𝑨 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒏

It's been exactly three months, three days, three hours and three seconds I made the worst mistake of my life and now this guilt is eating me up.

"Hello Daniel, what's up..Are you with Zainab?" Tomi, Zainab's roomie anxiously asked.

"No, is she fine? Is her cramp worsening?" I worriedly replied.

"Which cramp?" She replied sarcastically. "It's such a pity Daniel, I'm calling you because I know how much you love her and I feel bad that she can actually do this to you..well she's with a very handsome man at Maya's Kitchen somewhere in JLX city. If you doubt me take a cab to the venue right now. Bye" Tomi hung up immediately.

I couldn't even process the information I had received. I immediately picked up my phone to call Zainab but her line was unavailable.

"What the hell is Zainab, the love of my life doing at an exotic restaurant in JLX city when she told me she was having a severe cramp this morning and that she couldn't even get out of bed. Is she seeing someone new?" I tried to connect all the dots because we made plans to go on a date today too when she declined due to her cramps.

"Do I go to JLX city to confirm?" I soliloquized. "Tomi is her room mate and wouldn't lie against her." I paused for a second to think things through but nothing made sense.

The last line Tomi said echoed in my head.." If you doubt me take a cab to the venue right now. " Tomi sounded so confident like someone with so much evidence.

I picked up my car keys from my center table and reached for the shirt in my closet. "If I meet Zainab in that restaurant, then it's game over for both of us. I love her too much to share her with another man. How could she?"

My head was filled with so many thoughts and wasn't ready to see something heartbreaking but how would I know if I didn't go see it?" I convinced myself at the end of the day..

JLX city is just twenty-five minutes drive away from where I live. I hopped in my car and zoomed off to Maya's kitchen.

As soon as I alighted and walked into the restaurant. I saw my beloved Zainab and a young man sitting on a table for two adjacent the restaurant door.

"What?" I muttered beneath my breath. I picked up my phone and quickly sent her a text. "Zainab, is this it? The cramp was a charade to see another man? Wow!! Interesting!"

I noticed she didn't reach for her phone even as she heard a beep. "Unbelievable!" I exclaimed in shock.

Few minutes later, they were done with the goddamn conversation they were having and they both set out to leave when she saw me sitting three tables away.

"Hey Danny!" She called out in surprise. The other guy seemed unbothered as he walked out but she walked toward my direction.

"Wow Zainab!! Very impressive..Have you considered acting for a living before? You're goddamn good at it. You decline our date today because of him? You didn't even noticed my text and your line was unavailable. Obviously you didn't even wanted to be distracted."

"It's not what you think Daniel, I can explain.." Zainab defended but I didn't give her a chance to express herself. I angrily picked up my car keys from the table and walked out.

"Danny..Please calm down I can explain." She ran after me. "Zainab read my lips, don't you ever dare call my line anymore. This? Me and You and everything is over." I sternly warned her as I drove off.

Few minutes later, she called my line a countless time, but I had made up my mind. "Game over!" I sent her a text, blocked her on all social media platforms and turned off my phone.

A week ago, I just stumbled on an email she sent me the day I broke up with her.

"Hey baby, I hope this meet you well. I'm sorry if you misunderstood what you saw today. It was an impromptu call I received from the Maya's Kitchen after dropping my Cv a few months ago.

"The manager reached out to me for an impromptu interview because they were short of staff. I couldn't miss the interview even though I was having a severe cramp. You and I know how badly I wanted to work as a chef. The young man you met with me was the creative Director of the outlet, and was only available that day for us to discuss my salary. Baby please I'm sorry. Call me please if you trust me enough. I can't reach you on any other platform. Please call me."

"Damn! I should have given her a chance to talk things out. It's exactly three months now. I reached for my phone to call her, all to no avail. I called Tomi to ask after Zainab, but Tomi told me they both had a fall out after that day and that she had even relocated.

I went to Maya's kitchen in high hopes that I'll find her, only to hear she had been transferred to the Maya's Kitchen in China.

"Foolish me!! I lost a genuine soul and it's too late to right my wrong. I drove home in guilt, took a sip of tequila and cried my eyes out.