My Husband and I
Dark Romance ?
Part 3
Final Episode
~ John’s POV ~
I was relaxing in the living room from the day’s stress and patrol with my colleagues. It had been a long day. The TV was on. The AC was cooling the entire room as I crossed my legs on the center table. A few minutes after 5 in the evening was the time and my attention was on the news at 5.
A moment later, I heard a car beep, and looking through the window, I noticed it was Gbenga’s car. We had been together all day. He was probably coming to spend the evening, I presumed.
“Mr. Johnson,” came his thick voice knocking at the door.
“Yes, sir,” I stood up and headed towards the entrance door.
“Welcome, sir,” I responded as soon as his face popped up when I opened the wooden door.
“Thank you, sir,” he greeted and walked straight to sit on one of the couches.
“I seriously don’t understand what this people are up to,” Mr. Gbenga sounded worried as soon as he sat down.
“Which people are you talking about? I asked, sitting directly opposite him.
“This government and its administration. They haven’t been supportive to the Air Force and other uniform men.. so many unpaid salaries here and there and they expect the Police to effectively do their work?”
I exhaled. “It’s really sad thinking about this whole issue. I hope the incoming government will get things right.” I said.
“I really hope so. It’s so getting out of hand and they seem so unbothered.”
“Erm..that reminds me, Johnson, I saw your wife the other day,” Gbenga said, changing the topic immediately.
Well, my instincts told me it was probably the major reason he came to see me.
“Oh! Really? Where did you see her?
“I bumped into her. That’s by the way. You never mentioned anything about the reason she left.”
So, did she tell you about it?” I questioned.
“Mr. Johnsonnnn…,” he said, stressing my name. “You and I know Mary is your legally wedded wife and shouldn’t be treated that way.”
“I bet she must have told you a lot,” I said and paused.
“I’m your very good friend and at this point, I think you should listen to what I have to tell you,” he continued.
“Well, before you begin with your advice, let me begin by telling you that Mary has been taking contraceptives for God knows how long..,”
“What! For what? Who told you? I mean how did you know?”
“You know, nothing is hidden forever under the sun. Excuse me, I’ll be back,” I stood up and returned a jiffy.
“Just take a look at the pills she has been feeding herself with. I found some in the bathroom and others under the bed. I couldn’t believe it. No wonder we have been childless all this while and she has the gut to follow me to the hospital for a check-up…,”
“Hmmm, what could be the reason? Why would she be taking pills? Was there any agreement on that?”
“For what? How could I? You know how much I had desperately wanted a child. She once had a miscarriage which was my fault but never intentional..”
“A miscarriage? Oh! My God.”
“Well, let’s not go into details on that. It’s only the two of us who knew what transpired. That’s in the past anyway.”
“So, what are you saying in essence? You don’t want her back anymore?”
“Yes! I used to miss her. I used to drink over her but not anymore. I can’t bring back a woman who has wasted my supposedly unborn kids. Such kind of woman could do the unpredictable. Thank God I found out.”
“Remember, you never caught her red-handed.. you know.”
“I don’t want to believe you are doubting me or perhaps you are on her side based on wh@ťěver story she must have told you. Yes, I pushed her away that night and I did regret it. But this very issue of pills, no, no, I can’t.
“You can’t what..?”
“We can’t get back. Don’t think that’s all. Mary isn’t really who you think she is. Wait, let me show you something.” I brought out Mary’s phone.
“Ok, what’s that?”
“When Mary left without her phone, I tried calling her friend to find out if she was there, but I was shocked she had deleted my fingerprint from her phone which is unlike her. I couldn’t unlock her phone or had any access to it. Now, tell me, what possibly could she be hiding? I bet she has found a new lover and I never want to set my eyes on her!”
“It hasn’t gotten to that yet,” Gbenga said.
“It has, my friend. I want a divorce.”
~ Mary’s POV ~
“I just realized you never told me what you like to do for fun.” My voice rang out in the silent car as Shola drove towards my new apartment. I stared out the window for the past few minutes until I chose to strike up a conversation. Although it’s been a few weeks since Ggbenga popped up, I remember we tried to get to know each other, yet, failed horrifically due to it being slightly awkward and I had to go to work.
“That was random,” Shola said.
“What? Did you get tired of me being tall, dark, and mysterious?”
He joked, causing me to roll my eyes.
I may not have known much about Shola, but during these little car rides, I’ve understood he loves being funny. He also enjoys starting arguments. I thought only he and Abbey did that because they’re men, but he does it to me, too.
Although I knew he did it purposely, I couldn’t help but feed into it. He could push my thoughts and have me laughing at the silliness of it. In other words, Shola was quite the charmer when he wasn’t pretending to be presumptuous.
“Come on, I’m serious,” I faced him. “What do you like to do besides playing Candy Crush?” I remarked, thinking back on that argument he and Abbey had a month ago. Abbey claimed that’s all he did at work instead of actually working. Shola laughed at my question and my eyes couldn’t help but look at his perfect teeth as he did so.
“Well, I enjoy working out and sometimes I like to box. I used to give out private lessons as a little side hustle. This was when Abbey and I were starting our business and we didn’t have many friends, even though we were both working.”
“But aren’t Abbey’s parents well-to-do?” I questioned, intrigued.
He nodded. “Yeah, but we wanted to do it on our own.”
The conversation stopped there for a while. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what else to ask him. I went back to enjoying the scenery as other thoughts clouded my mind. Thinking back on how my life has flipped in such a short time. And it all began when I met Abbey, and truthfully, I was glad I did. He’s made me realize a lot of things concerning my marriage. He had helped me, supported me, and has been the perfect man.
Besides Abbey, Shola has helped me as well, despite our rocky start which reminded me of something I had to say that’s been long overdue.
“Thank you, Shola,” I spoke up.
He turned his head at me for a moment and gave me a confused look. “For taking care of me when Abbey brought me to your home. You didn’t have to agree to take me in or let me stay. And I never properly thanked you for it. I’m not sure how to repay you for your kindness.”
“I reject your thank you.”
“What?” I gave him an incredulous look not thinking he’d ever say that.
“If you think you have to repay me in some way for that, I reject it. You owe me nothing. Besides, Abbey helped more than I did. I just stood around and minded my business.” His eyes met mine briefly before focusing on the road. You gave me a foot rub and I know it was you who came in to check on me.”
“Oh, so you were up, huh? Mary were you pretending to be asleep during that massage?” he teased and for a minute my brain went blank, forgetting that I had faked that I was sleeping when he came in. Shola glanced at me and chuckled at the look on my face.
“Seems we’re both caught red-handed. Why did you pretend you were asleep? By the way, you’re a terrible actress.”
“Shola!” I tried to protest, despite my embarrassment. He shrugged indifferently, though he couldn’t contain his laughter. “What? It’s true.”
Shaking my head at him, I countered, “Well, why were you constantly checking in on me at night? Dropping off medicine and snacks as if I wouldn’t notice.”
He went silent. His hands clutched at the wheel, tense until he huffed out a breath.
“I was worried about you.” He admitted. Only five words left his mouth and though they shouldn’t have had an effect on me, they did. My heart thundered painfully in my chest at his admission.
“I thought you h@ťěd me,” I said quietly, causing him to look at me.
“We last left off on an unpleasant note and I didn’t want to make things terrible between us.”
“I didn’t h@ťě you. I just didn’t understand, and I was jea…,” he cut himself off with a frown, seeming to think of the earlier months of my stay at his and Abbey’s place.
“And now you do?” I questioned.
He sighed. “Not really. I understand that something bigger went on, but it wasn’t my business to know.”
“I…” pausing, I decided it was best finally to let Shola know.
“My husband kicked me out of our home. My friend Comfort was in another country, and I had nowhere else to go. I didn’t have my phone, keys, or anything. Nothing except for the clothes I had on. My neighbors didn’t help, so I walked until I found a stranger t— a good Samaritan whose phone I used to call..”
“Abbey that hour of the night,” he finished for me. His lips turned into a frown and guilt lingered in his gaze.
“I’m so sorry, Mary.”
“It’s okay, Shola.”
He shook his head and the light at the intersection turned. Shola stopped the car at the red light, turning all his attention on me. Our eyes met with his holding sincerity.
“It’s not okay. I was simply an @$$h0le and you didn’t deserve it. I let my judgment cloud me even though I had an inkling, something was off. You had enough on your plate and I..” The light turned as he stopped himself once more.
He was upset at himself for his past actions. I did what happened against him as I told him before, when we started over. I gave him the wrong impression. Additionally, I understood he was looking out for his friends.
I laid a hand on his shoulder. “Shola, it’s fine. You didn’t know.”
“That’s not an excuse. I should have asked.” With a sigh, I gave up. He was intent on blaming himself for something that wasn’t his fault. Removing my hand from his shoulder, I placed it down on my lap.
“Do you accept my thank you now?” I asked, trying to lighten the conversation.
Despite his attempt to keep frowning, his mouth couldn’t help but drift upward into a smile. He glanced at me and chuckled.
“Yes, Mary. As long as you didn’t think you owe me anything.”
“Ok. I’ll stop thinking of ways to pay you back if you stop blaming yourself for how you acted when you didn’t know everything.”
“Mary…,”
“It was a misunderstanding and lack of communication. Plus, we said we’d start anew.”
“Alright,” he relented and held out his hand.
***
Twisting the handle, the door to the apartment opened. Making sure to close the front door quietly, I stepped foot into my home, heading towards the living room. I heard the door to Comfort’s room open and she stepped out, heading towards me excitedly.
“Hey, Comfort,” I greeted her with a warm smirk and walked a short distance to the couch.
Setting my work bag down on the floor, I sat down on the couch kicking my heels off once my bum met the soft cushion. A satisfied exhale left my lips as my feet enjoyed their freedom. When I felt the couch dip next to me, I turned to face her.
“Good news?”
“Great freaking news! I’m leaving in a few days! “She squealed, not able to contain her excitement. I couldn’t blame her and instantly leaned in and gave her a congratulatory hug.
“I know you can’t wait to see your man!” I said, pulling away from her.
“Yes, I missed him so much. It didn’t help that the date kept getting moved because of some stup*d papers.” She rolled her eyes while I just smiled at her.
“But the good thing is, you are going home. Just make sure to invite me to the wedding.” I teased.
“Uh-huh, as if you weren’t getting an invite,” she said before the smile on her face began to change. I stared at her for a moment in confusion, wondering her mood switched. Comfort bit her lip nervously, hesitating before she spoke again.
“Will you…be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Mary,” she sighed, giving me a look of seriousness.
“I’m worried about you. I don’t want to leave if..,” stopping her, I grabbed her hands.
“Go.”
“I..,”
“Go. I will be alright. Don’t worry about me, Comfort. Live your life and be happy. We’ve talked about this before, remember?” She nodded.
“I love you, which means I want the best for you. Don’t even think about placing your life on hold for me. I would feel terrible if you do that.”
“But..,”
“If you keep this up, I won’t tell you about the amazing segz I have had with Abbey.” I attempted to joke, and she laughed.
“Oh no Romeo, where will I be without imaginary porn filling my brain?”
“Juliet Juliet,” I imitated the voice of a Shakespeare actor. “You shall be in hell.”
We tried to remain serious until we could no longer contain our laughter. Sitting close to one another and holding hands, we laughed until our stomachs began to cramp. Then when our laughter seized, we started to cry, sobbing like two children who had lost their favorite toy. Or a toddler who was being separated from their best friend.
“I’m gonna miss you,” I said through my tears.
“I’ll only be a country away,” we giggled despite the obvious sadness.
Truth is, I was sad that she’d be leaving. Although Comfort traveled often, we’ve never been apart for long. After meeting each other in school, we had been inseparable, except for when I was with John. Even then, that didn’t stop us from getting together. But I wasn’t just sad that Comfort was leaving, I was also glad, and ecstatic. I wanted to see my friend who’s been a sister to me live life to the fullest and be happy. And it wasn’t like I couldn’t visit her. I’d just have to budget my money.
“I’ll miss you too.” Sniffling, we wiped each other’s tears as we’ve done many times in the past.
“Now, what’s this about amazing segz?”
I bit back a laugh.
“Not telling you. Anyway, you’re the one that’s about to have segz as soon as you land.”
“Sure,” she said confidently with a grin, removing her hands from my face.
“Now, back to what I was saying,” she paused, giving me a thoughtful look. “Are you going to go through with the divorce?”
“Abbey is finding a lawyer for me.”
“I didn’t ask about a lawyer. I asked if you’re going through with it?” Comfort queried. Not a hint of irritation was in her voice, but her tone was pressing.
“Yes.”
The word hung in the silent room. The two of us stared at one another as the seconds ticked by. Her eyes seared into mine as if searching for something. I knew it came as a shock to her that I was going to leave, but it was time.
Seeing Gbenga must’ve made me snap, especially after listening to what he said. I was tired of going above my duty as a wife. Memories of all the fights, the way he treated me, the loss of my child, and how he left me outside caused my heart to ache. I lost so much and now I’m supposed to go back and fix everything?
Why?
Why me?
The last few months have been an eye-opener. I was already pondering on our marriage, wondering if it was worth staying, for I hadn’t put my ring back on.
Then the talks I had with Comfort kept swirling in my mind. Though I was still hesitant.
Finally, the conversation I had with Abbey unleashed something inside me. When he asked what being married is like and I couldn’t answer, it made me realize that the marriage was wrong.
~ Flashback ~
“Regardless of what? If he cheats? Gets angry? Doesn’t show love to you? Is that what it’s like to be married? To let your partner constantly get away with disrespecting you; hurting you. Letting them shirk their responsibilities and placing the blame on you is something I would want. Does that sounds like something I would want?” Abbey asked.
When he said that, it put my marriage into perspective. Almost as if I had an epiphany or something. Marriage shouldn’t be that way. My marriage to John should have been full of love and happiness, but it wasn’t. The thought of that hit me like a train and I wished for the second time that I had never become John’s wife.
“I’m still terrified of the possibilities, Comfort. I won’t lie, but I’m drained.”
I shook my head solemnly.
“I h@ťě thinking of going back there. He doesn’t love me and I…,”
She nodded. “It’s okay to still have feelings for him. You married him, loved him.”
“Yes, but I don’t want to. I still harbor feelings for John, but they aren’t intense. Not like before when I hadn’t met Abbey. There aren’t butterflies. There hasn’t been for a long time, but it scared me to leave. Even though I am, I must do this for myself. I’ve been brave this far, so I should keep going.” I paused.
“Right?”
“Right.” Comfort held her arms open, and we embraced once more. “I’m proud of you, Mary.”
“Sometimes I feel like you shouldn’t be,” I admitted and she tensed, parting from me.
“Why?”
“Because I’m like a stup*d kid being in the habit of relying on people and now making the choice to leave John.”
“Mary, you’re being independent now and it’s okay that…,”
“But I shouldn’t have to do it now. I should have been a stronger woman. I’m a twenty-eight years old woman who doesn’t have her life together..”
“Because you were forced to start over. There’s nothing wrong with that. Stop being so hard on yourself, sweetheart. You may not have much now, but you will in time. This apartment is yours. No one can take it from you unless you don’t pay the next rent. Besides that, it’s yours.
Also, no rule specifies you need to have things at a certain age or time. Stop overthinking and demeaning yourself, ok? Or else I’ll stay here instead of seeing my future wife.”
“Wow,” my eyes widened in shock. “You’re going to pull that card on me?” Comfort grinned, nodding her head.
“Yup,” she shrugged before hopping off of the couch. “Now enough tears. It’s time to celebrate with a drink.” On that note, I stood up as well, following Comfort to the kitchen.
“You know what?” I started slipping my feet into my heels. “Let’s go out for drinks. My treat.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said before going to her room and getting her shoes.
***
The following day, I followed Comfort to the airport. It was such an emotional moment for me. I drained my top with tears and she cried too. I would surely miss her; my friend, sister, and everything. Comfort promised she would never forget me. She promised to keep in touch, video call, and other stuff. She also promised that if things fall in place for her, she would make sure I come over to the UK, but on the condition I divorce John. I already told her Abbey was looking for a lawyer, but she must have thought I was joking. But truly, my mind was made up.
Going back to John seemed like going back to my vomit. If all these while he never cared to look for me, that shows how much he h@ťěd me. Then why go back to a place I was never loved?
Comfort gave me some money before I left the airport. I couldn’t thank her enough before bidding her farewell. I will miss my darling friend so much.
A week later, I bumped into Gbenga again. I wonder why it has to be him all the time. It was there and then he told me John was filing for divorce and I couldn’t be happier even though I pretended as if I was sad, but deep down I was elated.
Gbenga was mad at me for taking pills as a married woman and for making my husband feel very terrible. I couldn’t stand to exchange words with him. Instead, I walked away from him. He had been a great family friend and I could feel the sadness on his face. He badly wished John and I could reunite again but that looked like mission impossible.
Well, just as John wanted, the deed was done when Abbey got a lawyer. I got some parts of John’s properties after the divorce. So I moved on with my life at Comfort’s apartment. A part of me was really sad and another part was glad I did it.
When I informed Comfort about it, she was so happy and loud on the phone. I knew she had this hatred towards John right from time. She teasingly said it called for celebration, but I jokingly told her to shut up and we laughed over it.
Ever since she moved to the UK to be with her husband-to-be, she had been sending me silly pictures and videos of them loving up together. She made me feel jealous at times and each time I complain, she would always redirect me to Abbey. Silly girl.
Now that I got divorced, what next? Well, it’s been a long ride, so let me save you the long tales and abridge the story.
Abbey and I would have been a perfect match until we discovered our genotype. He was AS and likewise me. Too bad that I cried for two nights. I had fallen in love with him but it turned out we can’t end up forever if we consider our unborn kids. It was hard for Abbey but with time, he had to move on with his life.
Shola would have been a better replacement, but I don’t love him as much as I love Abbey. I think I just find him attractive and nothing more. Besides, I can’t imagine doing such to Abbey. Both of them were like brothers, so it would seem like a betrayer if I tie the knot with Shola. I knew he found me attractive, but I had to let him know we can’t end up together.
The reality was finally down on me as to the fact that I didn’t end up with either Abbey or Shola after leaving John. It was time to focus on myself and work.
Gradually, I was healing from the past and coming to terms with everything that happened in the past. Truly, people come into our lives and play different roles. Abbey and Shola had played their part. They have helped me discover who I am and what I really want but we were never meant to be forever.
It was all in the past now. I’m living in the moment currently, hoping, and believing that someday I would find someone who would love me like Abbey did. Someone who would cherish, adore, pamper, and tell me to my face that I deserved to be loved. Until I find that soul, I will continue to live, hope, and pray for a better life.
The end.
Frank The Writer
Been a long ride, guys. Trust you enjoyed reading about Mary and John’s marriage life.
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