Matters Of The Heart

In Matters Of The Heart Hakeem and Carissa swear to marry each other as children playing in a wooded clearing. A car crash kills Carissa's parents on their way to church and the bank seizes the family home over debts. Her uncle casts her onto the streets at fifteen while Hakeem leaves for education promising to return. He comes back years later but cannot find her. In the present Hakeem prepares an elaborate wedding to Sophia while Carissa works tirelessly at a salon in Lekki. Hakeem visits the salon and the two reconnect. He learns the full extent of her suffering from homelessness to exploitation and moved by compassion and lingering affection he secures a small salon space for her to run independently. Their rekindled closeness does not go unnoticed. Sophia discovers the relationship and confronts Carissa at her workplace with hostility calling her a prostitute and demanding to know where she lives. Hakeem intervenes and publicly ends his engagement to Sophia declaring his love for Carissa. His mother initially pressures him to honor his commitment to Sophia. Upon meeting Carissa she recognizes her as the daughter of dear family friends and embraces her. She later advises Sophia to let go. Just as Hakeem and Carissa plan a future together a medical test reveals they both carry the AS genotype and a doctor warns that marriage would risk sickle cell disease in their children. Carissa insists they cannot marry though Hakeem clings to hope. On the morning of what was meant to be Hakeem and Sophia's wedding the truth behind the genotype result surfaces and Sophia arrives in a white gown under armed guard still intent on the ceremony. The family doctor bribed by Sophia with twenty million naira confesses that he falsified Carissa's report to prevent the union. He reveals Sophia later sent thugs after him when he demanded more money. Hakeem hears the confession and abandons the wedding venue and goes to Carissa.