FORGIVENESS IN MARRIAGE IS FREEDOM
Episode 2
Alex sighed before answering my question.
“Jane, we’re not financially ready to have children.” I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I can barely take care of the two of us. How do you expect me to provide for a baby? School fees, food, hospital bills… I’m not ready.” His words broke my heart.
Like many newly married women, I dreamed of becoming a mother. I wanted to carry my own child. I wanted to build a family with the man I loved.
“God will provide,” I told him many times.
“The same God who blesses us with children will also make a way.” But Alex refused to change his mind.
Months turned into months, and nothing changed. I kept my pain to myself. Not even my parents knew what was happening inside my marriage. As people around us welcomed babies into their homes, fear slowly crept into mine.
What would people think?
Would they believe I couldn’t conceive?
Would they whisper behind my back? Those thoughts kept me awake at night. Eventually, I decided to confide in my childhood friend, Sandra. She came over one afternoon while Alex was at work. The moment she sat down, I burst into tears. I told her everything.
She listened quietly until I finished. Then she leaned closer.
“I think I have an idea.”
“What is it?” I asked hopefully. She lowered her voice.
“If he’s always using protection, find a way to damage it without him noticing.” I stared at her.
“You’ll become pregnant, and he’ll never know.” For a long moment, I didn’t know what to think. Part of me knew it wasn’t right. Another part of me desperately wanted a child. Desperation won.
The following night, I encouraged Alex to be intimate with me. Just as always, he used protection. During the moment, I secretly did exactly what Sandra had suggested.
Three months later…
I missed my monthly cycle. A hospital test confirmed it. I was pregnant. I couldn’t contain my excitement. At last, my dream of becoming a mother was coming true. But my joy lasted only until Alex found out. He stared at me in disbelief.
“This pregnancy isn’t mine.” My heart nearly stopped.
“What are you saying?”
“I’ve been careful every single time. There’s no way this child belongs to me.” I tried explaining, but he refused to listen.
For the first time since we met, Alex raised his hand and slapped me. The pain on my face faded faster than the pain in my heart. The next morning, he packed my belongings.
“I want a divorce,” he said coldly.
“I’ll never stay with a woman who cheated on me.” With tears running down my face, I confessed everything. I admitted what I had done and why. Instead of softening, his anger only grew stronger.
“I told you I wasn’t ready to become a father,” he shouted.
“You must terminate this pregnancy.”
I shook my head immediately.
“Never.”
“I will never harm my child.” He threw some money onto the table.
“Use this for the abortion… or leave my house forever.” I looked at the money. Then I looked at the man I had sacrificed everything for. At that moment, I realized my marriage had reached a crossroads.
The decision I made next would change both our lives forever.
To be continued…
