EPISODE ELEVEN.
MY HUSBAND’S SECOND WIFE
(That which you seek, you shall find in abundance)
“Don’t tell me you’re now suffering from early dementia?” Winnie snapped at him, her voice laced with rage.
Solomon stood speechless, the memory of serving her divorce papers flashing through his mind.
“Uhm… even so, you’re still in my house and—” he began, trying to sound firm.
But Winnie was already hissing loudly. Without another word, she got into her car and sped off, leaving Solomon standing there like a fool.
“Did she just walk out on me?” he muttered in disbelief. After standing there for a moment, he shook his head, marched to his own car, and drove off to work.
From the window, Anita had watched the entire scene unfold. Her fists clenched with quiet determination. She needed to get Winnie out of that house—and fast.
For Anita to fully take over, Winnie had to go. One way or another, she would make it happen. But first, she needed to get pregnant. Written by authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
Picking up her phone, she dialed the doctor, who answered almost immediately.
“Hello. I’m on my way to your office, and you must do everything to make sure I leave with hope for a positive result,”she said in a low, firm tone. Without waiting for a response, she ended the call.
“Who were you speaking with on the phone?” Mama’s voice suddenly cut through the air as she stepped into the sitting room.
Startled, Anita nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned quickly to face Mama, who was watching her with an inquisitive gaze. Written by authoress Winnie. B. Onuh
“Um… it’s my doctor. I have an appointment with him this morning,”** Anita replied hastily. Then, noticing Mama’s outfit, she added, “Are you going somewhere?”
Without suspecting anything, Mama nodded.
“Yes, I want to go back to my house in the village. The reason for my visit has been fulfilled. That witch is no longer married to my son, and it’s only a matter of time before she leaves this house completely. You, my dear, are already pregnant—** and that’s just excellent news,” she added with a satisfied smile.
Anita smiled too, though inwardly relieved that Mama was finally leaving. Still, she put on a sad expression.
“But Mama, I’ll miss you.”
“Don’t worry, my daughter. Just focus on preparing for the arrival of the baby. I’ll be back for the omugwo.”
Anita nodded, still smiling, and walked Mama outside. She then instructed the driver to take her to the junction where she could board a vehicle heading to the village.
At the gym.
“Girl, you look different this morning,” Christian said, walking over to Winnie with a smile the moment he saw her walk in. His eyes immediately scanned her outfit—and he wasn’t the only one. Several other guys at the gym were doing the same.
“Good morning to you too,” Winnie replied with a smile as she set down her water bottle and small bag, which held her handkerchief. Without wasting time, she went straight into warm-up exercises, with Christian following behind her. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
“Wanna tell me why you weren’t picking my calls?” he asked, stretching beside her.
“Could you count for me? I want to do some sit-ups,” Winnie said, casually ignoring his question as she moved toward the mat.
Christian, realizing she was dodging him again, shook his head and muttered, “Tough lady.”
He handed her a heavy dumbbell and began counting as she started her workout. She exercised for about twenty minutes before pausing to catch her breath.
“You wanna try it?” Winnie asked, glancing at Christian. He shook his head.
“Nah, I’d rather do a little skipping before lifting any weights.” Written Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
“Then off you go. Isn’t that why you’re here?” Winnie raised an eyebrow playfully, and Christian chuckled.
“No, I’m here to talk to you. So, if I help you with your exercise, will you talk to me?”
Winnie picked up the dumbbell again and shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
Christian began counting for her as she resumed her workout. Her main goal was to flatten her stomach again, even though it wasn’t really that big to begin with.
Noticing she had stopped to catch her breath, Christian spoke again. “Still finding it hard to believe your husband let you dress this s*xy for the gym…”
Winnie frowned at his words. “Are you trying to say that my outfit is bad, that it’s not fit for a married woman? Don’t tell me you’re one of those alpha males who controls what their wife should wear?”
Hearing the displeasure in her tone, Christian quickly corrected himself. “No, you’re misunderstanding me. I didn’t mean it like that. All I’m saying is, if you were my woman, I’d buy you clothes like that… but they’d be for my eyes only. And if you don’t want me to commit murder, then don’t wear it outside.”
When he saw that Winnie’s expression hadn’t softened, he added, “I mean, I’m the jealous type.”
“Well, I’m not your woman, and I never will be, so your opinion doesn’t matter,” Winnie replied indifferently. She stood up and walked over to grab some weights.
Watching her walk away, a smile crept into Christian’s dark eyes. “Never say never, girl,” he muttered to himself before deciding to let her be for now and heading over to the treadmill for a run.
Winnie, expecting him to follow her, was a bit surprised when he didn’t—but she didn’t let it show on her face. Instead, she plugged in her earphones and focused on her workout.
A few minutes later, Christian approached, handing her a bottle of water. “Here, have some water.” When she didn’t take it, he decided to apologize. “Alright, I’m sorry for what I said earlier, but I was being sincere. I thought you liked sincere people who don’t lie to you?”
There was just enough sarcasm in his eyes to raise her hackles. “Your plan today is to annoy me, right?”
“Don’t see it that way,” Christian said with a grin. “ I just want you to feel comfortable around me. Or is there still no such thing as friendly interaction between a married lady and a single guy?”
Winnie took the water from him, opened it, and took a sip before asking, “Why are you so determined to make me your friend? I’ve clearly told you I’m married. Shouldn’t you back off and look for single ladies to mingle with?”
Christian nodded thoughtfully before replying, “Maybe it’s because you don’t come off as a happily married woman, even though you’ve been married for a long time.”
“So, you think you can offer me the happiness my husband isn’t giving me?” Winnie retorted, her voice sharp. Christian went silent.
After a moment of silence, his thin, sexy lips parted as he said, “If you can answer this question truthfully, then I won’t disturb you again.”
“Okay.”
“Are you really happy in your marriage?”
“What does that have to do with you?” Winnie replied indifferently, her tone a question in itself. Christian shook his head.
“Don’t avoid the question. I just need an answer.”
Winnie remained silent, taking a moment to think. Part of her wanted to lie, but another part of her craved revenge for all the hurt she had endured in her marriage. While the best way she imagined getting back at her ex-husband was to pursue her dreams and become the best version of herself, another part of her wanted Solomon to feel the sting of what he had done to her. He had thought no genuine man would be interested in her because she had been married for nine years. Winnie wanted to prove him wrong.
Although she wasn’t sure if Christian was genuine or just playing with her, part of her felt it didn’t really matter—she wasn’t ready to give love another chance.
“I’m happily divorced.” She finally replied, and Christian was left instantly speechless.
He hadn’t expected that answer, and because of it, he wasn’t sure whether to sympathize with her or not.
“Are you joking?”
“Nope. My ex-husband and his new wife handed me the divorce papers three weeks ago, and I signed them,” Winnie explained casually.
Unable to fully process what she meant, Christian furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “Your husband’s new wife? You mean he married someone else?”
“The same day I lost my last baby due to his excessive beating, he took a new wife.”
“What an a**hole…”Christian cursed immediately, and Winnie chuckled lightly.
“Yeah, he’s really an a**hole.” She nodded in agreement.
“Did you sue him? Where are you staying now? Hope you took a whole lot of his property? Do you have a good lawyer? If not, my younger brother is a lawyer, and he’s damn good at his job. He…”
Winnie began to laugh at his serious expression, causing Christian to pause in confusion. “Why are you laughing at something so serious?”
“Because you look funny,” she replied, laughing even harder, and Christian smiled.
“You should laugh more. You’re beautiful when you smile. But are you okay?” He asked in concern.
His words made her stop smiling instantly. She opened her bottle of water, took a sip, and then spoke. “I’m fine. Instead of all that, I have a proposal. Are you interested?”
“A proposal? Okay, I’m in.”
“My ex-husband is one hell of a jealous and proud guy. I believe he handed me the divorce papers not because he actually wanted it, but because he expected me to beg him. So, I need… actually, forget it.” Winnie paused, unable to finish the sentence.
But being a guy who had seen a lot in the world, Christian could roughly guess what she wanted. He smiled and said, “You want a guy to play your new lover just to make him jealous, right?”
Winnie shrugged. “If you put it that way, yes. But I wouldn’t want to use you since you’re looking for something serious, and I’m not in for anything serious.”
Christian couldn’t help but grin at her words. “This idea is very childish, but I’m in. You can use me however you want.”
“Are you sure?” Winnie raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“I’ve been using a lot of girls for a while now, so letting myself be used for once isn’t a bad idea. Especially since I’ll be helping you get revenge on the guy who dared put his hands on you. Trust me, I’ll play the role of your lover perfectly.”
“But…” Winnie began, but he immediately cut her off before she could change her mind.
“Don’t back out now, baby girl. Remember, you’ve got to pay back whatever was thrown at you. You’re finally free from your marriage, and you can do whatever you want to make up for those years of unhappiness. I’m here for you, ready to be used however you like.”
Trying to tease him, Winnie folded her arms and asked, “Why should I choose you?”
“One, I’m a very handsome guy—you even confirmed it the first time we met. Second, I’m far from being broke. I’m loaded and can fund your lifestyle. And third, I know exactly how to treat a lady. My years of experience aren’t a joke.”
“What about your girls?” she asked.
“Told you, I’m bored of them.”
“Alright, you’re hired then.”
Christian beamed with happiness. He didn’t know why he was so happy over something that wasn’t even real, but maybe, deep down, he just wanted this lady to be happy—and he was ready to do anything to make sure the smile on her face stayed there for a long time.
“So, what time should I pick you up tomorrow, my lady?” he asked dramatically, and Winnie chuckled softly before replying, “Come around by six, and let me prepare you breakfast.”
“Then I’ll make sure not to eat tonight so there’ll be enough space for breakfast…” he said, and they both laughed. Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh.
“What’s the problem, man? You’ve been like this since morning,” Frank asked his friend and co-worker, Solomon. The two of them worked for the government, directly under the commissioner of education, overseeing government schools and federal universities.
Frank’s office was just next to Solomon’s, and since morning, during their meeting with some dignitaries, he noticed that Solomon kept drifting in and out of focus. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, so after the meeting, Frank followed Solomon into his office.
Solomon sighed deeply. The image of Winnie he saw this morning was still etched in his mind. He kept imagining how other men would be staring at her—maybe one of them would even want to ask her out.
“Solomon!” Frank tapped him to bring him back to reality.
“What is it? Did you say something?” Solomon asked absently.
“What’s going on? Did you lose money or something?” Frank asked, confused.
Solomon heaved a deep sigh and replied, “No, I didn’t.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Frank pressed.
“Man, if you saw what my wife wore to the gym this morning… you wouldn’t believe it. She was almost nak*d! And when I tried to stop her, she walked out on me! Can you imagine that?”
Frank blinked slowly, trying to process what his friend was saying. “So you’re telling me your new wife went to the gym in revealing clothes?”
“No, I’m not talking about Anita, I’m talking about Winnie! She was almost nak*d! What if—”
Frank blinked, a frown tugging at his lips. He wasn’t sure if Solomon was being serious; stared at his friend like he had lost his mind. “So you’re telling me you’ve been distracted all morning because Winnie wore revealing clothes to the gym?” he asked, barely holding back his laughter.
Solomon raised his eyebrows in confusion. “What’s so funny?” Written by Authoress Winnie. B. Onuh
“Guy, are you okay at all? Weren’t you the one who served her the divorce papers?”
Frank’s words hung in the air, but Solomon’s eyes hardened. He refused to admit how much it hurt even though it hurts.
“Those papers mean nothing.” He admitted although he knew he was just saying it to convince himself. “I could tear them up, and everything would be forgotten. I didn’t bring up the divorce because I don’t love her. I did it because I wanted her to beg me.”
Frank raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by Solomon’s words. The silence between them stretched as Solomon continued with enough conviction.
“After all, I haven’t given my lawyer the signed papers yet… Winnie’s still my wife.”
Frank: “…”
To be continued.
