THE LOST DIGNITY
Falling in Love with My Roommate’s Father
A Novel
By
Twum O. Obed
Dedication
To the ones who loved too deeply and lost themselves in the process. For the hearts that broke in silence, the souls that cried behind closed doors, and the voices that were never heard. To those who stayed when they should have run, who forgave when they should have walked away. To some, it was just supposed to end at, Hi, nice meeting you. To cut the long story short… fate had other plans. And to those who learned—too late—that love should never come at the cost of one’s life.
May you find the strength to choose yourself before the world chooses for you. To all the lost souls who once held dreams of stepping into tertiary education, hoping to carve a future, but instead found fate cruelly rewriting their stories, may you rest in peace. And to the living, may tertiary never become the place where your dreams are cut short, where your ambitions die before they can manifest.
To those who stood on the brink of breaking, who nearly gave up but still found the strength to survive, I celebrate you. You are a hero. Let us keep inspiring generations through this book, for a clearer and better purpose.
When the lines are fading, this book is for you.
Epigraph
Do we still care about dignity, or have we accepted that with money, dignity no longer exists?
In a world where power silences truth and wealth justifies sin, the line between right and wrong blurs. When love is tainted by possession, when ambition is fueled by greed, and when justice can be bought—what is left of dignity? Perhaps dignity was never lost. Perhaps we simply traded it… but at what cost?
–Twum O. Obed
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Author’s Note
Some stories are written to entertain. Others are written to be felt—to leave an imprint so deep that long after the final page is turned, the echoes of its lessons still linger in your mind. This book is one of those stories.
Sometimes, fiction may veil reality, yet deep down, the untold truths find a way to resurface. For years, I have witnessed young, vibrant individuals destroy themselves in pursuit of fleeting desires—chasing instant gratification and a life never meant for them. Many are like shattered mirrors—unbroken yet fragmented—reflecting a perfect image on the surface. But in time, the cracks reveal their true nature, whether in admiration or agony.
This book is a reflection of love and betrayal, of ambition and downfall, of choices and the unrelenting consequences that follow. It is about the dreams we chase, the battles we fight in silence, and the mistakes that alter the course of our lives forever. In these pages, you will find fragments of reality woven into fiction—stories that mirror the lives of many who dared to dream, who loved recklessly, who trusted the wrong hands, and who, in the end, paid the ultimate price.
To the students, may this book remind you that university is not just a place of education but a stage where destinies are shaped and destroyed. To the lovers, may it teach you that love, when toxic, is not love at all. And to those standing on the edge of despair, may it be a whisper of hope that your story is not over yet.
This book is more than words on a page; it is a conversation, a caution, a call to reflection. Read it not just with your eyes, but with your heart.
This story is yours.
This message is for you.