BEYOND HER DREAMS A Nigerian Romance ️

The "Dreamland Adventures" carousel flashed, a stark contrast to the bruised purple sky. It was my twins' fifth birthday, a day meant for joy, but dread tightened in my stomach with every distant thunder roll.

Sophia, my neurodivergent daughter, pointed at the Ferris wheel, her voice pure happiness: "Daddy, look! Can we go on that one next? Please?"

Leo, always more sensitive, clutched my hand. "It' s getting loud, Daddy."

My wife, Olivia, a busy CEO, had insisted on this flashy park, then vanished. This was her grand gesture, now she was nowhere. My tenth call finally connected.

"What, Ethan?" Olivia' s voice was sharp, impatient, a loud cocktail party behind her. Mark Jenkins, her ex, laughed nearby.

I pleaded, "Olivia, where are you? The storm is getting worse, the park is shutting down rides. The kids are scared."

"Don' t be so dramatic. It' s just a little rain." Her lie, so blatant, left me breathless.

"I can' t just leave, Ethan. Mark is having an emergency. His father is ill. I need to be here for him."

I held Sophia' s hopeful gaze. Olivia' s dismissive sigh echoed: "Sophia will be fine. You' re there, aren' t you? That' s your job. Just take them on one more ride to shut them up and then go home."

My heart screamed no, but her words pushed me into a corner. "Okay, sweetie," I said, my voice tight. "One last ride."

"This is the best birthday ever!" Sophia shouted as the Cosmic Rocket lurched upward. It was the last thing I ever heard her say.

The ride groaned, a metallic screech ripped the air, and her car detached. It just… fell. My world ended.