💔 NEVER LET GO – EPISODE NINETEEN: “A Dangerous Family Plan”
Two weeks had crawled by since Ivy vanished without a trace, yet for Stanley, it felt like two years of darkness. His life no longer had structure. His days no longer had meaning. The once lively, confident, charming young man had faded into something that looked like a shadow wearing human skin.
His meals—when he even attempted them, were barely touched. Sometimes, he managed two or three spoons. Other times, he simply stared at the plate until someone removed it. His mother and sisters took turns begging him to eat, but he only shook his head and turned away like a child who had lost interest in life. Ivy’s disappearance had broken him in ways no one expected.
Her absence was a mystery he kept trying—failing—to solve within his mind. He replayed every moment they shared, every conversation, every smile, every hug, as if the answers were hidden somewhere inside them. But nothing made sense. The idea that Ivy, the same Ivy who loved him so passionately and genuinely, had left him willingly was something he refused to accept. It felt like a lie. A nightmare. A cruel joke the universe was playing on him.
Everywhere he looked, she was there.
Her pictures were pinned all over his bedroom walls—smiling, laughing, holding him, posing softly. At the office, her framed photos sat on his table. His workers whispered among themselves, confused at how their once vibrant young boss now looked like a man mourning a wife he had married for twenty years.
Stanley wept constantly. Sometimes silently. Sometimes uncontrollably. He tried to suppress the tears because of pride, because he was a man, because people were watching…
But grief did not care.
His mother, Mrs Grace, and his sisters Bianca and Nkechi felt the weight of his pain deeply. Their hearts broke each time they saw him sitting on the edge of his bed staring into nothingness. They tried every encouraging word they could think of. They prayed. They talked. They pleaded. But he remained lost in his sorrow.
One particular morning, things escalated.
Stanley refused to touch his breakfast. He refused to bathe. He refused to go to work. He simply lay on the couch like someone whose world had ended.
Mrs Grace finally lost patience. The situation had weighed heavily on her spirit.
“Honestly, this is getting delusional,” she said sharply, folding her arms as she watched her son. “It has been two weeks since Ivy disappeared, and all you’ve done is sink deeper into misery. You have not taken care of yourself. You barely sleep. You barely eat. Your health is failing, Stanley, and it is becoming frightening.”
Stanley lifted his tired eyes but said nothing.
“I know we all love Ivy,” his mother continued firmly, “but we cannot change the present situation. She is gone, at least for now. So please, forget her for the moment and regain your health. You cannot continue like this.”
Stanley finally spoke, his voice hoarse from days of crying.
“I don’t think you get it, Mum,” he said painfully. “That girl has taken my soul with her. How do I survive without seeing her face? Without hearing her voice? Without that beautiful smile every single day? She is my life, Mum. She is my heartbeat. I love Ivy like crazy.”
His mother watched him, stunned at how deeply he was drowning in love.
“I don’t even know what to tell my friends,” he continued, pressing his palms into his eyes. “What do I say? That my fiancée just left me? Do you know how humiliating that sounds? What if she has been kidnapped? What if she is hurt somewhere? What if she is crying for help but cannot reach me?” He shook his head violently. “I will not rest until I see her or hear from her.”
Mrs Grace sighed in frustration.
“Can you hear yourself? Son, you used to jump from woman to woman without blinking. You make them crawl at your feet without regarding them as anything meaningful. You never wanted love. You never wanted commitment. So how is it that you cannot control your feelings for Ivy? What kind of spell is this?”
Before Stanley could respond, Bianca and Nkechi walked in. They had been silently listening from the corridor, their eyes filled with worry.
“Brother,” Bianca said softly, “Mum is right. We all loved Ivy. We still do. But we cannot kill ourselves over her disappearance. You are changing. You are fading. We want the cheerful you back. Please… please try.”
Nkechi joined in. “Yes, brother. You are worrying us too much.”
Stanley looked at them, disappointment clouding his eyes.
“So all of you have given up on her?” he asked bitterly. “Already? Just like that? You've given up on my soulmate? On the only girl that softens my heart and makes me feel alive? Well, it's either Ivy or no one else for me."
He walked away before they could even respond or say anything else to him.
Mrs Grace made a move to follow him, but Bianca held her arm gently.
“Let him be, Mum,” she said quietly. “He won’t listen to us right now. Ivy’s absence has shattered him.”
Mrs Grace sighed deeply and sat on the couch.
“But he cannot continue living like this,” she said anxiously. “Your brother is losing control. The company is suffering too. If this continues, everything your father built will collapse. And Stanley—he is not the first man to suffer heartbreak. Why is he taking it like this?”
Bianca’s eyes sharpened with a new idea.
“You’re right, Mum. Which is exactly why we must help him forget Ivy.”
Mrs Grace looked at her suspiciously. “Help him how?”
Bianca inhaled deeply, mentally rehearsing her bold suggestion.
“I think we should get him a woman,” she said finally.
Mrs Grace and Nkechi froze.
Bianca continued, “Let’s get him drunk and bring a lady for him. We can pay her to spend the night with him… and if she becomes pregnant, he’ll have no choice but to focus on her and forget about Ivy for his mental health.”
Mrs Grace nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Jesus Christ! Bianca, have you lost your mind?” she shouted. “How is that a solution? What kind of idea is that? It makes no sense!”
Bianca persisted stubbornly. “Listen to me, Mum. I know most of his ex-girlfriends a lot. One of them loved him endlessly, like crazy. Her name is Jessy. She would literally do anything just to be my brother's wife. I've even overheard her begging brother Stanley to just take her into the mansion as his wife even without paying her bride price, not regarding the fact that she had once aborted his child at his order. Think of it this way; if she gets pregnant for him, he will be distracted. He will take responsibility. And slowly, Ivy will fade from his mind.”
Mrs Grace shook her head violently.
“God forbid! Stanley will make life unbearable for that girl. His obsessed love for Ivy will only make the so-called Jessy to feel nothing but pain and infliction around my son. I've never seen Stanley loved any girl the way he loves Ivy. And trust me, no girl can replace Ivy in his heart right now, not even if it means tying him down with pregnancy. I've seen the pains in his eyes, and as his mother, I know my son might never love any other girl again besides Ivy. So my dear, your suggestion is off point for me. I am not supporting that madness!” Grace said sternly.
Nkechi cleared her throat softly.
“I disagree with Bianca as well… but I think there’s another way. We don’t need to get him drunk or make him impregnate any Jessy or any other girl. We can simply pay a woman to come and keep him company. Fortunately, Stanley used to fall for women easily before Ivy came into the picture. He used to be very flirtatious and loved changing women like fabrics. I’m sure he might eventually like whatever girl we connect to him, and over time… he’ll forget Ivy.”
Mrs Grace exhaled slowly, thinking.
“At least that one is more reasonable,” she admitted. “Bianca, it’s now up to you to find a classy, decent, understanding girl for this. Jessy won't be doing this job. Stanley is familiar with her. It won't facilitate his healing or make him fall easily in love with her. I need someone who can live with us for a while, help Stanley return to normal, and maybe… make him fall in love again.”
The three women exchanged a silent agreement—an agreement born from desperation, fear, and a mother’s determination to save her son from destroying himself.
They hoped they were doing the right thing.
But none of them knew the emotional storm they were about to unleash.
To Be Continued ✍️✍️✍️ #NeverLetGo #EpisodeNineteen #StanleyInAgony #FamilyInDistress #HeartbreakSaga #LoveAndLoss #HopeAndDesperation #EmotionalJourney #NigerianFictionSeries #RomanticSuspense #IvyAndStanley #PainOfLove
Two weeks had crawled by since Ivy vanished without a trace, yet for Stanley, it felt like two years of darkness. His life no longer had structure. His days no longer had meaning. The once lively, confident, charming young man had faded into something that looked like a shadow wearing human skin.
His meals—when he even attempted them, were barely touched. Sometimes, he managed two or three spoons. Other times, he simply stared at the plate until someone removed it. His mother and sisters took turns begging him to eat, but he only shook his head and turned away like a child who had lost interest in life. Ivy’s disappearance had broken him in ways no one expected.
Her absence was a mystery he kept trying—failing—to solve within his mind. He replayed every moment they shared, every conversation, every smile, every hug, as if the answers were hidden somewhere inside them. But nothing made sense. The idea that Ivy, the same Ivy who loved him so passionately and genuinely, had left him willingly was something he refused to accept. It felt like a lie. A nightmare. A cruel joke the universe was playing on him.
Everywhere he looked, she was there.
Her pictures were pinned all over his bedroom walls—smiling, laughing, holding him, posing softly. At the office, her framed photos sat on his table. His workers whispered among themselves, confused at how their once vibrant young boss now looked like a man mourning a wife he had married for twenty years.
Stanley wept constantly. Sometimes silently. Sometimes uncontrollably. He tried to suppress the tears because of pride, because he was a man, because people were watching…
But grief did not care.
His mother, Mrs Grace, and his sisters Bianca and Nkechi felt the weight of his pain deeply. Their hearts broke each time they saw him sitting on the edge of his bed staring into nothingness. They tried every encouraging word they could think of. They prayed. They talked. They pleaded. But he remained lost in his sorrow.
One particular morning, things escalated.
Stanley refused to touch his breakfast. He refused to bathe. He refused to go to work. He simply lay on the couch like someone whose world had ended.
Mrs Grace finally lost patience. The situation had weighed heavily on her spirit.
“Honestly, this is getting delusional,” she said sharply, folding her arms as she watched her son. “It has been two weeks since Ivy disappeared, and all you’ve done is sink deeper into misery. You have not taken care of yourself. You barely sleep. You barely eat. Your health is failing, Stanley, and it is becoming frightening.”
Stanley lifted his tired eyes but said nothing.
“I know we all love Ivy,” his mother continued firmly, “but we cannot change the present situation. She is gone, at least for now. So please, forget her for the moment and regain your health. You cannot continue like this.”
Stanley finally spoke, his voice hoarse from days of crying.
“I don’t think you get it, Mum,” he said painfully. “That girl has taken my soul with her. How do I survive without seeing her face? Without hearing her voice? Without that beautiful smile every single day? She is my life, Mum. She is my heartbeat. I love Ivy like crazy.”
His mother watched him, stunned at how deeply he was drowning in love.
“I don’t even know what to tell my friends,” he continued, pressing his palms into his eyes. “What do I say? That my fiancée just left me? Do you know how humiliating that sounds? What if she has been kidnapped? What if she is hurt somewhere? What if she is crying for help but cannot reach me?” He shook his head violently. “I will not rest until I see her or hear from her.”
Mrs Grace sighed in frustration.
“Can you hear yourself? Son, you used to jump from woman to woman without blinking. You make them crawl at your feet without regarding them as anything meaningful. You never wanted love. You never wanted commitment. So how is it that you cannot control your feelings for Ivy? What kind of spell is this?”
Before Stanley could respond, Bianca and Nkechi walked in. They had been silently listening from the corridor, their eyes filled with worry.
“Brother,” Bianca said softly, “Mum is right. We all loved Ivy. We still do. But we cannot kill ourselves over her disappearance. You are changing. You are fading. We want the cheerful you back. Please… please try.”
Nkechi joined in. “Yes, brother. You are worrying us too much.”
Stanley looked at them, disappointment clouding his eyes.
“So all of you have given up on her?” he asked bitterly. “Already? Just like that? You've given up on my soulmate? On the only girl that softens my heart and makes me feel alive? Well, it's either Ivy or no one else for me."
He walked away before they could even respond or say anything else to him.
Mrs Grace made a move to follow him, but Bianca held her arm gently.
“Let him be, Mum,” she said quietly. “He won’t listen to us right now. Ivy’s absence has shattered him.”
Mrs Grace sighed deeply and sat on the couch.
“But he cannot continue living like this,” she said anxiously. “Your brother is losing control. The company is suffering too. If this continues, everything your father built will collapse. And Stanley—he is not the first man to suffer heartbreak. Why is he taking it like this?”
Bianca’s eyes sharpened with a new idea.
“You’re right, Mum. Which is exactly why we must help him forget Ivy.”
Mrs Grace looked at her suspiciously. “Help him how?”
Bianca inhaled deeply, mentally rehearsing her bold suggestion.
“I think we should get him a woman,” she said finally.
Mrs Grace and Nkechi froze.
Bianca continued, “Let’s get him drunk and bring a lady for him. We can pay her to spend the night with him… and if she becomes pregnant, he’ll have no choice but to focus on her and forget about Ivy for his mental health.”
Mrs Grace nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Jesus Christ! Bianca, have you lost your mind?” she shouted. “How is that a solution? What kind of idea is that? It makes no sense!”
Bianca persisted stubbornly. “Listen to me, Mum. I know most of his ex-girlfriends a lot. One of them loved him endlessly, like crazy. Her name is Jessy. She would literally do anything just to be my brother's wife. I've even overheard her begging brother Stanley to just take her into the mansion as his wife even without paying her bride price, not regarding the fact that she had once aborted his child at his order. Think of it this way; if she gets pregnant for him, he will be distracted. He will take responsibility. And slowly, Ivy will fade from his mind.”
Mrs Grace shook her head violently.
“God forbid! Stanley will make life unbearable for that girl. His obsessed love for Ivy will only make the so-called Jessy to feel nothing but pain and infliction around my son. I've never seen Stanley loved any girl the way he loves Ivy. And trust me, no girl can replace Ivy in his heart right now, not even if it means tying him down with pregnancy. I've seen the pains in his eyes, and as his mother, I know my son might never love any other girl again besides Ivy. So my dear, your suggestion is off point for me. I am not supporting that madness!” Grace said sternly.
Nkechi cleared her throat softly.
“I disagree with Bianca as well… but I think there’s another way. We don’t need to get him drunk or make him impregnate any Jessy or any other girl. We can simply pay a woman to come and keep him company. Fortunately, Stanley used to fall for women easily before Ivy came into the picture. He used to be very flirtatious and loved changing women like fabrics. I’m sure he might eventually like whatever girl we connect to him, and over time… he’ll forget Ivy.”
Mrs Grace exhaled slowly, thinking.
“At least that one is more reasonable,” she admitted. “Bianca, it’s now up to you to find a classy, decent, understanding girl for this. Jessy won't be doing this job. Stanley is familiar with her. It won't facilitate his healing or make him fall easily in love with her. I need someone who can live with us for a while, help Stanley return to normal, and maybe… make him fall in love again.”
The three women exchanged a silent agreement—an agreement born from desperation, fear, and a mother’s determination to save her son from destroying himself.
They hoped they were doing the right thing.
But none of them knew the emotional storm they were about to unleash.
To Be Continued ✍️✍️✍️ #NeverLetGo #EpisodeNineteen #StanleyInAgony #FamilyInDistress #HeartbreakSaga #LoveAndLoss #HopeAndDesperation #EmotionalJourney #NigerianFictionSeries #RomanticSuspense #IvyAndStanley #PainOfLove
