Chapter 156 The path to healing

One night, as a storm raged outside, Mariama found Andre sitting in the dark living room, staring out at the rain-lashed streets. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked, settling into the armchair across from him. Andre shook his head. "Kept thinking about... everything. The mess I'm in. The danger I've put you in." Mariama leaned forward, her voice firm. "Andre, look at me. You didn't put me in danger. I chose to help you. Whatever comes next, we'll face it together." Andre met her gaze, his eye shining with an emotion Mariama couldn't quite name. "Why?" he asked softly. "Why would you risk everything for me?" Mariama found herself at a loss for words. Why indeed? This man had burst into her life, bringing chaos and danger with him. By all rights, she should have turned him away, protected the new life she was trying to build. But as she looked at Andre, she realized the truth. In him, she saw a reflection of herself. The struggle to break free from a destructive past, the longing for a fr