Morning came too quickly.
The children came out one after the other.
Quiet. Unusually quiet.
Favour first. Then Daniel.
Then little Divine, holding her sister’s hand.

No noise. No usual hugs.
Just “Good morning, daddy.”
“Good morning mummy.”

No eye contact. No smile.
My heart began to beat faster.
Then Favour spoke.
“Mommy… Daddy… we need to talk.”

Her voice was calm. Too calm.
I felt something tighten in my chest.
We all sat down. Facing each other.

No one smiled. No one pretended.
Then Favour looked straight at us.
First at me… Then at her father.

And said something that made the air in the room change completely.
“We know.”

Continued on the next page