Efe Ward

Episode 18: The Rumors That Would Not Die

Blessing tried her best to stay indoors after Francis came to the apartment.

But rumors spread faster than silence.

Within one week, almost everybody in the area already knew her story.

Or at least…

The version people wanted to believe.

---

Some said she left because she found another man.

Some claimed she became proud after getting a job.

Others whispered that no woman would leave a good husband unless she was stubborn.

Very few people asked what truly happened.

And that hurt Blessing deeply.

---

One afternoon, she followed Stella to the market to buy foodstuff.

As they walked past different stalls, Blessing noticed women staring openly at her.

Some whispered immediately after she passed.

Others pretended not to notice her while secretly looking.

Blessing lowered her face quietly and held the shopping basket tighter.

She hated the feeling.

The feeling of being watched like a criminal.

---

At one of the vegetable stands, two women began talking loudly on purpose.

“These modern women don’t know how to endure marriage.”

The second woman laughed.

“At her age, she should have managed whatever she saw.”

Blessing froze beside the tomatoes.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Stella heard them too.

Immediately, Stella turned toward the women angrily.

“Endure what?” she snapped. “Beating? Starvation? Abuse?”

The women became uncomfortable immediately.

“We didn’t mention anybody,” one of them muttered.

“But your gossip has an address,” Stella replied sharply.

Blessing quickly touched Stella’s arm gently.

“Please let’s go.”

She did not have the strength for public drama.

Not anymore.

---

As they walked home quietly, Blessing suddenly spoke.

“Maybe they’re right.”

Stella stopped immediately.

“What?”

Blessing looked down sadly.

“Maybe I should have endured more.”

Stella stared at her in disbelief.

“Blessing, listen to yourself.”

Tears gathered in Blessing’s eyes.

“I failed.”

“No,” Stella said firmly. “You escaped.”

Blessing shook her head slowly.

“But why does freedom feel so painful?”

That question silenced Stella for a moment.

Because the truth was simple.

Sometimes survival comes with loneliness.

---

That evening, Blessing sat quietly near the window again while rain fell softly outside.

Her thoughts kept returning to Francis.

Not because she missed him.

But because trauma had tied fear and attachment together inside her heart.

She remembered the few moments he acted caring during their courtship.

The sweet promises.

The attention.

The hope.

And suddenly, she wondered if maybe she had given up too quickly.

---

Then her eyes moved slowly toward the faint scar near her wrist.

The scar from the day Francis pushed her against the kitchen shelf during an argument.

Immediately, reality returned.

Blessing closed her eyes painfully.

Love was not supposed to leave scars.

---

Later that night, her mother called again.

This time, her voice sounded calmer.

“How are you feeling?”

Blessing sighed softly.

“I’m trying.”

There was silence briefly before her mother spoke again.

“Some relatives came today.”

Blessing already knew what that meant.

“What did they say?”

Her mother hesitated.

“They think you should apologize and return to your husband.”

Blessing felt tears gather instantly again.

Even now…

People still wanted her to go back.

---

“Mama,” Blessing whispered weakly, “if I return there, I will die slowly.”

Her mother became quiet immediately.

Then softly, she answered,

“Then don’t go back.”

Blessing froze.

The words shocked her deeply.

Because for the first time…

Her mother sounded certain.

---

“I was afraid before,” her mother admitted sadly. “I cared too much about what people would say.”

Blessing wiped her tears slowly.

“But when I heard everything you suffered,” her mother continued, “I realized something.”

“What?”

“No mother should sacrifice her daughter for public opinion.”

Blessing broke down crying again.

Months ago, hearing those words would have healed her instantly.

But now…

Now they healed the wounded child still hiding inside her heart.

---

The next morning, Stella returned from work with surprising news.

“You won’t believe who came to school today.”

Blessing looked up nervously.

“Who?”

“Francis.”

Blessing’s body became tense immediately.

“What did he want?”

Stella dropped her handbag tiredly.

“He came looking for you again.”

Blessing’s breathing became uneven.

“What did he say?”

Stella sat down slowly.

“At first, he acted calm. He said he wanted his wife back.”

Blessing remained silent.

Then Stella continued.

“But when the proprietor told him you no longer worked there, his attitude changed.”

Blessing’s heart pounded.

“What happened?”

Stella sighed deeply.

“He became angry. He started blaming everybody for supporting you.”

Blessing lowered her eyes.

That sounded exactly like Francis.

---

Then Stella said something unexpected.

“One of the teachers confronted him.”

Blessing looked surprised.

“What?”

Stella nodded slowly.

“She told him no woman runs away happily. She said he should ask himself why all his wives kept leaving.”

Blessing froze completely.

Someone actually defended her publicly.

The thought alone made emotions rise inside her chest.

---

“What did Francis say?” Blessing asked quietly.

Stella gave a dry laugh.

“He walked away.”

Blessing sat silently for a long moment.

Then unexpectedly…

A small smile appeared briefly on her face.

Tiny.

Weak.

But real.

And Stella noticed immediately.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile properly.”

Blessing looked embarrassed and wiped her face quickly.

But deep inside…

Something was slowly changing.

---

That night, while lying on the small bed alone, Blessing stared at the ceiling quietly.

The pain was still there.

The fear too.

But now, another feeling was growing beside them.

Hope.

Very small.

Very fragile.

But alive.

And for the first time in many years…

Blessing finally began imagining a future that did not depend on marriage to feel complete.

---

Far away in Francis’s house, tension continued rising.

Neighbors now whispered openly whenever he passed.

Even some mechanics at his workshop had started asking uncomfortable questions.

“Why do your wives keep leaving?”

The question burned his pride deeply.

That night, Francis sat alone outside the compound thinking quietly.

Then for the first time…

A painful thought entered his mind.

What if Blessing was never truly the problem?

Episode 17: The Woman People Pointed At

Three days after leaving Francis’s house, Blessing finally stepped outside alone.

Not because she wanted to.

But because food in the apartment was almost finished.

As she walked slowly through the street with a scarf covering part of her face, her heart beat nervously inside her chest.

Everything felt strange.

Every glance from people made her uncomfortable.

Every whisper felt like it was about her.

---

At the small roadside shop, two women stopped talking immediately after seeing her.

Blessing pretended not to notice.

But as she bought bread and milk, she heard one of them whisper softly,

“That’s the woman who ran away from her husband.”

The second woman clicked her tongue.

“At her age too.”

Blessing’s chest tightened painfully.

She quickly paid for the items and left.

But their voices followed her all the way home.

---

The moment she entered the apartment, she dropped the nylon bag on the floor and sat down heavily.

Tears gathered in her eyes again.

She escaped abuse…

Yet somehow, society still treated her like the guilty person.

---

Later that afternoon, Stella visited her after work.

The moment she entered, she noticed Blessing’s swollen eyes immediately.

“What happened?”

Blessing laughed bitterly.

“People already know.”

Stella sighed softly and sat beside her.

“It was expected.”

Blessing shook her head painfully.

“No matter what happens, they always blame the woman.”

Stella looked at her quietly.

“Because many women stay silent. So people think suffering is normal.”

Blessing looked away.

Maybe Stella was right.

Maybe too many women had suffered quietly for too long.

---

That evening, Blessing’s mother finally arrived at the apartment.

The moment Blessing opened the door and saw her standing there, emotions overwhelmed her instantly.

“Mama…”

Her mother entered slowly and looked around the small room silently.

The apartment was simple and humble.

Nothing like the family house she left behind.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then suddenly, Blessing’s mother pulled her into a tight embrace.

And both women burst into tears.

---

“My daughter,” her mother cried softly. “Why did you hide all this pain from me?”

Blessing wept against her shoulder.

“I was ashamed.”

Her mother held her face gently.

“No marriage is worth your life.”

Those words broke Blessing emotionally.

Because this was the first time her mother openly stood on her side.

---

They sat together for hours talking.

Blessing finally told her everything.

The hunger.

The insults.

The beatings.

The control.

The endless suffering.

As her mother listened, tears rolled freely down her own cheeks too.

“I forced you into this marriage,” she whispered painfully.

Blessing quickly shook her head.

“No, Mama.”

But deep inside, both women knew the truth.

Fear had pushed Blessing into that marriage.

Fear of age.

Fear of loneliness.

Fear of public shame.

---

Suddenly, somebody knocked loudly on the apartment door.

Blessing froze instantly.

Fear returned immediately.

Stella looked toward the door carefully.

“Who is it?”

A familiar voice answered from outside.

“Open the door.”

Francis.

Blessing’s blood ran cold.

---

Her mother looked confused immediately.

“Francis is here?”

Blessing’s breathing became uneven.

Stella quickly stood up.

“You don’t have to open if you don’t want to.”

But the knocking became louder.

“Blessing! Open this door!”

Fear spread across the room instantly.

Neighbors were already beginning to peek outside curiously.

Blessing’s hands trembled badly.

---

Finally, Stella moved toward the door carefully and opened it slightly.

Francis stood outside looking angry and exhausted.

The moment he saw Blessing inside, his face hardened immediately.

“So this is where you’re hiding.”

Blessing remained silent.

Her mother stood up slowly.

“Francis,” she greeted nervously.

Francis barely acknowledged her.

Instead, his eyes remained fixed on Blessing.

“Pack your things,” he ordered coldly. “You’re coming home.”

Blessing’s chest tightened immediately.

“No.”

Francis looked shocked.

“What?”

“I’m not coming back.”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Even the neighbors outside became quieter.

---

Francis stepped into the room angrily.

“You think marriage is a joke?”

Blessing gathered courage slowly.

“No. But suffering is not marriage.”

Francis laughed bitterly.

“So now you speak boldly because outsiders filled your head?”

Blessing looked directly at him.

“No. I speak because I finally found my voice.”

That statement angered Francis immediately.

“You’re embarrassing me everywhere!”

Blessing’s eyes filled with tears again.

“You embarrassed me first.”

The room became silent instantly.

---

Francis moved closer aggressively.

“You belong to me.”

Blessing stepped back immediately.

“No,” she whispered firmly. “I belong to myself.”

Even Stella looked surprised hearing those words.

Because for the first time since escaping…

Blessing sounded strong.

---

Francis pointed at her angrily.

“You think any man will accept you after this?”

Blessing’s lips trembled slightly.

The old fear still hurt.

But not enough anymore.

“I’m not thinking about another man,” she replied softly. “I’m thinking about surviving.”

Francis stared at her in disbelief.

This was not the weak woman he controlled before.

Something inside her had changed completely.

---

Suddenly, Blessing’s mother stepped forward.

“She is not returning with you.”

Everybody froze.

Even Blessing looked shocked.

Francis frowned immediately.

“Mama, stay out of this.”

But the older woman shook her head firmly.

“My daughter nearly died in your house.”

Francis became speechless for a moment.

Then anger returned stronger.

“So all of you have turned against me?”

Nobody answered.

The silence itself became the answer.

---

Francis looked at Blessing one final time.

His eyes carried anger…

But also wounded pride.

“You will regret this,” he said coldly.

Then he turned and walked out angrily.

Outside, neighbors quickly pretended not to stare.

But everybody had already heard everything.

---

The room remained silent after he left.

Blessing slowly sat down with shaking legs.

Her mother held her hand gently.

“You were brave.”

Blessing looked down quietly.

For the first time in many years…

She finally felt like she was choosing herself.

And though fear still existed inside her heart…

Strength was beginning to grow beside it.

---

Far away at Francis’s house, his mother paced around furiously after hearing he returned alone.

“She refused to come back?” she shouted.

Francis sat down angrily without answering.

One of his sisters crossed her arms.

“That woman has changed.”

Francis lowered his head silently.

Yes.

Blessing had changed.

And deep inside him…

That frightened him more than anything else