Chapter 7 Standing Where the Light Falls

Lina had never been afraid of rooms.

She had stood before panels of experts, defended multimillion-naira restoration budgets, negotiated with men who underestimated her because of her calm voice and careful words. She knew how to command space without raising her tone.

But the mirror in front of her that morning felt different.

The woman staring back at her looked the same-same steady eyes, same deliberate posture-but there was something newly forged beneath the surface. Not confidence exactly. Resolve.

Today would be her first public appearance since the world decided her name was newsworthy.

Her phone buzzed on the dresser.

Kai:

The car is downstairs. No pressure. We can leave anytime.

She smiled faintly.

Lina:

I won't run.

Three dots appeared, then disappeared.

Kai:

That's why I admire you.

She slipped her phone into her bag and took one last breath before leaving the apartment.

The cultural heritage symposium was supposed to be quiet.

Academic. Civilized.

It became neither the moment Lina stepped out of the car.

Cameras clicked instantly. Voices rose. Her name-her name-cut through the air, unfamiliar on strangers' tongues.

"Ms. Adeyemi-this way!"

"Are you the reason Harrington ended his engagement?"

"Did you know he was promised to someone else?"

Kai moved smoothly, placing himself just half a step ahead of her, not blocking her but anchoring her presence. Security closed in around them.

Lina's heart pounded, but she lifted her chin.

This was her work. Her ground.

Inside the venue, the noise dulled to a hum, but the tension followed. Heads turned. Whispers rippled.

"Do you want to sit out?" Kai asked quietly as they paused near the auditorium doors.

She shook her head. "No. I belong here."

His eyes softened. "You do."

They took their seats in the front row.

Lina felt eyes on her throughout the opening remarks, but when her turn came to speak-to present the restoration strategy she had spent years refining-something shifted.

She stood.

And the room listened.

Her voice was steady. Her words precise. She spoke of legacy not as inheritance, but as responsibility. Of preservation not as nostalgia, but as respect.

For the first time since the scandal broke, she wasn't the woman involved.

She was the expert.

Applause followed-genuine, earned.

Lina exhaled slowly as she returned to her seat, adrenaline buzzing through her veins.

Kai leaned toward her. "You were incredible."

She smiled, relief washing through her. "Thank you."

But the day wasn't finished with her yet.

The Harrington family luncheon invitation arrived that afternoon.

Handwritten.

Formal.

Impossible to ignore.

Lina stared at the envelope for a long time before opening it.

"Do you want me to decline?" Kai asked, watching her carefully.

She shook her head. "No."

His brow furrowed. "Lina-"

"I won't let them define me without knowing me," she said quietly. "If this is the cost of honesty, I'll pay it standing."

He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. "Then I'll be right beside you."

The Harrington estate felt colder in daylight.

Elegant. Imposing. Heavy with expectation.

Lina sensed it immediately-the way the air itself seemed to judge, to measure whether she belonged.

The dining room was smaller than she expected, intimate in a way that made escape difficult. Kai's parents were already seated. His sister, Amara, stood by the window, arms crossed.

Selene was not present.

That alone felt like a test.

"Lina," Kai's mother said politely, rising. "Thank you for coming."

Her tone was pleasant. Careful.

Lina met her gaze. "Thank you for inviting me."

Kai's father did not stand.

"So," he said coolly, "you're the woman who disrupted years of planning."

Lina didn't flinch. "I didn't disrupt anything. I entered a situation already built on silence."

Kai stiffened. "Father-"

"No," Lina said softly, holding up a hand. "It's alright."

She turned back to the man at the head of the table. "I understand why you're upset. But I won't apologize for something I didn't orchestrate."

His eyes narrowed. "You expect us to believe this wasn't ambition?"

She smiled faintly. "If ambition were my aim, I would have stayed invisible until the engagement was complete. Silence would have served me better."

Amara's lips twitched.

Kai's mother studied Lina closely. "You're very composed."

"I've had practice," Lina replied. "Being underestimated teaches you that."

A pause followed.

Then Kai's mother sighed. "We raised our son to honor commitments."

"And I was raised to honor truth," Lina said gently. "Sometimes they collide."

Kai reached for Lina's hand under the table.

His father leaned back. "You've cost this family face."

Lina met his gaze steadily. "With respect, sir, your family's face is intact. It's your narrative that's uncomfortable."

Silence fell.

Amara laughed softly.

Everyone turned to her.

"Well," she said, uncrossing her arms, "at least she's not pretending."

Kai's mother closed her eyes briefly.

"Do you love my son?" she asked suddenly.

The question landed heavy.

Lina didn't answer immediately.

"I care for him deeply," she said carefully. "Enough not to lie to him. Or to myself."

"That's not an answer," his father snapped.

"It's the only honest one," Lina replied.

Kai squeezed her hand.

"That will have to be enough," he said firmly.

His father stared at him for a long moment, then stood.

"This luncheon is over."

They left in silence.

Only once they were back in the car did Lina release the breath she'd been holding.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Kai turned to her. "For what?"

"For making things harder."

He shook his head. "You didn't. You made them real."

She leaned back, exhaustion settling into her bones.

"I don't know if they'll ever accept me."

Kai looked ahead. "They don't have to. I do."

Her chest tightened.

That evening, Lina's face appeared on screens she hadn't consented to.

Clips from the symposium. Photos from the estate gates. Commentary dissecting her posture, her clothes, her tone.

She turned the TV off.

"I can't control this," she said quietly.

Kai sat beside her. "No. But you can decide who you are within it."

She looked at him. "What if that costs you everything?"

His answer came without hesitation. "Then I'll rebuild."

Tears slipped free.

She rested her forehead against his shoulder. "I don't want to be your war."

"You're not," he said softly. "You're my choice."

Later that night, Lina stood alone on her balcony, city lights reflecting in her eyes.

She thought of the girl she used to be-careful, quiet, afraid of disruption.

That girl had survived.

This woman would live.

Her phone buzzed.

Miriam:

You looked powerful today.

Lina smiled.

Lina:

I felt terrified.

Miriam:

Same thing sometimes.

Lina laughed softly.

Inside, Kai watched her through the glass, pride and fear tangled in his chest.

The world was listening now.

And love-true love-was no longer hiding.

It was standing.