch. Come on, wear that black dress, the one Chi hates because she knows how fine you look in it.” Amina had protested, weakly, but she’d let herself be coaxed. She needed air. She needed noise. She needed anything but Chi’s eyes begging her for forgiveness she wasn’t ready to give. Freya leaned closer now, her laughter carrying easily, “So Amina, you and Vanessa are troublemakers, I see. Tell me, who usually gets caught first?” Vanessa grinned, flicking her braids over her shoulder. “Definitely her,” she said, pointing at Amina. “Baby girl’s too soft, can’t even lie properly. She

The hospital smelled of antiseptic and stale air, its white walls glaring under fluorescent light. Amina sat rigidly on the edge of the plastic waiting room chair, her hands clenched so tight her knuckles were pale. Stan paced by the door, running her palms over her jeans again and again, her jaw set like stone. The doors to the ward creaked open, and the sound of hesitant footsteps filled the air. Nonye. She wore a hoodie pulled low over her head, but there was no mistaking her. She hovered in the doorway for a moment, eyes darting toward Amina before settling on the corridor where Chi was lying behind closed doors. “I want to see her,” Nonye said quietly, though her voice carried. Amina’s head snapped up. For a second, she blinked, not sure she’d heard right. Then she stood so suddenly the chair skidded backward. “What did you just say?” Her voice trembled, but not with fear, with fury. Nonye shifted her weight. “I just want to make sure she’s okay. I didn’t.” “You d

The smell of antiseptic clung to the air, harsh and sharp, reminding Amina that this was real, not some nightmare she could wake from. She pushed the door open slowly. Chi was awake, pale, eyes half-lidded, but when she turned her head and saw Amina, something lit up in her face. Something raw, unguarded, almost desperate. Amina stood frozen at the doorway, arms crossed against her chest as though holding herself together. She wanted to run to Chi, wanted to kiss her, hold her, but her body wouldn’t move. The image of Chi on Nonye’s lap replayed in her head like a curse, and the nurse’s words echoed: She asked for Nonye. Chi’s lips parted. “Amina.” Her voice cracked with the weight of that one name. Amina walked closer, but her hands trembled. She sat at the edge of the bed, avoiding Chi’s gaze, because she didn’t trust herself not to cry if she looked too long. “You scared me,” Amina said quietly. “You…God, Chi, you scared the life out of me.” Chi reached out slowly, her

Bisi had promised Amina she would bring hot food to the hospital that night. She even picked out the peppers and chicken herself, humming while she moved about the small kitchen. But when she opened the front door of her compound, plastic bags in her hands, her heart split in half. A woman, no, a sister was sprawled on the ground, choking on her own blood. A trans woman like her. Her wig was torn halfway off, her face swollen, lips split, one eye already darkened purple. Her dress was ripped open, body trembling as if she were fighting her way out of this world. Bisi dropped everything. Bags hit the ground, food forgotten. “Jesus Christ, Philo, stay with me!” Her voice cracked as she fell to her knees, slipping her hand under the woman’s head. “Breathe, baby, breathe.” But the woman gurgled instead, crimson spilling from her mouth, staining Bisi’s wrapper. Around them, neighbors peeked out of doors, muttering things like ‘man in a dress’ and ‘abomination.’ No one moved to help

The slap landed before Vanessa even realized Stan’s hand was moving. A hot, stinging crack against her cheek, loud enough to make the glass of water on the counter tremble. For a second, the whole world went quiet. Then her breath caught in her chest, shallow and fast, like her lungs had forgotten how to work. She pressed her palm to her face, the skin already burning. “Stan…” Her voice broke, the name spilling out like something fragile. Stan stood frozen in the middle of their cramped Lagos apartment, her chest heaving, her hand trembling like she wasn’t sure it belonged to her anymore. “I—” She swallowed. “Baby, I didn’t mean it. You just—” “Don’t.” Vanessa’s voice came sharper this time, though it still shook. She turned away from her girlfriend, staring at the window where dusk painted the sky in dirty shades of pink and gray. Down below, Lagos life continued in chaos, horns blaring, danfos swerving, hawkers calling out their goods. The city didn’t care that her world