28/06/2025
Visa Bride
Episode 2: Welcome to London
The rain hit the taxi windshield like pebbles as Chinaza stared out, gripping the handle of her small suitcase. East Ham didn’t look like the London she’d seen on TV. It was colder, grayer… lonelier.
Malik met her at the door of a narrow two-storey house tucked between identical brick homes. He looked exhausted, like sleep hadn’t visited in days.
“This is home now,” he said flatly.
Inside, the house was eerily silent. No ticking clock. No smell of food. Just the hum of the fridge and a faint draft coming from the attic vent.
He showed her the guest room. It was tidy, impersonal. She spotted two toothbrushes in the bathroom… and three mugs in the sink.
“You live alone?” she asked.
Malik didn’t answer. He just turned away and muttered,
“Get some rest. Tomorrow, we go to register the marriage.”
That night, Chinaza lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
Around 2:13 a.m., she heard footsteps upstairs.
Slow. Pacing.
Back and forth.
She texted Malik.
“Are you awake?”
No response.
Then… a soft knock at her door.
But when she opened it, the hallway was empty.
Only the cold draft remained.
