Chapter 4 - The Sanctuary in Lekki
Three weeks later, the morning sun over the Lekki Peninsula was warm and golden, casting soft light across the wide veranda of a brand-new, ultra-modern waterfront estate.
There were no massive iron security gates topped with barbed wire here—just a clean, elegant stone wall covered in blooming bougainvillea, and a heavy wooden door that welcomed the sea breeze.
Sienna sat on a comfortable white lounge chair, wearing a soft yellow sundress that hugged her full, nine-month baby bump. Her skin glowed with health, her dark curls caught the morning light, and her laughter rang out clearly across the garden as she fed pieces of sliced mango to a pair of bright green parrots kept in a nearby sanctuary.
From the sliding glass doors, Darius stepped out carrying a large tray filled with fresh coconut water, warm pastries, and a thick stack of design magazines. He walked over, setting the tray on the low table before kneeling beside her chair, resting his hands gently on her rounding stomach.
“How are my two favorite people doing today?” he asked, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
Sienna smiled, running her fingers through his short, dark hair. “We are doing wonderfully. In fact, little Miss Monroe has been kicking me nonstop for the last twenty minutes. I think she wants to meet her father.”
Darius laughed, pressing his ear directly against her dress. “Hey there, little one,” he murmured softly. “It’s Daddy. Take your time, okay? Mama and I are right here, and nobody is ever going to hurt you.”
Sienna looked down at him, her heart swelling with an emotion so deep it felt almost overwhelming. The nightmare of the abandoned house in Agege felt like something from a distant, terrible movie. The media storm had eventually faded, replaced by new scandals, but the lessons of those dark days had permanently reshaped their lives.
“Have you heard anything from Nolan?” Sienna asked softly.
Darius lifted his head, his expression turning neutral. “Nolan called me yesterday. He moved out of the Victoria Island mansion. He’s taking a junior management position at a tech startup in Yaba, trying to build something of his own without the family crutch.”
“And… your mother?”
“She’s still in the Victoria Island house,” Darius sighed, looking out toward the ocean horizon. “Alone. Refusing visitors, refusing counseling, clinging to her pride. I set up a modest trust so she won’t starve or lose her home—I’m not a monster, Sienna. But I haven’t spoken to her, and I don’t plan to.”
Sienna placed her hand over his. “You’re a good man, Darius. A forgiving man.”
“I’m just a man who knows what truly matters,” he replied, turning his hand to interlock his fingers with hers. “Everything else is just glass and steel.”
Just then, a sharp, joyful cry echoed from inside the house.
Sienna’s mother, Mama Ngozi, who had flown in from Mushin to stay with them for the final weeks of the pregnancy, bustled out onto the veranda carrying a basket of freshly washed baby clothes, her face beaming with pride.
“Ah, ah! You two are sitting here romancing in the sun when the baby cot still needs its final adjustment!” Mama Ngozi scolded playfully, though her eyes were shining with unshed tears of happiness. “Darius, get up from there! Go and fix that mobile hanging over the crib before I call your father-in-law to come and do it properly!”
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Darius stood up immediately, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Yes, Mama! I’m going right now! Don’t let my father-in-law near any tools—he’ll dismantle the whole nursery!”
Sienna laughed out loud, the sound rich and untroubled, echoing across the peaceful Lekki waters.
