My dear esteemed readers, thank you for following the series.
So far the story has been from Ladidi’s perspective but now her husband Asad will be the one narrating his side of the story.
ASAD
I really can’t define love, if it is what I felt for lina, the woman I thought was most the beautiful before I met my wife or my wife who is actually the most beautiful woman I’ve laid my eyes on.
Lina and I had it all. I loved her and she loved me and I was ready to marry though we already had intimate relations with each other and according to my brother Ahill, if you ever sleep with a woman write her out of marriage list.
Lina was an ideal partner, she cared about me and took care of me as if I were a child, I felt complete with Lina.
Everything went on smoothly, we had plans to get married as soon as we were done with school.
When I graduated, she had a year left and I promised I’d come back for her, but fate had other plans for me. Upon my arrival in Nigeria I was burdened with more than I could imagined.
We were seated in our living room, holding the meeting that changed my life forever, ealier Ahill had boasted to me about Baba’s plans to betroth a certain lady to him, and I asked why he wouldn’t woo the lady himself, he then explained to me the rules, the ladies are hidden and their fathers would kill them if they go against his rules.
‘So they’re like subjected to injustice, lack of freedom.’ I had said.
‘No, what the hell are you talking about, they are their father’s pride, even our sisters would not marry except for a man that our father chooses.’ Ahill had replied with all seriousness, though I didn’t understand his point of view I let it be, cause Ahill argues blindly.
The lady of his dreams happens to be a belle in which reports have reached us that was breathtakingly beautiful and very rich, I was not interested because I had Lina.
The outcome of the meeting was not taken well by Ahill, first my Dad handed me his entire businesses, not to inherit but manage and I became the CEO of Raza holdings, but we had a financial tiff, and we weren’t eligible to take a lone, instead we had to affix temporarily with another company to pull us through. Also he said my marriage had been fixed with his friends daughter, that friend happens to be our financial source and that lady was the subject of Ahill’s interest.
I was shell shocked. ‘Baba you can’t take such important decision without my consent, no I can’t accept.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes let Ahill marry first.’
‘Hmmm you don’t have a choice because the father chose you.’
‘Baba you can’t do this.’
‘Meet her first you’ll thank me later.’ My father insisted.
‘There will be no need for that , my mind is made up.’
‘Just meet her first, if you don’t like her I’ll call off the alliance.’
Well that Was how I went to meet Shahnaz, I could now understand why My father said I would thank him later. She was so beautiful, it could hurt the eyes, there was no way I wouldn’t accept such a ravishing beauty. I had gazed at her so much, my wine glass fell off my fingers, the following day I sent a detailed email to Lina that I had no choice. She replied that she could understand and that was the last time we contacted eachother so I betrayed my brother and Lina.
I took over the reins of our company and it flourished greatly and I married shahnaz and cruised the world around with her for our honeymoon. What alarmed me was that she couldn’t do anything, she had this maid that did virtually everything for her. That was not all she turned out to be the most arrogant person I’ve ever met, she even referred to my friend as a pig even before I married her, her only saving grace was her beauty, which allowed her to get away with so many things until I had my fill.
Am not proud to have raised my hand on her but, I had no choice or so I thought, and that was the only way I could subdue her.
People started refering to me as Shahnaz’s or Ladidi’s husband, at first it wasn’t bad but coming home and meeting an insolent wife who would not even cook and would not even clean and I am very particular about orderliness, when something is out of place it drives me out of my senses, it became really annoying and I let out my anger on her, and I know it wasn’t fair.
One rainy day I was driving when I passed a figure who waved desperately on the road side, I didn’t want to stop for the fear that it could a ghost or something. Then it hit me that I’d seen the lady before so I made a u turn and behold it was my wife’s friend Nadia, she had participated very actively at our wedding and she attended the naming of all my children. I gave her a lift, but my nerves were burning at sight of her wet clothes on my leather seat and her muddy shoe in my car so I stopped over at a nearby hotel and booked a room.
She was bewildered, but surprised when I told her to clean up and that I’ll get her something to wear while her clothes got cleaned.
2 hrs later her clothes arrived from the drycleaners. During those two hrs we sat and stared for One and half hour and then we started talking, she didn’t seem a bad woman.
I excused her and she dressed and I drove her home, 3 months later I met her again she told me her husband had divorced her because her brother in law had seen us that day at the hotel and misinterpreted the whole story.
Felt so guilty and well it led to an affair, am not a saint but I do love my wife with her shortcomings. I wouldn’t want to hurt her.
Many times I wanted to opt out but she was too clingy and she would blackmail me emotionally as being the cause of her divorce, I often wondered if I was responsible for their was no prove, and there are destitute days of mine that my wife’s insolence and stupidity drove me to her, she appreciated me, loved me, respected me infact I could say she revered me, what more could a man ask for than these qualities in a woman.
