Chapter 001

“I can’t believe it’s two years already!” Sarah screamed with excitement written all over her face, staring at the wedding photo she clasped in her hands.

She smiled and kissed her husband in the photo. “I love you, Charles,”

She placed the photo in the middle of the table on the left side of the room with little red flowers spread on and beneath it.

She glanced at the bed and seeing how she had spread flowers all over it, she clapped her hand, impressed by the low-budget decoration she just completed with her annual savings.

Yes! She was halfway through fulfilling her dream- a romantic dinner date with her husband on their wedding anniversary, surrounded by flowers, regardless of the venue.

It was her and her husband, Charles’s second wedding anniversary, and because of their financial struggle, she wanted to celebrate it within the room since they canceled the first anniversary because her mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital and Charles used their savings to settle his mother’s bills.

“Charles will love this,” she whispered. Her husband has been sullen lately, which she believed was because of their financial struggle. So, she spent more than planned to impress and cheer him up.

“I should dress up now. It’s our wedding anniversary, so I should look stunning to my husband. I want this day to be a memorable one for us,”

She turned to the bathroom, and because of the excitement running through her at that moment, her soul controlled her feet. She increased her speed and rushed into the bathroom.

*Minutes later*

After soaking herself in Bergamot oil water, Sarah took her bath with another flavored water and finally got out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

She rubbed her body with a lavender-scented oil and put on a green gown which was the newest in her closet. She started saving up for it months ago, but could only afford it last week when it was sold at the cheapest price.

She applied lip gloss and turned around to the table. She ceased taking another step, remembering her best friend, Sandra, gifted her some makeup tools.

She veered around and paced to the wardrobe. She took out the kit and stared at it for a second. She picked up the face powder and patted it on her face. She used an eye pencil on her lashes. “Perfect!” She uttered.

“And… what’s next?”

She applied red lipstick to her lower lip and rubbed her lips together until it spread.

She looked at herself in the mirror and rubbed her hands together as she jumped up. “You’re hot, Sarah. Charles made the right choice,” she admired herself. It’s been a long time since she last looked at herself in the mirror that she almost forgot how endowed she was before the marriage.

Sarah was never a lazy person, but marriage made her so busy that she had no time for herself. Her days rotated between doing five to seven part-time jobs so she would raise enough money to assist her husband in paying his mother’s medical bills and her sister’s school fees.

“What more can a man wish for?”

Sarah fanned her face with her right hand, already feeling heat. The last time she wore makeup was on her wedding day, so her face couldn’t get used to it.

She heard a knock on the door and glanced backward. “He is back,” she whispered.

“Coming, sweetheart,” she raised her voice a little. She pushed the makeup kit aside and looked around for a second to make sure there wasn’t anything that needed an amendment.

She walked to the mirror and had another glance at herself before turning around to the door. She took a step and suddenly became nervous, causing her to stop.

She knew it was out of excitement, so she inhaled slowly and exhaled in the same manner to calm herself. She brightened her smile and continued walking in a long stride, her heel gently hitting the ground.

She stealthily opened the door so Charles wouldn’t see the surprise yet, but he seized the door from her and banged in.

Sarah closed the door and veered around. “Sur-”

She couldn’t complete her statement before Charles glanced backward at her. He furrowed his face, stretching his arms. “What are you celebrating? Why is the room decorated?”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “Hun!”

She withered her face in disbelief. How can her husband forget what a special day it was? She took a step forward. “Have you forgotten what today is?” She raised a question. “It’s our-”

“Wedding anniversary.” He cut her off.

Sarah half closed her eyes and sighed, her hand on her chest. “Gosh. You scared me already.” She uttered. She moved closer to him with her arms spread out. “Happy anniversary to us, darling.”

“Is today worth celebrating?”

His question made her freeze and for a second, she couldn’t bring her arms down.

She felt a stone thrown at her chest and with her mouth densely opened and her eyes fixed on his, she asked, “What do you mean, sweetheart?” Her furrowed face matched her confused tone.

Charles moved his head forward, raising his voice. “Don’t play innocent, Sarah. You know what I mean. There are always bills to pay. My mother’s medical bills are piling up and there’s also my sister’s tuition fees, yet you’re wasting money on unnecessary things. While I’m working hard every single day, struggling to provide for the family,”

 He moved his head backward and lowered his voice. “With all these responsibilities, how is a wedding anniversary all you could think about?”

He ground his teeth and pointed his finger at her face. “You’re inconsiderate and only care about yourself and what will make you feel happy. Do my happiness and my family’s happiness mean nothing to you?”

Sarah was confused, but she couldn’t raise her voice back at him. “Charles, please calm yourself. I didn’t withdraw from our joint account. All I spent on this is my money. From my savings,” she talked persuasively. “I’ve been saving up for this since last year.”

Charles nodded. “Okay,” he uttered. He rounded his arms over his waist, questioning, “But what will it cost to add it to the fund for family affairs? You’re married, yet you’re claiming personal money? Is the wedding anniversary supposed to be your priority or my family?”

“I care about your family. I do, and you know I really do, Charles. But this is also about me. I deserve happiness, don’t I?” Sarah protested, her voice getting higher after every word.

She hit the left dorsal surface on the right palm and furthered with a lower voice. “I worked harder to save up for this. I made sure it wouldn’t affect us, and it didn’t. Believe me. You can contact the bank to confirm it.”

Charles scoffed. “Oh. You aren’t working hard for my family’s sake?” He asked. “All you’ve always done is for your interest, yet you make it seem like you’re my angel.”

Sarah’s eyes went wide, her mouth agape, as if she’d been punched in the gut. “And am I not?” She asked in a low voice.

Charles pointed his right finger at her face with his left hand around his waist. “Not after I know about your true intention, Sarah,” he talked harshly. “You’re talking back at me because of the little you contribute to assist me?”

“What?!” Sarah frowned at his last line. She placed her hand on her chest and scoffed. “Me?! Contribute a little?”

Charles joggled. “Yes.” He boldly confirmed.

Sarah couldn’t help but scoff at his words as she clapped her hands twice. She didn’t mind apologizing, but she had to clarify something. “Don’t you think you should reverse that statement, Charles?”

“Why will I reverse it?” Charles questioned, and she gave an immediate response.

“Because I’m not contributing a little. I contribute more than you. I think it’s even safe to claim I shoulder all this family’s responsibilities,”

“Have you forgotten? I’ve over five part-time jobs while you’ve just got one. Compare my income with yours. Will you still claim to be superior?” She asked. “What you earn in a month can’t be compared to what I earn in just two weeks.”

Sarah’s accusation was true, but Charles didn’t expect that statement to come out of her mouth, and since he had nothing to say, he dug his hand into his pocket and slightly cast his face downward.

Sarah sighed. She hated seeing Charles feeling embarrassed, so she felt guilty. She took a step closer and placed her hand on his shoulder, speaking calmly. “Charles, I didn’t expect you would make a big deal out of this, especially when we canceled the first anniversary because of your mother. Have you forgotten?”

Charles aggressively took her hand away from his shoulder and he looked up at her face. “So?” He raised his voice. “We canceled the first anniversary, which I never intended to celebrate because of my mother’s medical bill, but what will it cost to do the same again? Is this because you no longer care about my mother’s health?”

“I do!” Sarah yelled, banging her right fist on the left palm.

“I care so much about your mother that I won’t mind doubling my hustle to make sure she doesn’t lack all she needs to be healthy,”

She exhaled softly and pointed to the flowers on the bed and the dining table before she looked at his face again, placing her hand on her chest. “This will make me happy, Charles,” she spoke in a weak tone. “This doesn’t cost much. Sandra got most of them. You can ask her.”

Charles nodded. “Okay,” he agreed, but not yet convinced. “What about the dress? It’s a new one. Did Sandra give it to you as well?”

“I got this with my money, but at the cheapest price. Besides, Charles, this is the only dress I got for myself in a long time, and I changed your sister’s wardrobe when she got college admission,” she expressed. “Didn’t I do that to make you happy? This is a special day for us, and I believe it is worth it.”

“To you, it may. But to me, it’s just a waste of funds we don’t have. No matter how cheap this dress is, it’s enough to get one of mom’s pills.” Charles proceeded with his hurtful statement.

Sarah’s mind was already boiling in anger, and the urge to yell again filled her heart, but knowing it wouldn’t help, she discharged a deep breath to calm herself. To her, it was still a special day, so she didn’t want an argument or anything to ruin it. “My mistake. I accept the blame and I’m sorry.” She apologized.

She beamed, placing her right hand on his shoulder and the left on his chest. “Don’t worry, dear, I’ll make up for what I spent. Celebration first and we’ll discuss the rest later,” she said seductively.

She took her hands off him and licked her lips as she paced to the table while Charles turned his neck and escorted her with his eyes. “I prepared your favorite,”

She winked at him, opening the plates. “Pounded yam with isapa and Egusi. I added a lot of smoked fish just like you always wanted it.”

Charles veered around and immediately as his eyes landed on her body, he stared downward. “Sarah.” He called in a low voice, but loud enough for her to hear him.

She faced him, maintaining a radiant smile. “What’s it?” She asked. “Feeling guilty already?”

She chuckled softly and slightly waved her hand, giving a ‘no big deal’ expression. “Don’t worry, darling. Everything will be fine. I believe,” she said. She took a plate down from the other, ready to serve the meal. “Let’s eat. We’ll discuss it later. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

“Everything would have been fine already, but there’s a hindrance,” he informed and immediately, as she raised her head, willing to ask what was wrong, he proclaimed, “and you, Sarah, is the only hindrance.”

Sarah furrowed her face, her mind struggling to process his statement. She had a question in her mind, but her mind couldn’t split it out.

Seeing the expression on Sarah’s face, Charles felt it would be great to quickly announce what he had in mind. He adjusted his standing posture, preparing to reveal what he had been hiding for a while, but he didn’t have the courage to say it.

“What do you mean, Charles?” Sarah finally opened her mouth to talk, and her question paved the way for the announcement she never expected to hear.

“Let’s get a divorce.”

His words rang loudly in her head and the plate fell from her hand. A lot of thoughts quickly zoomed into her mind, but all she could do was burst into a peal of laughter that echoed for a few seconds.

“That’s-” she opened her mouth to talk, but the laughter was already out of her control that she couldn’t stop until she laughed for another second.

She shook her finger. “That’s an expensive joke. I don’t welcome it.”

“It’s not a joke, Sarah,” Charles declared. “This marriage isn’t making me happy anymore, or maybe I should say I’ve never been happy ever since I married you. The marriage was against my will from the start. You forced it on me and I only agreed because I thought you would be useful,”

“Though you are. However, your help isn’t sufficient anymore and since I’ve found a perfect person, I think I should release you so I can welcome in a new person.”

Sarah fixed her eyes on his lips. The expression on his face was one she had never witnessed before, leaving her dumbfounded as her lips quivered in bewilderment.

“Am… wh… what… are… you saying, Charles?” Her voice stammered. “Is this a prank or am I dreaming?”

Charles shook his head. “No,” he cruelly confirmed. “This isn’t a prank or a dream. It’s the reality that is hitting you as expected. But it will be better the sooner you accept it.”

His response seared into her soul like a branding iron, leaving an indelible mark of pain, and with her heart ripping apart, she looked at his face, hearing the most shocking news.

“The person I’ve always wanted but couldn’t get because of you is back in the city, ready to give me a second chance. Rebecca is back.”