Last week, Maya had her emotional rock bottom. A missed period. A mirror moment. And a conversation that changed everything. [Missed part 3? Read it here.]
Eight months later, Maya ran into Emeka at Terra Kulture.
He was with another girl.
Someone young and eager who laughed too hard at his basic jokes.
The same way she (Maya) used to.
"Maya!" Emeka left his date to approach her. "You look... different."
She did look different.
Her shoulders were straight, her smile was real, and she wore confidence like expensive perfume.
Eight months ago, Maya would have melted at his attention.
Back when she accepted dinner dates with men who talked about their exes all night.
Back when she laughed at jokes that weren't funny just to keep peace.
Back when she drove home, wondering what was wrong with her.
The journey wasn't smooth. Maya almost quit twice.
Especially that Friday night when she sat across from a man who couldn't stop talking about crypto losses while checking out their waitress.
But she'd learned something important. How to walk away.
"You stopped calling," Emeka said with that familiar smile.
"I realised I deserved better," Maya replied.
He laughed nervously.
He wasn't used to women who didn't beg for his attention.
"We should catch up sometime."
Emeka's smile faltered because he wasn't used to women who didn't melt at his attention anymore.
"We should catch up sometime," he tried again.
Maya glanced at his date, still waiting, hoping and accepting crumbs. "No thanks. I'm seeing someone."
Maya looked at his date, still waiting across the room. "No thanks. I’m seeing someone."
His name was David.
He wasn’t flashy.
He wasn’t charming in the Emeka way.
But he was consistent.
He respected her time, her body, and her voice.
They talked about books, fears, business ideas and laughed until 1 am without alcohol.
And the best part about him was that she never had to shrink in his presence because he loved her actual self, not her performance.
Kemi once asked, “How did you know he was different?”
And Maya said, “He didn’t confuse me.”
The crazy part here is that Maya almost didn't give him a chance.
After months of disasters, she'd gotten good at spotting red flags.
But she'd also learned to recognise green ones.
David made her like herself more, not less.
"I wasted so much time on men who saw me as a maybe," Maya said. "David saw me as a definitely from day one."
As Emeka walked back to his date—probably making excuses about the "crazy ex who couldn't let go"—Maya felt nothing but gratitude.
Not for dodging a bullet.
For learning to stop loading the gun.
Eight months ago, Maya was crying in an Uber.
Today, she's the woman her friends ask for dating advice.
All because she stopped settling for less than she knew she was worth.
Your story doesn't need a pregnancy scare wake-up call and it also doesn't need eight months of trial and error.
So ask yourself “What would my dating life look like if I only entertained people who added to my peace instead of stealing from it?”
If you’re interested in finding out, then check out The Compatibility Filtering System which stops you from picking people who can't love you right and teaches you to spot the ones who actually can.
P.S. If someone shared this with you, click here to subscribe so you never miss the stories that could change your love life.