“Oh my God… Olawale, please.”
“My love… you are my everything. You know I would never hurt you. Please don’t go. For our children. For me. You promised, you said you would be here every step of the way.”
But Ola… left.
And in that moment, everything I thought I knew about my life began to crumble.
I stood there, frozen, trying to convince myself it wasn’t real. But the tears running down my face told a different story.
What was I going to do?
What would I tell my children?
Should I pack my bags and disappear?
My greatest fear had come alive right before me… and the scariest part was. I didn’t even understand how we got here.
…….
Olawale and I met in our final year at Ronik Group of Schools in Victoria Island, Lagos.
He was the senior prefect boy.
I was the senior prefect girl.
We spent so much time together, planning school events, leading activities that somewhere along the way, friendship quietly turned into something more.
I liked him. Everyone knew.
And when it became obvious that he liked me too, people couldn’t hide their envy.
After secondary school, life pulled us in different directions.
He went to the University of Lagos on scholarship.
I went to Redeemer’s University, studying biochemistry
University changed us.
We met new people. Lived new lives.
I dated someone else. He did too.
But somehow… no matter how far we went, we never truly let each other go.
……
In our final year, we found our way back.
This time, we were sure.
We had seen enough of the world to know, we were meant for each other.
And not long after, I stood at the altar, smiling at the man I believed was heaven-sent.
……
Marriage was… good.
Not perfect but real.
He was messy.
He never replaced the toilet tissue.
He left things everywhere.
But I told myself, this is the man you chose.
And love meant patience.
……
Then one day, everything changed.
I saw a message on his phone.
From a woman named Funmi.
“The ‘I love you’ inscribed in the ring is just perfect.”
My heart sank.
I confronted him immediately.
He denied it.
But something inside me broke that day.
I just knew I couldn’t look at him the same way
……
The late nights started.
Excuses. Work. Meetings.
This man who used to rush home to his family… suddenly became distant.
For a month, I watched.
Silently falling apart.
I told myself I was overthinking
But the more I tried to ignore it
The louder it became
……
One afternoon, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I called him, pretending there was an emergency.
He rushed home.
And when he got there… I told him the truth.
It was a lie.
The argument exploded.
Anger took over.
I slapped him.
Once.
Twice.
He said nothing.
And somehow… that silence made everything worse.
Like he wasn’t fighting for us
For me
For the children
For all we built
……
I ran into the kitchen.
Picked up a pestle.
Not to hurt him… just to scare him.
To force the truth out of him.
But he still said nothing.
Not even a denial
Not even anger
Just… silence
And in that moment of anger…
My grip tightened
My mind went blank
Time didn’t slow down
it disappeared
And before I could think
It had already happened
……
Blood.
Too much blood.
My heart stopped.
My hands shook.
My mind raced.
If I called for help, I could go to jail.
If I didn’t… my husband would die.
……
He struggled to speak.
Then finally
“Ayomide…”
His voice was weak.
“I love you… I have always loved you. I would never cheat on you…”
My world collapsed.
“Funmi… isn’t who you think she is. She’s planning our anniversary.”
Tears blurred everything.
“I wanted to surprise you… the ring, the dress… everything. That’s why I’ve been coming home late.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“I just wanted it to be perfect…”
He paused… then whispered,
“It was nice seeing you jealous… it reminded me you still loved me.”
……
I reached for my phone.
But it was too late.
Ola… was gone.
……
Epilogue
I didn’t lose my husband to another woman.
I lost him to assumption.
To anger.
To impatience.
To a moment I can never take back.
Now, I live with a silence that no apology can fix.
A home that still carries his presence… but not his voice.
Children who ask questions I will never have the right answers to.
And a truth that will follow me for the rest of my life:
Sometimes, it’s not betrayal that destroys love.
Sometimes…
…it’s what we choose to believe before we know the truth.
Written by Ayo 😊
(My Lane!!!)
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