I felt like a failure after my marriage ended. Because everyone had told me not to marry Henry, I became the laughing stock of my community.

They asserted that he was a user and only desired my money. Despite the fact that everything seemed to be going according to plan, I dismissed their claims because I believed they were envious of my happiness.

Contrary to what they claimed, my husband was the complete opposite. We built a lovely house and lived like a fairy tale until he left me for an older woman one day.

It came quickly. Since we were extremely content together, I hadn’t anticipated it. The betrayal felt even worse because Henry had no reason to leave our marriage, especially for an older woman. The most difficult part was figuring out how I would raise my children on my own. I didn’t want them to feel bad about their father because they loved him.

I was unsure of what to say to our children and what to do. As a result, I lied to them for the first few months about his work trip.

“Where is dad, mom?” They kept on asking.

He has gone on trips. He will return. I’d let them know.

I had hoped that Henry would show up at that time so that I wouldn’t have to explain what was going on to the kids, but he didn’t. I didn’t even know where he was for months.

He didn’t appear to have moved very far. In the company of a well-known sugar mummy, he was observed driving a brand-new Range Rover near my neighborhood.

I continued to deny that it was my husband until I saw him in person because I didn’t want to believe that he could reach that level. Indeed, he was driving around the neighborhood in a Range Rover like a king. He had such a carefree appearance and appeared unconcerned about the people he had left behind. I tried to hide behind a kiosk so he wouldn’t notice me, but I was tempted to make a fuss.

Trying to figure out how to tell my children, I went home with my head down. They weren’t buying the story that their father was traveling for close to a year.

“Where is father?” My youngest son inquired.

I fought back tears as I hesitated.

“It’s alright, mom. We will comprehend.” I felt strong enough to tell them after my firstborn said something.

“Your father lives with a different woman.”

“So, it is real!” My son yelled.

“What’s your point?”

I was informed by one of my classmates that my father was not traveling. An older woman and he were seen riding in a Range Rover.

How much people in my community talked about each other’s lives shocked me. Despite this, I felt relieved that my children had finally learned the truth. Now I could go about my day without worrying that my kids would find out.

They were not nearly as upset as I had anticipated. Because she was close to her father, my youngest child was more upset, but after a few days, she realized that her life was the same whether she had him or not.

How I would be able to financially support my family was the other obstacle. Even though I worked hard, I couldn’t handle everything on my own, especially when my daughter was about to start school.

I had a sneaking suspicion that was the reason Henry left us. Despite my efforts to persuade him to increase his financial contribution as we prepared to begin paying for two children’s school fees, he never provided any financial assistance to me despite his claim that I had funds.

He promised that he was working on a business deal that would make us rich and initially appeared cooperative.

“Babe, don’t worry. When this deal is completed, you won’t have to work. He stated

Henry had been traveling more frequently than usual before we split up, leading me to believe that he was working on a business deal. I had no idea that the arrangement actually involved my husband sleeping with an older woman.

I had no choice but to be strong for my kids, and life continued as usual. In fact, I was doing well. As a result of my promotion, I began earning double my salary. I could finally start enjoying life because I no longer had to worry about money.

Henry showed up at my house out of the blue. He appeared sluggish and untidy, as if he had not been eating well. Obviously, I didn’t want to know what he was going through, but he looked like he was about to die, so I let him in the house out of compassion.

I fed him and gave him a glass of juice so he could get more energy. He raised his head and smiled for the first time when he was content.

“I’m grateful, my wife.” He stated

“I am not your spouse.”

“I have come to apologise, even though I am aware of my error.”

“Please explain why you appear so disheveled before you apologize.”

“I need your forgiveness first; it’s a long story.”

Since I don’t hold grudges, I forgiven him. I also agreed with him when he asked if he could stay with me until he recovered.

I warned him, “We are not getting back together, though.”

He continued to avoid my questions and didn’t tell me what had happened a week later.

“You can’t stay in my house any longer if you don’t tell me what brought you here.”

“I committed an error.” He got started. That older woman enticed me with promises of a good life, which is why I shouldn’t have followed her.

I added, “You had a good life here.”

I am aware, and I ought not to have left. She did give me a lot of good things, but at the expense of my health, how good were they?

Knowing what he was about to say next, I remained silent.

“I have the HIV virus.” He said that and then wept.

I didn’t think he was sick because he looked sick, but luckily we hadn’t talked since he came back to the house. He was treated with medication when I took him to the hospital.

However, I was no longer able to live with him. He returned to the village residence of his parents, where he had been thriving. He started a farm and even had a second family.

I put an end to my relationship for good. Since the majority of women in my community are single mothers, I have been easily navigating my new life as I concentrate on raising my children and enjoying my single life.