A novel · finished, not yet published
Simply Broken
Opeyemi Olufunmi Michaels
A story of love, obsession, betrayal and forgiveness.
But being broken is not the same as being finished.
A novel · finished, not yet published
Opeyemi Olufunmi Michaels
A story of love, obsession, betrayal and forgiveness.
But being broken is not the same as being finished.
Some families break all at once. Others break so quietly, no one notices until there is nothing left to hold together.
Simply Broken is an intimate story of love, family, ambition, friendship, and the choices that shape us—especially the ones we never realize we are making.
At its heart are people trying to build good lives while carrying the weight of expectation, disappointment, loyalty, desire, and the past. They love each other, hurt each other, leave, return, forgive—and sometimes discover that forgiveness is not enough to put everything back the way it was.
As their lives intertwine and the consequences of old decisions begin to surface, each must confront a difficult truth: sometimes the people we love most are also the people with the greatest power to break us.
But being broken is not the same as being finished.
Tender, raw, and deeply human, Simply Broken explores the complicated space between who we thought we would become and who life actually allows us to be—and asks whether a life that has fallen apart can ever be rebuilt into something even more meaningful.
Wants an ordinary life, witnessed by somebody. Afraid that being careful is the same as being invisible. Goes towards the thing that frightens her, then keeps it to herself.
Wants an uncomplicated life with somebody who tells him things. Afraid of being somebody’s second choice and the last to know it. Goes quiet and far away when injured, and comes back.
Wants to be the one who provides, and to be seen doing it. Afraid of being the friend people are kind about. Accepts help only when it is renamed, and charges interest on it later.
Wants her people intact and accounted for. Afraid of arriving after it has already happened. Inserts herself physically, takes the keys, drives.
Part One · Chapter One · Tinu · ten years ago
They say you always remember the first time you meet the love of your life. Personally, I think you also remember what you were wearing, what you ordered, and how you pretended to be cooler than you actually were — right before you tripped over your own nerves.
For me, it was a coffee shop. A cute one near my office — my unofficial second home and emotional support caffeine provider. The staff knew me by name and pastry preference. I was that customer who ordered the same thing every day and tipped like I was paying for therapy, which, in a way, I was.
So naturally, when my dear meddling friend Bola insisted I meet this “amazing guy,” I chose the one place where I had home-court advantage. I figured if the date was awkward — and let’s be honest, they usually are — at least I could hide behind my cappuccino and pretend to be fascinated by the foam art.
When the day finally came, I arrived early — partly to calm my nerves, partly to scope out the exits in case I needed to fake a family emergency.
The smell of freshly ground coffee beans filled the room. The barista waved at me — my fellow caffeine comrade — and I settled into my usual corner: the one by the window, where the light hit just right for pretending I was in a movie montage about a woman rediscovering herself.
Then he walked in.
Now, I’m not saying the earth tilted or angels started humming in the background, but… I definitely forgot how to sip my coffee for a second.
He wasn’t exactly handsome in a magazine-cover way — his nose was a touch too big, his hair needed a bit of convincing to stay in place — but his smile? Lord have mercy. That smile could have melted an ice cube from across the room. And the dimples. Why do dimples always spell trouble?
“Hi,” he said, stretching out his hand. “I’m Tayo. Was hoping you were my date.”
And what did I say, with all my charm and poise?
“Uhn? Sorry, I didn’t quite… understand you.”
Understand what, Tinu? I thought to myself, the man introduced himself, not gave a TED Talk.
He smiled wider, which did not help my brain function.
My inner voice screamed: He’s probably a player. Look at those dimples — weapon-grade.
Still, I shook his hand. He was tall, fit, and the way his T-shirt hugged his arms made me remember my pastor’s sermon from last Sunday: Beware of men whose muscles speak louder than their character.
I snorted mid-thought and started laughing.
“Please share the joke,” Tayo said, taking the seat across from me.
“Oh, nothing serious,” I said, still smiling. “My pastor says I should avoid men like you.”
He leaned forward, eyes twinkling. “Men like me? Well, your pastor hasn’t met me. Maybe he meant men who’ll sweep you off your feet and keep you grounded.”
Smooth. Too smooth. My heart fluttered anyway. Useless organ.
By the end of the same chapter, Tayo introduces her to his best friend.
“Tinu,” he said quietly.
And just like that, several years of carefully constructed peace evaporated — replaced by a storm I thought I’d buried for good.
One Life is a life simulation, and Simply Broken is one of the ways in. You pick up Tinu — or Fola, Tayo or Lara — at the last ordinary stretch of their life, with their people and their history already in place, and what happens next has not been written. Choose what they choose and the book happens to you. Choose otherwise and you get a different book, which is the point.
Opeyemi Olufunmi Michaels wrote Simply Broken and built One Life, the game it lives inside. The novel is finished and looking for its readers.
Enquiries: hello@playonelifegame.com