Short Story

 Trigger warning: Domestic violence, death. 

"W-Why did you do this? How could you—" Ifeoma's voice trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled to confront her husband, Dozie, who sat at the dining table, eating ravenously from a bowl of spaghetti mixed with peppered asun he had bought himself.

Ifeoma clutched the hems of her "bubu" gown, a dull ache in her chest. With a mix of anger and despair, she yanked the bowl off the table, watching it smash against the floor, its contents scattered.

"What do you want, Ifeoma?" Dozie's tone was callous, devoid of remorse or understanding, which only fueled Ifeoma's anguish.

"You are asking me what I want? I caught you having an affair with one of my closest friends, and you have the guts to ask me what I want. What on earth is wrong with you? How could you dare to sleep with another woman?" Ifeoma's voice rose, her breath ragged with emotion.

"Do you want me to grovel to you? Is that what you want?" Dozie's words dripped with sarcasm as he rose from his seat, and Ifeoma instinctively took a step back, fear creeping into her heart.

"I want you to feel remorse for what you did, Dozie. You betrayed our vow. You lied to me and defiled our bed."

“Why should I feel sorry? Did you feel sorry when you took contraceptives for two years of our marriage and made me seem less of a man?”

Ifeoma felt as though the blood had drained from her veins. Her secret, the reason for her actions, was out in the open.

“I wanted to…”

“No, you weren’t going to, Ifeoma. You could have spoken about it, yet you never did.”

“You wouldn’t understand. You weren’t going to, even if I told you. I wasn’t prepared to be a mother because of the way my mother treated me during my childhood. I was scared that I would turn out like her, an abuser and a manipulator. I didn’t want to bring up a child and make it miserable. I admit that I lied. I admit that I did something grave to hurt your ego, but that doesn’t justify you cheating on me. You can’t equate the two.”

“You’re making excuses, Ifeoma.”

“And so are you, you cheating animal. You can just admit that you were searching for what is not lost and that you wanted to sleep with her. Don’t blame or try to gaslight me.”

“Animal?” Dozie scoffed, “I have had enough of this. Leave my house and go back to your father’s house.”

Ifeoma's mouth opened in shock as her soul shattered. She stared at Dozie, her gaze unwavering, before a loud, almost manic, laugh escaped her lips, her body shaking with a mix of emotions.

“What is wrong with you, this woman? What is making you laugh?” Dozie sneered.

Ifeoma shook her head, a pitiful expression on her face. “It’s a good thing that I actually took those contraceptives. I can’t imagine you being a father.”

For a moment, Ifeoma considered running, but when she saw Dozie ball his right hand into a fist, her legs turned to jelly. He lunged towards her, pushing her onto the table, his hands tightening around her neck. She gasped for air, struggling to break free.

Her chest heaved as she felt fear for the man who once comforted her. Her hands searched desperately, finding something sharp and when she did, without a second thought, she jabbed it into his neck. As she realized what she had done, it was too late. Dozie knelt before her, blood oozing from his mouth.

Ifeoma watched, her mind flooded with memories. She remembered her parents, the violence, the pain. She recollected her mother standing over her father, stabbing away at his chest with a knife. She had become what she feared most—a reflection of her mother.

Tears blurred her vision as she knelt beside Dozie. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, knowing her words could never undo what she had done.

With a heavy heart, she rose to her feet, facing the consequences of her actions. She left behind a life shattered beyond repair, burdened by the weight of her choices.

Written by: Kehinde Oni