Chapter 3 Episode 2

My life became worsened on the morning of my twenty-third birthday.

That morning I heard someone knocking at the door I went out to see who the person was hoping it was my dad but when I opened the door I saw my dad's colleague Mr. Rio. Seeing Mr. Rio standing at the door instead of my dad I was disappointed but was happy that my dad sent him to give me my birthday present cos whenever my dad couldn't make it home on my birthday he sends home my gifts through Mr. Rio. But to my utmost dismay Mr. Rio didn't come to give me my birthday present rather he came to announce the death of my dad.

Immediately after he finished his tragic announcement I fainted and after some time with the effort of Mr. Rio I woke up and started weeping and he tried consoling me saying that it was the will of God for my dad to die and that the death of my dad was for the best when I heard what he said I became angry and I started cursing God but Mr. Rio stopped me and said that I should never in my life insult God because he can become angry and take away my life when he said this I turned to him and told him I will be glad if God takes my life, but Mr. Rio scold me and told me to stop saying senseless words because of grief after saying this he left and told me he will come and check on me continuously.

All through the rest of the day I went bitterly and I thought of committing suicide, so I took a rope and went under a mango tree in the middle of the night to hang myself as I was about to hang myself an advanced lady approached me, she dragged the rope from me and threw it far away into the bush where she knew I couldn't find it, then she started scolding me for trying to take my life away, I explained my predicament to her and she took pity on me, she hugged me and said,

"My dear little one the death of our love ones must always come because death is constant in this world but we must let the dead bury their own and we must move on with life so that we can make our dead love ones proud of us by striving and becoming the best"

"But forgetting about my dad is so hard because he was my only hope in this world and now he is gone I feel so hopeless and frustrated that I think I can't do anything anymore in this world," I said crying

"No darling there are many things to do in this life, and you need to keep your hope burning because they are many people out there who need you alive and you need to stay alive to make your dad proud, okay?" She said

" Okay," I said and hugged her as realization dawned on me

After that experience, I became relieved and sober and although I never saw that woman again I was so grateful to her and I vowed to make my parents proud.

After the burial ceremony of my dad, my stepmom became more unceremonious, uncaring, and evilly bittered to me, she treated me like an outcast, a rejected sacrifice she even went to the extent of pouring me hot boiled water, acid and she also tried poisoning me but I narrowly escape all her plans.

One day a young successful engineer named Lawson Victor came to ask for my hand in marriage, instead of my stepmom's mom informing my uncles or even calling me to tell me. She started laying a lot of false allegations on me she said I was among an occultic group and that I was the next to the throne, she said that I was given the mission to kill and frustrate men on Earth, she said I was the one responsible for my parent's death, she said so many evil things about me and When she finished tarnishing my name in front of him, Victor was scared and convinced that I was a witch and this situation gave my stepmom the opportunity to introduce Kiran to him as my substitute giving the reason that Victor made a promise to marry from the Richards. Upon hearing Cynthia's suggestion he accepted to take Kiran as his bride. he promised my stepmom that he was going to come for the introduction and marriage in a week.

True to his words he came with his people for the introduction and marriage and finally after the marriage Kiran became Mrs. Lawson in my place.

some days after the marriage on my way to the market I saw Xavier smoking with a girl on his lap in one uncompleted building, since this sight wasn't new to me I walked past them. That evening when I got home (after selling the items my stepmom gave me to hawk in the market) my stepmom dragged me inside the house and started flogging me for no reason I begged her for forgiveness but she increased her flogging calling me a bitch, slut, whore and prostitute I was shocked at the names she called me I looked towards the sitting room and Saw Xavier smiling mischievously then it dawned on me that he saw me that afternoon and to shut me up he went to his mom and laid false allegations against me. After flogging me to her satisfaction, my stepmom drove me out of the house that night.

She also warned me not to stay around that vicinity and so I was forced to sleep outside on the street.

Two weeks after the incident another suitor came for me seeing that the suitor was so wealthy my stepmom did what she did to my last suitor this time she said I was a sex gutter, a prostitute who has been going around sleeping with all the men and rascals. after succeeding in tarnishing my image she gave Amira out in my place.

After about four weeks Lincon (my second suitor) came with his kinsmen to fulfill all the marriage rights.

And this was how my younger stepsisters for married within two months and in my place.