FORGIVENESS IN MARRIAGE IS FREEDOM
Episode 1
“My name is Jane, and if someone had told me that love alone could not sustain a marriage, I would have laughed in their face. I believed love conquered everything. I was wrong.”
I met Alex while we were still in secondary school. He was quiet, respectful, and persistent. The first time he asked me to be his girlfriend, I turned him down. A few months later, he came back.
“Jane, please give me a chance,” he pleaded. I looked him in the eyes before answering.
“I’ll agree on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t ever break my heart.” He smiled confidently.
“I promise. I never will.” I believed every word.
Our relationship grew stronger with each passing year. Alex became more than a boyfriend. He became my closest friend, my safe place, and the man I imagined spending the rest of my life with. One afternoon, he invited me to his house to help him prepare a meal.
After we finished eating, we joked around like we always did. One thing led to another, and we became intimate for the first time.
I gave him something I had promised myself I would only give to the man I truly loved. I never regretted it because, in my heart, I was certain Alex would become my husband.
As the years passed, our love only grew deeper.
Alex came from a very poor family. My parents weren’t wealthy either, but they believed they could find someone “better” for me. From the beginning, they disapproved of him.
“That boy has nothing,” my father would always say.
“You deserve a better future.” But I refused to listen.
“I love Alex,” I told them. “If I can’t marry him, then I’ll remain single.” Those words only made things worse.
One afternoon, Alex came to our house to see me. Instead of welcoming him, my father humiliated him.
“I don’t ever want to see you near my daughter again,” he shouted.
“If you keep coming here, you’ll regret it.”
Alex left without saying another word, but I knew how deeply those words had wounded him. When I heard what had happened, I was furious. That night, I packed a small bag, quietly left my parents’ house, and went straight to Alex’s place.
I never returned home.
Weeks passed before my parents found out where I was staying. They pleaded with me to come back, but my mind was already made up.
Eventually, they realized they couldn’t separate us. Fearing I might become pregnant before marriage, they called Alex.
“If you truly love our daughter,” my father said, “come and marry her properly.”
Alex had very little money. Together, we struggled to raise enough for the traditional marriage rites.
The day he paid my bride price was one of the happiest days of my life. I believed every battle was finally behind us. I couldn’t have been more mistaken.
Barely two months into our marriage, I noticed something unusual. Every time Alex wanted us to be intimate, he insisted on using protection.
At first, I ignored it.
But after several weeks, curiosity got the better of me.
“Alex,” I asked one night, “we’re husband and wife now. Why do you still insist on this every single time?”
He looked at me for a moment before replying. His answer changed everything.
To be continued…
