MY HUSBAND’S SECOND WIFE Episode 24 – Authoress Winnie .B. Onuh

EPISODE TWENTY FOUR.

MY HUSBAND SECOND’ S WIFE
(That which you seek, you shall find in abundance)

“Nurse, please, can I get a DNA test on this child?” Mama asked, her eyes fixed on the nurse, who was slightly taken aback by the request.

She glanced between the tired-looking Anita on the bed and Mama, whose face wore a cold, unreadable expression. After a brief pause, the nurse nodded awkwardly. Written by Authoress Winnie . B. Onuh.

“Okay, ma. Can I get the samples?”

Mama nodded and handed the child to the nurse—just as Anita weakly raised a hand to stop her.

“No need,” she said. “Bring my child back.”

The nurse paused, then slowly turned around and returned the baby to her mother. Anita cradled the baby and smiled faintly at her cute, pretty face before lifting her gaze to Mama.

“This child doesn’t belong to Solomon,” she said quietly, “and somehow, I’m glad I don’t have a child for him. That way, I won’t end up fearing that my baby will grow up to be like her father.” She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Written by authoress Winnie b Onuh.

“Your son is a monster. You raised a monster. And I hope he never hears the cry of a baby until he apologizes to all the women he’s wronged.”

Mama said nothing. She just stared at Anita with a calm expression, hiding the pain that twisted deep inside. Her last hope of having a grandchild had just slipped away.

“You think you’re innocent?” she scoffed, finally breaking her silence.

The nurse, still holding the sample kit, stood quietly in the corner, watching the drama unfold with rapt attention.

“You think my son is the only one who wronged Winnie? That’s a lie—because you were an accomplice too!” Mama snapped, her voice rising. “You pushed him to divorce her, and you’ll reap the consequences of your actions. Since you claim I didn’t raise my son right, tell me—what about your own mother who raised a pr**titute like you?”
She pointed accusingly at Anita, venom in her voice.

“Now you’ve given birth to a ba*tard. A child with no father. If only you had managed to keep your legs closed and given birth to my son’s child, at least there would’ve been some wealth left for her. But now? She’ll grow up in poverty!” Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.

Anita let out a weak laugh as soon as Mama finished. Though she was clearly in pain, the old woman’s rant amused her.

“Your son is broke,” Anita said, her tone laced with mockery. “Dead broke. The house and cars? Soon to be seized by the bank. The money he kept? Winnie took it. She tricked him into believing she didn’t want a dime, then cleared the account and took over his last business—the boutique. And guess what? He’s also been fired from his job.”

She paused, her voice now sharper.

“As things stand, I might be richer than Solomon. You’d better find your son and take him back to the village to retrain him—before it’s too late.”

Mama’s face darkened. Her hand twitched, as though she was about to slap Anita, but she stopped herself at the last moment. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.

“You evil wtch with a b*tard child,” she hissed. “I’d love to see how you plan to raise that girl.”

With that, Mama stormed out of the hospital, her heart heavy and mind racing.

What Anita had just told her disturbed her deeply. As she reached the hallway, she fumbled for her phone and began dialing her son’s number—again and again. But the line wouldn’t go through.

---

“Is he awake?” Black asked as he stepped into the warehouse.

The hefty man nearby shook his head. “Not yet, boss. But I can wake him.”

He grabbed a bottle of water and splashed it onto Solomon’s face. Solomon jolted upright, eyes flying open as he looked around, disoriented and panicked.

“Bring him here. Sit him down,” Black ordered.

The men dragged Solomon over and dropped him onto the empty chair facing Black. Solomon looked down at his bandaged hands, terror flooding his eyes as the memory of how he lost them came rushing back.

“I would’ve loved to keep playing with you,” Black began calmly, “but my boss asked me to let you go.”

He paused, leaning in slightly.

“But… if I ever hear that you tried to hit another woman with your legs, I will find you—and next time, I’ll cut those legs off.” Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.

Black slowly reached for his knife and held it in his hand. “Now, when people ask what happened to you, what will you say?”

Solomon stared back in silence, his throat dry. But as soon as he saw Black’s fingers tighten around the knife handle, he panicked and stammered, “I… I had an accident.”

Black smiled faintly. “Good boy.”

Then, turning to his men, he said, “Take him back to his gate and drop him off.”

“Okay, boss.”

Black turned and began walking toward the exit. But just as he reached the door, he paused like something had just occurred to him. He turned back, strolled up to Solomon again, leaned down, and whispered coldly:

“Almost forgot. Don’t ever bother your ex-wife again. She’s not yours anymore. She’s way beyond your league now. Understood?” Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.

Solomon nodded quickly, not trusting himself to speak.

“Good boy,” Black said again, patting his head mockingly before finally walking away.

The men grabbed Solomon by the arms, dragged him out of the warehouse, and drove him straight to his gate. They opened the car door, shoved him out, and drove off without another word.

A Few Months Later.

Winnie had finally settled into her new home. Chioma, whom she now saw as a younger sister, lived with her, and Chioma’s mother had become both a guardian figure and her housekeeper.

Winnie never knew the love of real parents. She had grown up with step-parents who barely acknowledged her existence. They had practically sold her off to Solomon at an early age. Back then, she had agreed—drawn in by Solomon’s handsome face and sweet promises. He had told her he’d send her to school and give her a good life.

But as the years passed, and they turned a blind eye to the bullying and abuse she endured in that marriage, Winnie had come to accept the painful truth: she was alone. An orphan in every sense of the word.

Now, she was rewriting her story. She had enrolled at Lagos State University to study Fashion Design, a course she was passionate about. And through it all, Christian had been by her side. Their relationship had grown so strong that not a day passed without them hearing from each other. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.

Angela had kept her word too. She found herself a sweet, handsome man—but Christian only approved of the relationship after having his men follow the guy for months to be sure he was genuinely good for her.

As for Anita, life had taken a hard turn. After selling her last belongings to pay her hospital bills and find a small place to stay, she struggled to feed herself and her baby. She tried to track down the doctor who had helped her, but found the hospital shut down by government officials over illegal activities. The doctor had reportedly fled to India.

With nowhere else to turn, Anita made a decision—for the sake of her child. She chose to live righteously, swearing off her old ways. She refused to go back to sleeping around and instead borrowed money to start a small POS business by the roadside.

Meanwhile, Solomon’s life had completely unraveled. After the bank repossessed his house and cars to recover a failed business loan, he was forced to move back into his mother’s house. Depressed and helpless, he wallowed in misery—made worse by the fact that he had no hands, no job, and no purpose.

His mother watched him waste away until one day, she snapped. Written by Authoress Winnie . B. Onuh.

“If you don’t find a way to be useful,” she warned him bitterly, “I’ll throw you out of this house.”

The words pierced him. For the first time in a long while, Solomon woke up with a plan. He wanted to find Winnie—to apologize, to beg for forgiveness, and maybe… just maybe, to ask for a second chance.

He had been secretly stalking her on social media and knew she was studying Fashion Design at Lagos State University. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.

That morning, Solomon made his way to the university, found her department, and waited quietly outside, hoping to see her… and hoping she’d listen.

Winnie stepped out of her lecture room, utterly exhausted. She couldn’t wait to get home, eat, and collapse into bed.

They had just finished a series of practical classes, and it had been a draining day. To make matters worse, the scorching sun beat down on her relentlessly as she made her way toward where she had parked her car.

Just as she was about to unlock it, a voice called out from behind.

The voice was too familiar. She froze. Slowly, she turned around—and there he was.

Solomon.

Her ex-husband.

But this wasn’t the proud, arrogant man she once knew. This version of Solomon looked broken, worn out, and… incomplete. His hands were gone. If she hadn’t known him for years, she wouldn’t have recognized him.

“Hello, Winnie,” he said with an awkward smile, clearly embarrassed just standing in front of her.

“You look… different. Very beautiful,” he added when she didn’t say a word, only stared at him blankly.

“What happened to your hands?” Winnie finally asked after a long silence.

Solomon raised the stumps slightly and forced a smile. “Had a little accident. Nothing serious.”

Winnie raised a brow, unconvinced. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you.”

“Me? What for?”

The question made him visibly uncomfortable, but he didn’t blame her. Not after everything he had done.

“I… I have something I need to discuss with you,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Winnie sighed. “My man won’t like that. He gets really angry when it comes to me interacting with men like you.”

Solomon gave a small nod. “I don’t blame him. I was once like that.”

She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Alright. Follow me. I know a place.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked toward her car. As they got in, her mind kept circling the same question: What kind of accident takes both hands? But she didn’t ask again—he clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

They drove to a small café near the campus. After parking, they found a quiet table and ordered some cold drinks.

“So,” Winnie began, her tone neutral, “what do you want to talk to me about?”

Sitting across from him now, she felt a strange mix of emotions. If Solomon were still the proud man she once lived with, she might have felt anger. But now, seeing him like this, all she felt was pity—a feeling she didn’t want to have for someone who had nearly destroyed her life.

By now, she should have been a mother of three. Instead, she had no womb. Her last miscarriage had damaged it beyond repair. She could never have children again—a secret she had yet to share with Christian.

Solomon leaned forward slightly. “Winnie, I know I did terrible things to you. Things I can never undo. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I had to come and say this. My conscience won’t let me rest. I’m truly sorry… and if you could just forgive me, even if only to give me peace of mind, I’d be grateful.”

Winnie let out a cold chuckle and nodded slowly.

“You want peace of mind?” she said, eyes narrowing. “I guess you’re broke now, right?”

She leaned back in her chair, arms folded.

“Because if you weren’t broke, you’d be living it up with some new baddie by your side. You wouldn’t even remember my name. But now that you’ve lost everything, suddenly—poof—you remember Winnie?”

“I’m sorry. I was wrong,” Solomon admitted, his expression solemn. “But I think life has already given me a fair share of karma. I have nothing now. My house and car were taken by the bank to recover a loan I used for a failed business. Everything came crashing down. For the past few months, I’ve been living with my mother—and trust me, it’s been far from easy.”

Winnie tilted her head slightly. “What about your fruitful wife?” Written by Authoress Winnie . B. Onuh.

At the mention of Anita, Solomon’s face darkened. He still blamed her for part of his downfall.

“She gave birth… but the child wasn’t mine. My mother left her at the hospital, and that was the last I heard of her.”

Winnie nodded slowly. “So, you came all the way here for my forgiveness? Which part of the forgiveness exactly? Because, Solomon, I have a whole list.”

She chuckled bitterly, then looked him straight in the eye.

“You robbed me of the chance to be a mother. I can’t ever give birth again—ever—because of you. I had three pregnancies, and you took them all away from me. You made me feel worthless. I lost my self-confidence, my identity… the pain you caused me runs deeper than you can imagine. And I could keep counting—the list goes on and on.”

Solomon’s eyes welled up. For the first time in five months—since he lost his hands—he truly felt like he deserved everything that had happened to him.

“I’m really sorry, Winnie… please, have mercy on me. I was stupid. Blind and stupid,” he said, choking back his tears.

Winnie sighed and looked away for a moment. Then she turned back to him, her face calm but unreadable.

“It’s fine,” she said softly. “I mean… dwelling on the past won’t change it. Nothing can undo what you did. But I forgive you, Solomon. I forgive you for almost destroying my life.”

Those words hit Solomon like a wave. Hearing her forgive him only made the emotions swell more, and he broke down, sobbing like a child.

Winnie sat still, staring at him without a trace of emotion. Forgiving him wasn’t easy. It never would be. But she knew she had to let go of the pain in order to be truly free. Written by Authoress Winnie. B . Onuh.

“Thank you, Winnie,” Solomon said through his tears. “I… I really appreciate it.”

“But…” she said, her tone shifting. “If I can’t have a child, then neither should you. That’s only fair, don’t you think?”

She smiled faintly and gently stirred her drink with her straw. Then she checked her wristwatch and saw that it was almost time—Christian would be arriving soon.

“Lastly,” she added, standing slowly, “I’m giving back your boutique. Not because I feel pity for you, but because I don’t want to keep anything that ever belonged to you. And after today… I don’t want to see you again.”

Solomon’s eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn’t believe it. Not only had she forgiven him—she had just given him his life back.

“Winnie, how can I ever—”

“Shhh,” she cut him off firmly. “I don’t want to hear any more of your apologies. They make me sick.”

Her voice was calm, but final. “I’ll inform my staff that they’ll be getting a new boss tomorrow. Keep them—they’re good people. You can pick your life up from there. We’re done here.”

With that, Winnie stood up. For the first time in a long while, she felt a little lighter, a little freer.

She had already purchased another location to open a branch of her fashion house. Though it was still under construction, she was pouring all her energy—and everything she was learning in school—into it. Knowing it was built from her sweat and hard work filled her with pride. That’s why handing the old boutique back to Solomon didn’t hurt. It meant nothing to her anymore.

As she drove home, Winnie made a quiet promise to herself: she would tell Christian the truth. The truth about her womb… about how she could never have a baby again.

She was scared—scared that he might leave her. Losing a good man like Christian would break her heart.

But whatever decision he made, she was ready to face it.

To be continued.