Nene woke up to find herself in a hospital bed, the doctor smiled warmly at her…
”Ah madam Nene, you are up. What happened this time now. Did you fall down the stairs or run into another door?” Dr Omawunmi bent gently over her to look at the swelling at the back of her head.
It felt huge and Nene started to cry. "Now dear, pull yourself together. We are all clumsy sometimes and you have only a slight concussion.
You were very lucky not to have broken your neck but you know you can’t keep having these sort of accidents. This is the fourth time I have had you brought in unconscious by your husband,” she pointed out trying not to look like she was prying
“Do your parents know you are prone to having such “accidents”? the elderly doctor continued kindly
“Someone like yourself must surely be aware of the risks of having these many “accidents. I'm worried that one day you may not be so lucky to escape with only a mild concussion and I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news to your parents.
So, please try to take care of whatever appears to be leading to these unfortunate incidents."
Nene’s tears became a torrent and she found herself confiding in the kind elderly doctor.
“Doctor, it’s my husband, I think he wants to kill me so he can inherit my property and marry another wife.
He beats me at the slightest opportunity and I overhead him plotting to get rid of me with his mistress.
I even made a video diary of his activities and I have taken steps to protect my assets in the event of anything happening to me but he doesn’t know.
I'm just afraid to give up on my marriage and to bear the stigma of having failed as a wife and to also not have been able to have even one child to call my own. I don’t care too much about the money but I don’t want to be a divorcee.
“There, there my child,” Dr. Omawunmi said soothingly
“What is more relevant for you?" Dr Omawunmi asked “To bear the stigma of being a barren divorcee or for you to end up dead in a mortuary ehn?”
I too, have been through a divorce as I was in a similar position like yours. But I did not want to die at the hands of the unfortunate man I called my husband. So, after six years of abuse and three children I calmly packed myself and my kids and I left the man.
“I remember, back then I faced a lot of abuse, pressure and condemnation from friends and relations but I stood my ground and refused to go back to my abusive husband.”
“Four years later, I met my wonderful new husband who took up my three kids and me even as he had none of his and together we had two more children and raised five happy children between us."
“In the end, leaving that monster was the best decision I ever made for my kids and myself.”
“Think about it, do you ask yourself why God has been merciful in not letting you have any children with this lunatic?” the doctor asked. “If he abuses you in this way, then what will he do to your unborn children and why would you want to put your children through this type of horror?”
I have known for a long time that you have been the victim of domestic abuse. I see so many ladies just like you everyday in this hospital but not all of them have been lucky to come out of it alive.
My dear Nene, take the revelation you had of his plan with his mistress as a sign of God’s grace in your life and get out now while you can still walk and you are still alive, next time might be too late.
After Dr. Omawunmi left her bedside, Nene resolved to take the good doctor's advice and leave Zel as soon as she was well enough to.
A couple of days later she was discharged from hospital.
***
Nene got home and found it empty and unkempt. Her husband had not bothered to check in on her all through her stay in hospital and was unaware she was being discharged that day.
She started to pick things up around the house and found lying on the living room floor a pair of ladies briefs; some used condoms and an overnight bag she had never seen before.
She decided to leave the items where she found them and made sure the web cam she installed would have had a clear view of the area and captured all the activities around the house during her absence.
Nene went upstairs to check the contents of her web cam recordings and was shocked to see all what had been going on while she was away.
She felt silent tears begin to gush down her face. She packed a few clothes into her bag, changed the tape for the webcam, opened the drawer to retrieve all her legal documents, her certificates, bank papers and property, looked around her house and then deciding there was nothing else that could not be picked up later, she quietly slipped out of the house, ever grateful that Zel had not been at home when she came in.
Outside the house, she hailed a cab to take her to Ikeja.
She had decided to go back home to her parents.
To be continued
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