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Episode 4: Beneath the Surface Lies More
The message haunted me.
> “So you chose her. Interesting.”
Five words. No name. No emoji. No clue.
I showed it to Ifeoma later that night. Her eyes narrowed.
“Amaka?” she asked cautiously.
“I don’t think so,” I replied. “She doesn’t strike me as the type to send cryptic threats.”
“But you can’t be sure,” she said, crossing her arms.
The silence that followed was thick. We both stared at the message like it might sprout arms and explain itself. Eventually, I blocked the number and deleted it.
But something had shifted again. This time, not between us—but within me.
—
That night, I visited Chima’s Grave in my dream.
As I sat beside the weather-beaten tombstone, I found myself talking out loud.
> “I did my best, bro. I promised to look after them. But it’s tearing my home apart. I never imagined loyalty could look like betrayal to others.”
The wind rustled through the trees, and for a strange moment, I imagined Chima answering:
> “You’ve done enough, Ifeanyi. Let them go now.”
I stood up with a heavy heart, determined to fully restore peace in my home.
—
But peace was not ready to return.
On Monday morning, Ifeoma’s best friend, Linda, visited our house. I was on my way out when she walked in.
“Ah ah, oga Ifeanyi,” she said, all smiles. “Still rushing out to see your other wife?”
I froze.
Ifeoma gave her a sharp look. “Linda, abeg no start this morning.”
Linda rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying what people are already saying. You think it’s only gossip in your compound? Even my church people are now asking me if Ifeanyi has moved in with Amaka.”
I clenched my fists.
“That’s a dangerous lie,” I said, barely holding back.
“Dangerous or not, perception is everything, sir,” Linda shot back. “You better be careful.”
I left before I said something foolish.
But my mind was boiling.
—
Later that evening, I got another message.
Another unknown number. This time:
> “She’s not telling you everything.”
Chills ran down my spine.
This wasn’t random anymore.
—
I drove straight to Amaka’s place. No mechanic excuse. No generator fix. Just the need for clarity.
She was surprised to see me.
“I thought you said you needed space?” she asked, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.
“I do,” I said, stepping inside. “But I need to ask you something important.”
She nodded, cautious.
“Has anyone threatened you? Or told you to back off from me? Have you received strange messages?”
Her expression changed instantly. She hesitated.
“Talk to me, Amaka,” I pressed. “My family is still in pieces. And now, someone is trying to light another fire.”
She finally spoke.
“Yes,” she whispered. “About two weeks ago. An anonymous call. A woman.”
“What did she say?”
“She warned me to ‘stop using pity to trap a married man.’ She said I’d regret it. That my own husband died, and I want to snatch someone else’s.”
I stood, stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to cause more problems,” she said. “And because… I was scared.”
—
I left her apartment with questions swirling in my head.
Who was behind this?
Linda?
Some nosy neighbor?
Or could it really be… Ifeoma?
No. I shook the thought away. She wouldn’t.
Would she?
—
I arrived home to find her in the kitchen, humming and cooking. Peaceful.
But now, every smile came with suspicion.
Every silence felt like a strategy.
That night, while she slept, I unlocked her phone with her fingerprint while pretending to hold her hand.
I wish I could say I didn’t find anything.
But I did.
A deleted WhatsApp chat… recovered in her Google backup.
A voice note to Linda.
> “She should be grateful I’ve not told him what I found. Let her keep acting innocent. When I strike, she’ll know I’m not soft.”
—
I stood over her sleeping frame.
My wife.
The mother of my children.
Plotting something.
Or maybe just venting. But why hide it?
The line between loyalty and betrayal had officially blurred.
And I no longer knew who the real enemy was.
—
🔥 To be continued in Episode 5: The Secrets Between Us
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