Dancing With The Masquerade

CHAPTER ONE: THE RING

🪘🪘🪘

THE RING

Three weeks earlier to the fire incident...

"I'm sorry Kasie, believe it or not, I truly loved you but... what we have can't exist anymore."

Gradually, I withdrew my hand from his gentle hold, my brows furrowing at his words as I leaned away and stared at him.

"Can't exist anymore." I repeated, as I watched him take a deep breath.

"There are reasons - reasons quite beyond my understanding - and this is what my heart tells me to do."

"Really? Your heart told you to break off your engagement with your fiancée just a few days to the day you leave for her hometown with her? Your heart is that cruel?" I queried, a bit of frustration etching on. Here was a man I'd planned to spend the rest of my life with and somehow I was alone on this journey.

God, this isn't happening again.

"I'm sorry but you–you..."

"I, what? What did I do wrong?" I asked as I sat up, ready to hear all he has to say. His gaze avoided mine, unable to steady with them. There was guilt written all over his face.

"Did you cheat on me?"

"No." He quickly replied.

"Then what is the problem? Why don't you want us to be together anymore? My family, they're expecting us. Please, whatever it is, I'm sure we can talk things out." I pleaded as I took his hand in mine, my eyes assuring him that everything was going to be okay.

Suddenly, he withdrew his hand from mine and finally steadied his gaze on me.

"Every night, I have nightmares. Inexplicably, strange nightmares, and you know what the strangest part is? You... I see you. It always starts with a creepy, evil embodied and unfamiliar masquerade chasing after me. It wants to kill me. I know it because I run so hard till my legs can't carry me anymore and then, I collapse to the ground. As I fear for my life, it takes off its mask and who do I see? You... I see you and I watch you gruesomely murder me."

I blinked several times with a light frown placed in between my brows, and then I looked away from him. This story was familiar. I've heard it from the men I'd been with in the past, just before they break it off with me. God, this was really happening again. Why is this happening?

"Call me ridiculous, or superstitious, but we're Nigerians, and I believe seeing your fiancée as a masquerade who kills you in your dream is not a good sign. I'm not sure what it's about, but I really just want to close my eyes, and have a good sleep without worrying about whether I'll die at night. I hope you understand." He and stood to his feet. I looked up at him.

"I wish you the best and hope someday, you'll find the right man for you." He added before flashing a weak and yet brief smile. He walked away, towards the door, and I could do nothing but watch him go.

Soon, the door shut, and I was alone in my apartment. For what felt like forever, I sat still in silence. This is it, this is really it; something sinister is wrong with me, and I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life. I buried my face in the palms of my hands. How do I face my family? They believe I'm coming home with a man. Can I really deal with all the drama that would follow suite if I get there alone?

Well, that question still had no answer, even later as I stared at the engagement ring on my fourth finger while seated in the back seat of a car barely few minutes away from the gate of my family house. I should take this off, but I couldn't. This isn't fair. I really had a pleasant thing going on with him. He wasn't perfect, but we were happy... I was happy and now... what do I tell them when I'm asked the reason for our breakup? That I haunted his dreams?