Click here  to read Episode 3 

Dare cleared his throat and started talking.

'Papa, I don't know what I did wrong to her that she decided that the best way to get back at me is to have an affair with a colleague of hers' Dare said and stopped talking.

At that statement, something on the inside of me got loosened.

Why was he exonerating himself now, making me look like the one who caused all the problems? 

Was he not the one who was insensitive to my needs, wasn't he the one who didn't notice when I made a new hair or even wore a new dress, was he not the one who didn't notice me until I got so starved of his affection that the smallest form of affection which was what Daniel showed me turned to such a big deal? 

I sat down there moving between two emotional extremes; being sober and being annoyed.

Papa must have seen all that emotion on my face and knew I was about to open my mouth and disrupt the process going on.

He looked at me, called my name and he placed his index finger on his closed lips, it was a subtle way of telling people to keep their mouth shut and I bottled up all the emotions going on on the inside of me.

I suddenly became sober again, I was willing to give this marriage of mine anything it takes even if it meant keeping quiet when I had a lot to say.

Papa started talking.

'Dare, I don't think the best thing to do at the moment is to trade blames. I'm sure if we ask Esther her side of the story, she'll have things to say too. So, we are not exchanging blames here, we are only working on the way forward' Papa T said while looking at the both of us.

'Do you want to go out of this union?' He asked both of us

Then he called our names.

Esther?

I shook my head from one side to the other in response, to which Papa said, 'I don't want gestures, answer with your mouth.'

'I don't want to go out. I want my marriage to work' I answered

Dare? He called my husband and we all waited for his response

In those few seconds before Dare answered, I literally felt as though my heart was in my mouth.

Although I knew he is a Christian, but what will I do if he says he wants a divorce?

Will he ever be able to forgive me?

All of those questions ran through my heart as we waited for him to talk.

'I want this marriage to work. I am not leaving' Dare replied Papa

At his response, I let out a breath I didn't know I had been keeping before then.

Papa T went on 'So, I am glad you are both on the same page concerning what you want. There is this marriage counselor I want both of you to talk to, she is a Christian, she is a personal friend of mine and when I was praying to God about this case, this was the name that was highlighted for me to introduce you to'. Papa T said as he stretched out his hand to pick up his phone from the center table.

He called Mrs. Taiwo right there and she told him of her availability to see us on Thursday of that week. Then he dictated the number of the woman to us.

With the major purpose of the visit out of the way, we got into a more relaxed atmosphere where Papa T and Dare left the sitting room while Mummy Esther who is also my namesake and I remained in the sitting room talking. 

The words she said to me are not words I would forget in a hurry.

The week went by so fast and before I knew it, it was Thursday and here we are in the counselor's office.

'How are you both doing?' This was the first question Mrs. Taiwo asked us after we had comfortably had our sit in her office.

She turned her eyes to Dare which was his cue to talk.

'I'm doing fine' was all he said.

'I know you are doing fine but I want to know how you are feeling ever since your wife confessed her deeds?' She asked again while maintaining eye contact with Dare.

'Am I supposed to answer your question while she is here?' Dare asked the counselor

'Yes, she is your wife and has seen you at your lowest state all these years, but unless you want her to go out, she doesn't have to go out, at least not yet' Mrs. T replied

Dare cleared his throat which has always been his way of keeping his emotions away from the surface and started talking.

' I feel like I have failed as her husband, I thought she was happy with me. I work as hard as I work just to make sure she is as comfortable as I could possibly make her be. Her decision to work was not because we needed the money to live okay, but just because she wanted to contribute her own quota to the corporate world. I had always known she was a smart woman even before we got married and her decision to work after the kids didn't need her to pick diapers after them was a decision that although I didn't really like but had to go with because I love and respect her opinions. I wish I had held my ground on her not going back into the corporate world, at least all of this could have been avoided' My husband finished his response.

I sat there stunned wondering how a simple question as how are you could have an answer that went on for over one minute. I looked at Mrs. Taiwo, and she looked satisfied, it was as though she had Dare exactly where she needed him to be. 

Her next statement confirmed it.

'I'm happy you're talking now, I want you to lay everything bare, there will be sessions I will ask your wife to go out, but at the moment, we still need her here'

'So, Mrs. Esther, how are you?' She looked at me and smiled.

'I didn't need her to coerce me to talk, wasn't I the one who started this problem in the first place?' I thought in my heart

'I am not fine. I can't believe I actually had an affair with someone who isn't my husband' I said feeling more remorseful than I felt on the day I confessed to Dare if that were possible.

' What pushed you into the hands of another man? Mrs. T asked me

My husband's name was on my lips because, in all fairness, he was the one who pushed me into the hands of Daniel. From not affirming me with his words to choosing his work over spending time with me. All of that thoughts only remained in my mind as I couldn't voice them out.

The noise from Mrs. T snapping her fingers brought me out of wandering land.

'What pushed me out was the feeling of neglect I was getting from Dare, while I knew he cared about me, I didn't feel that care anymore, and that led me into the hands of another man' I answered.

Are you both ready to fight for your marriage? 

We both nodded as Mrs. Taiwo smiled...

Episode 5... Next week Thursday.

Click here to read Episode 2

Click here to read Episode 1

After that question, I just kept mute not knowing where to start my explanation from. He just shook his head as he undressed.

He went into the bathroom to take his bath, few seconds before he came out of the bathroom, I quickly knelt down, I knew how much he hates me kneeling down for him, he had even refused me kneeling down for him during our wedding reception.

Chai, I must have really been blinded to all my husband's strength.

When he came out, he saw me kneeling on the floor and knew something terrible must have happened.

He sat down on the bed and asked me what the challenge was and I explained everything, starting from when I started feeling disconnected from him to when Daniel started giving me attention in the office, ending it with the details of having a full-blown affair with Daniel for the past six months.

He didn't say anything to me, he just stood up and left the room.

For the next one week, the only time Dare talked to me was when it was necessary, like the customary good morning and good night, although he continued eating my meals and he still maintained his relationship with the children. 

Though we still slept on the same bed, there was no display of affection, we could be taken for roommates who share a bed.

Two weeks after my confession night, fearing that this might be the end of my marriage, I called his spiritual father. While we were courting, he had assured me that if I ever did anything to him and he doesn't want to listen to anyone's counsel, that man was the right person to call.

I have never had to tow that path of calling because of a major challenge that was out of my ability, but I have to call him now.

I picked up the phone that afternoon and called Papa Theophilus.

'God bless you my sister' That was the first thing Papa T said to me as was his custom.

'Amen, and God bless you Sir' was my response.

'How are you doing and how are your husband and children? Papa T asked me

'We are all doing great, Sir. I would like to come and see you, Sir.' I blurted out before I would lose the courage of wanting to talk to him.

'Oh, come and see me? Isn't it something we can discuss over the phone?' Papa T asked.

'It's not a conversation we can have over the phone, Sir. I need to see you, Sir.'

Papa T lives in Jos while my husband and I make our home in Lagos, so I knew why he was considering talking it over the phone rather than letting me come that far only to see him, but I knew the gravity of what has been done and I didn't mind traveling any length to see him if that would save my marriage.

When Papa T realized I was determined to come, he gave me a date to come, and we said our goodbyes.

Immediately I dropped the call, I quickly searched different airlines to see which of them had a flight for that day, I finally settled on one who would allow me to get to Jos a day earlier than the scheduled day and return to Lagos a day after the meeting.

I told Dare of my plans to travel although I withheld the destination or who I was going there to see. 

He just shrugged his shoulders in response and continued with what he was busy with on the laptop.

I must confess that even after I confessed to him, he didn't in any way treat me badly, asides from the fact that we were not exchanging too many words, but he still treated me fairly. 

Oh, I married a good man! It's only a pity I didn't realize that on time.

I also applied for a three-day casual leave from the office and it was approved.

My trip to Jos was a smooth one.

'Good morning, Papa' I greeted Papa T the next day when I saw him

We exchanged pleasantries and soon got into the main reason why I came

I explained everything to Papa T, although I wasn't feeling so proud of myself, I knew telling him half-truths wasn't going to help me in any way so I was as sincere as I could be.

He listened to all I had to say without interrupting me and passed me a box of tissues to clean my face with when I started crying at some point.

After my narration, papa asked some questions on what pushed me into the arms of another husband, those who knew about it, and if I was willing to do all it takes to fight for my marriage. 

I answered all the questions. Papa T prayed with me and we departed.

The next day I traveled back to Lagos.

That evening, my husband and I were in the room when I heard his phone ring. He picked it up and from the name he mentioned, I can feel that my life wasn't going to be the same...

Episode 3. Next Week Thursday.

'I can not do this again, just let me go' I told Daniel as I stood up from the bed that Friday night.

'You can't possibly leave me now, you know how much I love you' He replied

'This is not about if you love me or not, but we can't continue sleeping with each other and keep saying it doesn't matter and that God will forgive us' I responded

'Esther, I know, but we both know you love me, come to think of it, I am satisfying you more than that man you live with' He shouted, and at that moment, I regretted ever telling him about the challenges going on in my home, or even the fact that I found succor in his arms.

With all that going on in my mind, I just kept quiet as I wore my black gown, making a determination that would be the last time I was going to sleep with any man who was not my husband. 

Yes, I am a married woman, my marriage will be eight years in two months and three days time.

I got home that evening to meet my children at home. 

My husband had made a delicious meal of Amala and okoro when I got home that evening, I saw his face lit up when I entered the room, and I wondered yet again what had pushed me into the hands of another man.

I think I know why I went to the hands of another man, although my husband was an extremely handsome man, he lacked the affection I craved, he was one of the men who believed that once a man can provide financially for his home, then everything is well.

There were times he would travel for days and he wouldn't deem it fit to call me. I know he loves me a great deal, but he finds it hard to express it in the ways that matter to me.

When I wear a dress for the first time, Dare wouldn't notice it, he doesn't even notice when I carry a new bag, or worse when I make new hair. I mean how can you stay in the same house with someone, sleep on the same bed, and then not notice when they make their hair, but one man can do that, and that man is my husband.

I have always frowned at infidelity, but mine started subtly, and before I knew it I had gone so deep into it.

Daniel is my colleague at work, he is the kind of man you can say has a word for every season, he was always complimenting me at work whenever I wore a new dress, at some point, there was almost no day he didn't compliment my dressing or choice of shoes.  

He was so different from my husband Dare who only had time to pick up his briefcase every morning every workday but never enough time to tell me how beautiful I look.

My mind went back to the days when we were still courting, Dare seemed to be all over me then, he couldn't stop talking to me, always noticing when I wear a top for the first time, or even when I wore a new shade of lipstick, he used to be very observant, this was in those days when we did more of video calls because ours was a long-distance relationship, but now, even with the fact that we now live under the same roof, he has become less observant.

But I think what they said about romance flying out of the window when the ring gets slipped into the fourth finger is true. This man just seems to have fallen out of love with me.

During our dating years, when we were reading Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages, I discovered that his love language was receiving gifts while mine was words of affirmation. Although he spoke that language well while we were courting, but few months after the wedding day, the love just seemed to die. Do people really fall out of love with each other? 

Maybe. 

Maybe not.

This Friday night, here I am in our room thinking while hearing the voice of my husband playing with the children. There and then I purposed in my heart to tell him what I have been doing for the past six months without his knowledge.

'Babe, why are you not sleeping? I heard Dare's voice when he came into the room, prior to this night, this was me who would have slept immediately my head hit the pillow, but tonight was definitely an exemption.

I have a case to settle...

Episode 2. Next Week Thursday