I Divorced Him
As I walked out of the courtroom, a wave of emotions washed over me. I had just been granted a divorce from Femi, the man I had thought I would spend the rest of my life with. The air felt different as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, but the heaviness in my heart remained. I was now a single woman, and though I had a big smile on my face, it was a smile that masked the deep pain I felt.
As I stepped outside, I couldn’t help but think back to the moment when everything had started to fall apart, two years ago. We were the Instagram couple, the one that everyone envied and adored. Our pictures graced the pages of Instablog and BellaNaija, and we were hailed as the perfect couple. Our constant trips to exotic destinations and the lavish gifts we showered on each other made us the envy of all our friends. But behind the scenes, things were very different.
At home, Femi was a monster, a beast who would lash out at me at the slightest provocation. He was always angry and I was his punching bag. I had lost count of the number of black eyes I had received from his blows, and I had become an expert at hiding them under layers of makeup. He had even caused me to lose four pregnancies by kicking me in the stomach, and none of the babies survived. But it wasn’t just the physical abuse that hurt; it was the constant verbal abuse, the way he belittled me and attacked my self-esteem.
And then there was the infidelity. Femi was not only cheating on me with other women but with men as well. I discovered the truth three months ago when a message popped up on his phone from a man he had slept with the night before. I had been sickened by what I had read and had run to the bathroom to vomit. I cried myself to sleep that night, and the next day, I confronted Femi about his infidelity. That was when he revealed that he had a girlfriend who was seven months pregnant with his child. I was devastated, not just by his betrayal, but also by the fact that he had caused me to lose so many babies while he was busy impregnating another woman.
I knew I had to get out of the marriage, but it wasn’t easy. Femi had a reputation to maintain, and he was furious when I served him with divorce papers. He threatened me, saying that he would ruin me and make sure that I never found happiness again. But I was determined to get out of the hell that I had been living in, and I had the support of my family and friends. My sister had recommended a great divorce lawyer, and he had helped me navigate the legal system.
As I stepped out of the courtroom, I knew that my life would never be the same again. I was free, but I was also broken. The pain of what I had been through would stay with me for a long time, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to trust anyone again. But for now, I would take comfort in the fact that I was no longer trapped in a marriage that had been nothing but a nightmare.