CRUCIBLE

The woods soon became her new found home and solace. In the breeze, the sound of birds chirping, the rustles of leaves she tried to find joy. It's not like she has any other option. Life gave her an unfair taste of its lemons and the acidity tore her apart. Now a shadow of her former self both physically and emotionally, she can't just seem to wrap her head around it. Everything looks so surreal as she constantly wishes to wake up from this soul crushing "dream". "I should have listened" was the only recurring sentence that slipped out of her dry lips albeit silently.

SOURCE, CCO Licensed.

^{Few Months ago}

It was a beautiful Sunday. Everything looked perfect and she never thought it could be more 'perfect' until Drake walked into the church Auditorium. Their eyes met and she could tell there was a connection. Although she is a very difficult woman to approach, she let off her guard time unlike when Olu, one of her obsessed suitors put up a surprise approach to her at a popular Shoprite. Yes, she made Olu believe they had something going after his constants pressures and she had envisaged something like that. A planned walkway left Olu stunned as tears rolled down his cheeks. That was the end of it, she never heard of him since then.

She threw caution to the wind and approached him. She was a mentor to many girls, she always told girls to look before they leap. Her advice even though she was never married, helped to shape alot of girls' life and helped with their marriage choices. She was an uncertified marriage counselor. She was in fact, a mother to all. So what happened? How did she fall so fast?

She was under incessant pressures from her family. Although she had developed a thick skin to such, it melted. She soon began to see things from their perspective and realisation dawned on her, she was fast aging. At 33 years, she had to do something, else it will become increasingly hard to find the perfect man. She lessened her expectations and requirements and was willing to now throw her arms open to any man she has any modicum of interest in.

They got talking and in just 8 months, plans for marriage were being made. Friends and well wishers congratulated her on finally getting her dream man. She couldn't have wanted anything better than this she thought. Soon, she began to wonder why she hitherto raised her requirements' bar. She was going to make her perfect man. She was the talk of the church; Ostensibly, Drake was the son of one of the deacons and had just returned from the United States to get a wife.

Soon, some of her church noticed her apparent rush with the wedding plans and decided to inquire what happened. It was all so strange.. She was someone who advised them to court for at least 3 years before deciding to walk to the altar. Why did she not practice what she taught? They threw questions to her, most of which were sarcastic.. These were from members who never accepted her teachings so it was expected. They came to mock her was all she thought so she in turn equally prepared to throw back her subtle digs. It was a fair match. Her devoted students wouldn't dare question her moves, she was but a god to them.

It was her wedding day and it was an elaborate one. Friends and workers, members and pastors, bishops and deacons, well wishers and "she's finally getting married" all came to grace the occasion. It was indeed an emotional moment for her dad as she walked her down the aisle. The "I do" came in no time, they celebrated into the night.

It was 11:15pm same day, the couple retired to bed and Grace expected Drake to make his move on her. She had been celibate all these while hence the anticipation, but he never did. Stress was her consolation as she concluded.

It was the sixth night and nothing happened, now she was really worried. As the silence hovered in the room, she broke it. In her own anger and curiosity, she inquired his decision of not consummating their marriage. Shockingly, Drake stripped her naked on the stand, eyed her with disgust and spat on her body.

"I will never touch any woman in my life"

To be continued...