There was a difference between being wanted and being valued.
Akutu had spent so much time making sure she wasn't forgotten—checking her phone, waiting for calls, holding on to connections that felt like lifelines.
But now, she wasn't asking if she mattered to others.
She was asking if she mattered to herself.
The call with Kojo had been simple.
They talked, laughed, and filled in the gaps of the past few weeks.
But when the call ended, Akutu realized something.
She hadn't been waiting for his words to make her feel whole.
She hadn't measured her worth by the attention he gave her.
And that—that—was growth.
Over the next few weeks, she poured herself into her studies, her writing, and the small joys of everyday life.
She started dressing up not because she wanted someone to notice, but because it made her feel good.
She began saying 'no' to things that drained her, without guilt or over-explaining.
And when people treated her as an option instead of a priority, she didn't chase them.
She just walked away.
Because she was learning—
Her worth wasn't up for negotiation.
One evening, as she stood in front of her mirror, she whispered to her reflection:
"You are enough."
And for the first time, she truly believed it.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.