Chapter 2 THE LINES BEGIN TO BLUR

Nathan didn't respond immediately. He just kept on staring at her, trying to wrap his head around what she'd said -- "Not ready". Those words echoed in his mind like a song stuck on repeat.

Adaeze continued to stare at her iPad as though nothing had happened.

He stood up slowly from the dining chair and walked to the window, where the morning light stretched across their living room. The silence had really gotten thick, and it clung to his chest.

He turned to her and asked with a sad voice --"What do you mean you're not ready?"

"I mean exactly what exactly I said" she said, still not looking at him. "This is not in the right for me to have a baby, Please not now."

Nathan felt something squeeze in his chest, something tight and unfamiliar. "We talked about this, Adaeze, We made a plan, remember?"

"I know," she said calmly, "Plans change."

"But you were the one who said five years."

"And I thought I'd be ready by now, but I'm still not."

That was it. No apology, n discussion, just a flat refusal dressed up in controlled language. She was calm, too calm. Meanwhile, Nathan's heart was picking up pace, like someone had lit a fire beneath it.

He rebuked the temptation to fight, not this early, not on a Sunday morning.

So he slowly his head and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

---

The following days passed by in a state of mental disarray. Nathan tried to immerse himself at work; From Patients to surgeries, to test results. He comes home late, sometimes so tired he could barely take off his shoes. Adaeze, too, buried herself deeper in her job. Meetings bled into the evenings. She often brought files home and worked on the couch while she dozed off on the armchair.

They were still living under the same roof, but it felt like they were becoming polite strangers -- Courteous, Civil, Emotionally absent.

At night, they barely touched. Nathan sometimes reached for her under the covers, but she would gently turn away, pretending to be asleep or whispering that she was tired. He stopped reaching after a while.

And yet, to outsiders, they looked fine. A beautiful, successful couple with matching smiles and a well-furnished home. No one saw the cracks, No one ever heard the conversations that weren't happening.

---

One evening, Nathan came home quite early and found his wife already sitting in the living room, her legs crossed, her laptop on her lap, as she wore a silk robe; She looked up as he entered.

"Hey," she said, her expression unreadable.

"Hey."

"I made dinner, It's already the table."

He paused, "You made dinner?"

"Yes."

He walked to the table and lifted the lid off the bowl of jollof rice and grilled chicken; for a moment, something softened in him.

"Thanks."

"I thought we could have a discussion ", she said, setting her laptop aside.

He sat down, "Talk about what?"

She hesitated, "About us, about this whole... baby issue."

Nathan nodded, waiting.

"I know you feel disappointed," she began. "I get it, but I need you to understand my side."

"I'm all ears."

"I'm due for a promotion in the next quarter," she said, "Regional Manager, It's a huge deal, I've worked for this since my third year at the bank. It's beyond a job, Nathan, it's a dream."

"I know, and I'm super-proud of you."

She smiled faintly. "Thank you, but a child changes everything. I can't afford to be distracted right now."

"Really? You think a child is a distraction?"

"I think it's a full-time responsibility,which I'm not ready for, not yet."

Nathan chewed his food slowly, trying to stay calm.

"And what about me?" he said. "What if I'm ready? Do I not get a say?"

"You do," she said, "But this affects my body, My career, My time, You can't ignore that."

He nodded slowly. "I'm not ignoring it, but we agreed. You set the timeline, I honored it, and now... you've moved the goalpost without even discussing it with me."

Her eyes fell. "I didn't mean to get you hurt"

"But you did."

The words hung in the air between the both, sharp and heavy.

They finished dinner in silence. That night, they both lay in bed, facing opposite walls.

---

Nathan didn't talk to anyone about it at first. He thought maybe she'd come around in a few weeks, maybe it was just stress, maybe he needed to be more patient.

...Weeks became months, ber stance didn't change.

He started noticing other things, like how she always avoided families in public; How she stiffened at the sight of pregnant women; How she never commented when friends shared baby pictures. There was something deeper going on which she wasn't't saying.

One day, at the hospital, as some group of surgeons rounded up a meeting, Nathan confided in his colleague, Dr. Yusuf.

"Have you ever felt living separately from your wife even when you both share the same bed?" Nathan asked.

Yusuf laughed without humor. "That's marriage, my guy."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Nathan smiled weakly, but it didn't last.

"She won't have kids," he said after a beat. "We agreed to wait five years. Now it's five years, and she says she's not ready."

Yusuf looked up from his sandwich. "That's rough."

"She won't even talk about it anymore."

"You tried involving her family?"

Nathan hesitated, "Not yet. Her mum and I are cool though, She likes me."

"Maybe talk to her. Sometimes women open up to their mothers more easily."

Nathan nodded, "Maybe."

---

That evening, he sat in the car outside their apartment, his phone in his hand; A few minutes of hesitation, he finally dialed.

"Mummy Adaeze?" he said when she picked up.

"My son! How are you?"

"I'm okay, ma."

"You don't sound okay."

He hesitated, "Can I come see you by tomorrow?"

There was a pause, then she asked, "Is everything alright with Adaeze?"

"That's the exact reason why I want to see you "

---

The next day, he paid a visit to her mother. She lived in a modest bungalow in Lekki. The sitting room smelled of lavender and warm fabric. Family pictures covered the walls-Adaeze's childhood photos, graduation pictures, and a framed shot from the wedding.

Nathan sat quietly, explaining everything. Her mother listened without interruption, when he was done explaining, she sighed deeply.

"I had that feeling," she said.

"You did?"

"She's always been independent like this, and it's too much sometimes; Even when she was younger, she wanted to do everything her own way, which she never asked for help."

Nathan leaned forward. "She listens to you, Maybe if you talk to her-"

"I will," she said, standing, "I'll come tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"She's blessed to have a husband like you," the older woman said gently, "Please don't give up on her yet."

"I won't, I promise ".

---

Adaeze didn't look thrilled when her mother showed up the next day. She forced a smile and offered tea, but her voice was tight.

They spoke behind closed doors for nearly an hour. Nathan didn't try to hear, but he stood at the corridor, straining for tone, for volume, for anything that would tell him how it was going.

When the door finally opened, Adaeze walked past him angrily without saying a word and locked herself in their bedroom.

Her mother came out slowly, while adjusting her scarf, quietly whispering to him, "She said she'll try."

Nathan blinked, "She did?"

"Yes, but you must be patient, don't push."

"Okay, i won't."

He saw her off to the gate, hugged her gently, and thanked her once more.

When he returned inside, Adaeze was all curled up on the bed while her face turned to the wall.

He sat on the edge, "Thank you."

She didn't respond.

He touched her back lightly, "We'll be okay."

Still, she said nothing.

And Nathan, for the first time, began to wonder if love alone was enough to hold a marriage together.