EPISODE SIXTEEN.
MY HUSBAND’S SECOND WIFE
(That which you seek, you shall find in abundance)
Seeing her dumbfounded expression, he rushed to explain, “There’s something you need to know — I live in a large house, and I don’t live alone. My kid sister stays with me. She’s also a final-year student at Lagos State University.”
“Even so, I can’t stay with you, but thank you for offering,” Winnie replied with a calm smile.
“Stop pushing people away, Winnie. I know you’re not ready for another relationship, and I’m not forcing you to be. I just want to help you out, and I believe the best way is for you to live in a new environment,” he said, trying to convince her. But Winnie shook her head.
“Nah, it’s fine. I can handle myself just fine,” she said, checking her time. “Wow! Look at the time already. I need to be on my way now. Thank you for dinner and for your help. I’ll make sure to call you tomorrow concerning the house.” Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
Christian nodded. “Alright, if you say so. Why don’t I drop you off?” he offered, standing up as he pulled out a wad of cash and dropped it on the table to cover their dinner bill. Written by Authoress Winnie . B. Onuh.
He might be the owner, but he still made sure to pay for every single meal.
Seeing him standing up with her, Winnie politely turned down his offer. “I drove here, so I can take myself home. You should probably head home too; it’s late and you need to rest. See you tomorrow,” she said, waving as she walked away — pretending not to notice the disappointment on his face.
She knew his intentions were genuine, yet she couldn’t bring herself to depend on him that much. She couldn’t accept too much of his help — she didn’t want to feel indebted to him in any way, especially since marriage or a relationship was the last thing on her mind.
Getting close to Christian might make her start developing feelings for him, and she wasn’t ready to give her heart or trust any man again.
Entering her car, she started the ignition and drove straight home.
Meanwhile, Christian, with no motivation left to head home, heaved a deep sigh and sat down again, ordering some alcohol.
He had always known Winnie was a difficult woman.
Anyone who had gone through what she had would naturally shut their heart to others — but why couldn’t she see that he was truly genuine and only wanted the best for her? Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
“How long is she going to keep shutting me out?” he muttered, pouring himself a glass.
At this moment, he really wished he had a friend to talk to. All his friends were married, and he didn’t have the heart to drag a married man out this late just for a chat, so he stuck to his thoughts and his drink.
But one thing he knew for sure — women like Winnie didn’t care much for words; they valued actions. The only way to earn their heart was to show, not tell, that you truly cared.
And that’s exactly what he was going to do.
“What if, at the end, she still refuses to marry you?” a small voice whispered inside him.
He shrugged it off, deciding to trust his instincts.
Meanwhile, Winnie arrived home, parked her car, and went straight to her apartment. But she was surprised to see Chioma standing outside at this late hour. Chioma’s usual routine was to watch movies until she fell asleep.
“What are you doing outside?” Winnie asked.
“Welcome, ma,” Chioma greeted her calmly.
“Thank you. Aren’t you watching your favorite show tonight?” Winnie raised her brows.
“Oga Solomon is inside the sitting room,” Chioma replied in a low voice.
“What?” Winnie frowned slightly. “What is he doing there?”
Chioma only shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s been sitting there since he came back from work.”
Hearing that, Winnie was filled with rage as she marched into the house. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
Sure enough, Solomon was lounging comfortably on the couch, watching television.
The moment he spotted her, he smiled mockingly.
“Coming back so late after meeting with your numerous boyfriends, huh?” he sneered.
“What are you doing here, Solomon?” she barked at him.
Instead of answering, Solomon raised his glass, downed the remaining drink in one gulp, and then spoke, his voice dripping with malice.
“I always knew you had a promiscuous side, Winnie. Isn’t that why I stopped you from going to school?”
His expression darkened as he continued.
“You fall for any man who shows you a little kindness. Isn’t that why you rushed to marry me so early — at the age of nineteen?”
He let out an evil laugh, while Winnie stood her ground, glaring at him in cold, furious silence.
“Listen to me, my wife,” Solomon said, his tone rising sharply. “Men are dangerous and cunning. Do you know the type of woman they love the most? Gullible women like you. They would use you and dump you — but I’m not going to let that happen, because you belong to me and me alone. Do you hear me?” he warned, his voice growing louder.
“You must be sick in the head,” Winnie spat at him with disgust. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh
“If you don’t carry your drunken self out of my home, I swear I’ll—”
“You’ll do nothing!” Solomon roared, instantly cutting her off. He shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Winnie, you will do nothing! This is my house! I built it with my money — and you are my wife!”
Winnie, refusing to be intimidated, dropped her bag on the table and reached inside to grab her phone.
But Solomon stormed toward her, shoving the bag aside. It crashed onto the floor, and Winnie watched helplessly as her phone hit the ground, its screen shattering on impact.
“Ahhh! Solomon, are you crazy?” Winnie screamed, furious beyond words.
“You haven’t even seen crazy yet, woman!” Solomon bellowed.
“I’ve had enough of you and your stupid attitude. Is it because of this?”
He pointed at her, then raised a paper in the air for her to see.
“You’re acting all high and mighty because of this?”
Winnie’s eyes narrowed as she realized it was their divorce papers — and right before her eyes, Solomon tore them into shreds.
“Now it’s all gone,” he said, his voice filled with menace. “This whole divorce nonsense is over. Pack your bags now and follow me back to the main house — unless you want to see what real trouble looks like tonight!”
He finished with a threatening glare, expecting her to cower in fear. Written by authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
But Winnie stood her ground, meeting his rage with unwavering defiance.
“Listen to me, Solomon,” she said, her voice sharp and steady. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
“If you think tearing up that paper changes anything between us, then you’re a complete joke, Mr. Man.”
Taking a bold step closer, she jabbed her finger hard into his chest.
“Try laying a finger on me, Solomon, and I swear — it’ll either be your burial or mine tonight. I’m not going down without a fight. Face it: we’re over and done! I have my life to live, and you have yours. So leave me the hell alone!”
“I made you, Winnie!” Solomon growled. “I picked up that little girl from the slums and turned her into something — and you think you can just walk away from me?”
Winnie scoffed at his words, her eyes burning with contempt.
“You mean to say you destroyed me. You picked up a naïve young girl and broke her. But not anymore, Solomon. I’m not nineteen anymore. You can’t destroy me any further.”
She pointed toward the door.
“Now get out!”
Solomon smirked and grabbed her roughly by the arms.
“You’re coming back to the main building with me,” he growled. Written by authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
Winnie shoved him away with force, yanking her hands free.
But before she could fully recover, Solomon turned and slapped her hard across the face.
Without hesitation, Winnie retaliated, delivering a stinging slap of her own.
Not stopping there, she grabbed his arm and sank her teeth deep into his flesh.
Solomon screamed in pain and, enraged, shoved her with all his strength.
She stumbled backward, crashing into the wall and feeling a sharp sting of pain shoot through her back.
“You evil b*tch! How dare you bite me?” he roared.
He stormed toward her, seized her by the hair, and began dragging her toward the door.
Winnie fought with everything she had, struggling violently against his grip.
But he was a man — his strength easily overpowered hers.
Still, she refused to give up.
Her eyes frantically darted around the sitting room, searching for anything she could use.
The moment her gaze landed on the flower vase on the table, she bit down on Solomon’s hand again, harder this time.
He yelped and released her.
Wasting no time, Winnie lunged for the table, grabbed the flower vase, and smashed it against his head.
For a brief moment, Solomon stood frozen, dazed.
He clutched his head as blood began gushing down his face.
“F*king btch!” he roared, staggering toward her.
Before she could reach the door, he grabbed her from behind and yanked her back violently.
Winnie struggled with all her strength, but Solomon swung his hand and struck her forehead brutally.
She nearly blacked out from the force of the blow.
Another punch landed hard against her stomach, then another, and another — each one more brutal than the last. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
But just as Solomon raised his fist again, it was as if an unseen force ripped him off the ground and hurled him toward the door.
He crashed against it with a heavy thud and collapsed on the bare floor, motionless.
Winnie, curled up on the floor, stayed in her protective position, expecting more blows.
On instinct, she shielded her stomach, as though protecting a child — just like she had done in the past, during other violent attacks.
She kept trembling, her hands tightly covering her stomach as flashes of the past tormented her mind.
Christian watched her, his heart bleeding at the sight of her crumbling like that.
In that instant, he felt an overwhelming urge to go back and kill her ex-husband for turning her into this wreck.
He turned, ready to storm off and finish Solomon, but froze in place when he heard Winnie whimpering — her voice soft, broken, pleading.
“Please don’t hurt my baby… please, I beg you, stop hitting my stomach…” she cried.
Christian clenched his fists tightly, fighting the rage boiling inside him. He let out a deep sigh and crouched down to her level.
When he gently touched her, Winnie flinched in fear.
“Hey, hey,” he whispered, his voice calm and soothing. “It’s alright. It’s me, Christian. You’re safe now. Open your eyes, please… I’m here now. Sorry for coming so late…”
Hearing his voice, Winnie blinked slowly and cautiously opened her eyes.
“Christian…?” she called out, uncertain if he was real or just another hallucination.
“Yes, baby, it’s me,” he replied softly.
Winnie wiped at her tears and looked around, confused.
“How… how did you get here?”
“I called him over,” Chioma spoke from the corner of the room, her voice shaky, her eyes swollen from crying.
When the fight had erupted between Winnie and Solomon, Chioma had been silently grateful that she had given Christian her number the day he asked for it.
She had dialed his line in desperation, explaining everything to him.
Christian had been close to his house when he got the call. Without hesitation, he reversed and sped back at the highest speed, thankful the road was clear — and he had also called the police on his way.
Winnie forced a weak smile onto her lips, but the pain still reflected in her eyes.
“Thank you for coming and…” she winced, hissing in pain.
Christian noticed the pain in her expression and gently lifted her from the floor in a bridal carry, his jaw clenched in anger. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh
“You’re coming with me,” he said, his voice firm and resolute. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”
To be continued.
