Chapter 2 THE SMILE THAT UNDID ME

They say the devil never shows up with horns - just a smooth voice, a kind smile, and perfect teeth.

I met mine on the 13th of April. Friday the 13th. My father's birthday.

How poetic.

That morning started like any other - with my mother's war against invisible enemies. Her prayers thundered from the upstairs sitting room like artillery fire.

"Every evil arrow, back to sender! Arrest him, Lord!"

I buried my head in my pillow, pretending I hadn't heard. The last time I joined her prayers, she held my hand like I was barren land she needed God to rain husbands on. And not just any husband - the type that would make my peers jealous. The thunder-strike-their-village-people type.

Kiki found it hilarious when I told her. "Mum's lost her mind since Dad left her for Sasha," she said, laughing through our FaceTime.

She wasn't wrong. After Dad's midlife crisis became permanent, Mum turned to pastors and warfare prayers. Kiki moved to Lagos. I stayed behind, trapped in the aftermath.

Kiki always knew things. She had this sixth sense for bullshit that I envied. Like when Auntie Kelechi dragged Mum to Miracle Center, swearing their pastor had brought back her runaway husband. Kiki whispered, "He only came back because his new babe dumped him for a richer Alhaji."

She was always blunt like that. I admired her for it.

I should have listened to her warnings about men.

I pulled myself out of bed when Mum yelled her final "Thank you, Lord Jesus!"

If only I knew what that day held. If only I knew how close evil could look to love.

________________________________________

Work was boring. Fridays usually were.

Then Debby from Accounting burst into the office like a livewire. "MD dey knack inside office! And no be Christy o!"

Cue drama.

She spun a tale about a popular influencer sneaking into the building, followed by unmistakable sounds from MD's office. Onome gasped. Chichi screamed. I just smirked.

"Why are you shocked?" I said, leaning back in my chair. "He was with Tola from HR until she flipped at Beer Barn. Poor girl thought she was special."

The office buzzed with gossip like a beehive. I dropped the real bomb.

"I saw Christy once at dinner with my dad and Sasha. She wasn't with MD... she was with another man. An older man. A proper baby girl situation."

Debby's jaw hit the floor. "And you didn't tell us?!"

"Slipped my mind," I said, sipping my Coke with fake innocence.

By 2 p.m., I packed up and left. The weekend was Sasha's birthday bash, which meant good food, high drama, and Kiki. She had flown in that morning, ready for our girls' weekend.

But Abuja had other plans.

________________________________________

The sky darkened as I stepped outside. Rain threatened, heavy and ominous. I cursed under my breath - no umbrella. Again.

And that's when the car pulled up.

Black. Sleek. Tinted windows that screamed money and danger in equal measure.

The glass rolled down slowly, like in a movie. And there he was - the man who would shatter my life into a thousand pieces.

His smile was a weapon I didn't see coming.

"Hi, sorry - can you help me?"

I blinked, suddenly stupid. His voice was warm honey over broken glass. His jawline could slice diamonds. His eyes held secrets I wanted to uncover.

I stared like a complete idiot.

"Sorry... what?"

He grinned, like he was used to women losing their minds around him. "Beth's Jewelry Store. I think I'm lost?"

I stammered directions, barely coherent, my brain short-circuiting. Then the skies opened like God's own floodgates.

Just like that, he reached over and pushed the door open. The gesture was smooth, practiced, perfect.

"Hop in," he said, voice like silk. "You can show me where it is. And I'll drop you off wherever you're going. Fair trade?"

My instincts flared. Just for a second. Don't get in cars with strangers.

But then he smiled again - calm, charming, utterly disarming. The kind of smile that makes you forget your own name, your mother's prayers, every warning you've ever heard.

I laughed nervously. "Funny. I didn't hear a word you said earlier either."

He laughed too - rich, deep, easy. Like we were old friends sharing a private joke.

And just like that, ignoring every red flag, every instinct, every lesson life had taught me...

I got in.

The door closed behind me with a soft click that sounded like fate sealing itself.

I should have run.