Gist With Mmachi

MY BRIDE SLEPT AND NEVER WOKE UP

EPISODE 6

The thought of not spending a single night with my wife haunted me deeply as I lay on the cold cell floor.
I missed my life, the joy, the excitement, but worst of all, I wasn't even given the chance to mourn my wife properly. The woman I loved with everything in me.
We had dreams, plans. A future that now feels like it never existed.

Rose was more than just my wife. She was an inspiration, a pillar in my life and, most importantly, my best friend. It’s no surprise her father is shattered by her death. He truly lost a rare gem.

●

She was the CEO of SBM Group, a company her father built from scratch. She stepped into the role a year ago after serving for years as the company’s Managing Director. She wasn’t one of those privileged kids who ride on their parents' influence; Rose earned her place through hard work and competence. Everyone respected her. Including me.

I met her seven months ago at a five-day seminar in Lagos...one which my office recommended. She was one of the guest speakers, and the moment she started speaking, I was captivated. Her intelligence, beauty, and focus were unlike anything I’d ever seen.

I still remember it clearly. She was speaking passionately on leadership and business strategies when I stood up to ask her a question. And right there, as our eyes met, something clicked in me. I felt it and definitely knew Rose was meant for me. I didn’t know it would change my life forever.

●

After the first session of the seminar, I walked up to her. Yes, I had the boldness to approach the CEO of a powerful company because I wasn’t doing badly myself...I had my own career. My own money.

To my surprise, she was incredibly humble. And from that moment, everything between us just... flowed.

We fell hard for each other. Six months later, I married the most amazing woman I’d ever met.

Oh Rose…
This wasn’t the plan.
I cried silently that evening in my cell, the memories crashing over me.

●

“Bright, get up. Someone is here to see you,” an officer said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Yes, sir,” I replied quickly, standing up as I stretched my hands through the bars.
They cuffed me and led me to the visitation room.

To my surprise, it was my boss... the CEO of the company I worked for.

“Bright… how are you holding up?” he asked, concern all over his face.

“Hmmm… I’m managing, sir. This is where life has pushed me to,” I replied, trying to mask the pain.

“I’m so sorry I haven’t visited earlier. I was in Saudi Arabia for a contract proposal. I only returned last night. So earlier this morning I met with your father and he explained everything to me.”

“Sir… it’s been hell. Everything feels like a movie. I keep waiting for someone to wake me up from this nightmare,” I said quietly.

“Don’t worry, Bright. I’m solidly behind you. I’ve contacted my legal team. They’re stepping in. We’ll try to secure your bail.”

“My bail? But… the investigation is still ongoing.”

“Yes, but I believe there’s a window. I’ll speak with my lawyers so we can hear directly from the p0lice what needs to be done,” he assured me.

●

As we continued talking, a voice cut through the room.

“That’s Bright over there!” one of the 0fficers said while pointing.

I turned.
That's when i saw Damian, Rose’s elder brother, storming toward me.
“For your information, Mr. K*llér, I’ll make sure the p0lice charge you to court. You must r0t in jail!” he yelled, raising his hand to slap me.
My boss quickly restrained him.

“Damian or whatever your name is, please comport yourself. This man is your in-law for God’s sake! At least show some level of sympathy.”

“In-law?” Damian scoffed. “There’s no ‘in-law’ where my sister’s d*ath is involved. Sympathy? I don’t know the meaning of that when it concerns this man! And you don’t tell me how to mourn my sister!”

I just stood there. Speechless. Helpless.

“Gentlemen,” a senior officer intervened, “this is a p0lice station. If you both can’t behave like adults, we’ll ask you to leave.”

●

“I’m actually here to request that this murd*rer be charged to court,” Damian said, pointing at me.

The officer responded calmly:
“Well, Mr. Damian… we cannot press charges yet. The first two investigations showed Mr. Bright was innocent.”
“What do you mean?” Damian tried to argue.
“You need to allow us to do our job,” the officer cut in. “Remember, we are on the side of justice.”

“I think with this, Mr. Damian, you may take your leave,” another officer ordered.
As he turned, he pointed back at me and said,
“You!!! I'll make sure you see the four walls of pr!s0n.”

When he was finally gone, my boss turned to me, shook his head and said,
“Bright, why did you marry into this kind of family? This brother of hers… he’s heartless.”

I didn’t even know what to say. My mouth went dry.

●

“Honestly Mr Bright, I’m not comfortable with what I just witnessed. I’m getting fully involved in this now. Tomorrow, I’ll come back with my lawyers. We’ll see the DPO and find a way to get your bail, even if it comes with strict movement restrictions. Anything is better than this terrible place.”

He patted my back.
“I have to leave now so I can act fast. If we delay, that brother-in-law of yours will make sure you r0t in here for something you didn’t do.”

My boss kept to his word, and exactly one week later, I was granted bail...but with strict conditions not to leave the country until the investigation was over.

My release is about to blow this case wide open.

●

TO BE CONTINUED

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MY BRIDE SLEPT AND NEVER WOKE UP

EPISODE 5

" You, Wake up! I opened my eyes slowly.
"0fficer? What is it?" I asked, still feeling sleepy.
"If I give you a dirty slap, you’ll behave. Comport yourself now!" the female 0fficer shouted. “Stand up!”

This particular woman had made me develop a special hâtred for the p0lice force. Her inhumane attitude towards me and other cellmates was unbearable. But honestly, I didn’t blame her. Fate brought me here.

“Move!” she said.

She pushed me out. As I stepped into the open, I spotted Mr. Daniel...my landlord...standing with some 0fficers. I suspected they were heading to my house, but no one told me anything. They bundled me into the p0lice van.

●

As the van turned into my estate, I lowered my head, hiding my face. Me, Bright...a whole Manager of the Marketing Department at Bliss Energy...now sitting in the back of a P0lice van like a common criminal.

But the moment I stepped down, I saw two familiar faces outside my apartment.
My father-in-law and Rose’s elder brother were already standing in front of my apartment.

“Evil man!” my father-in-law shouted. “You have used my daughter for r!tual!”

He nearly poked his finger in my face, but the 0fficers quickly pulled me aside.

“Sir, this is a crime scene. You shouldn’t be here. Allow the law take its course. I know it's not easy, but I assure you we will definitely get to the root of this matter,” one 0fficer told him.

●

“Mr. Daniel was the one that told us the p0lice would be coming this morning!” my father-in-law barked. “That’s why I came...to see the killer of my daughter!” he said.

Immediately, the pₒlice turned to Mr. Daniel.

"Why did you tell them we were coming?" one 0fficer asked. "Who gave you permission to give out information about a p0lice investigation?”
Mr. Daniel stammered, “I… I was only trying to help…”

"I didn’t know it was wrong," Mr. Daniel tried to explain.
"You shouldn’t have said anything!" the 0fficer said.

The 0fficers asked Damian and my father-in-law to leave the scene and that whatever the result is, it’ll be communicated to both families.

After they left, I was told to stand by the entrance of my apartment. The 0fficers went inside and began a thorough search. For over two hours, I stood there...sweating and praying silently.

●

The crowd began to gather at a distance, looking, some pointing at me. Some would shout "MÛʀdᴇʀÉʀ!" I stood there in handcuffs, shirtless and ashamed. But I had hope because I know I loved my wife and I didn't k!ll her.

When they finally came out, one 0fficer walked straight to the boss sitting in the van.

“Sir, nothing incriminating was found in his apartment.”

“Nothing at all? Are you sure you did a thorough search?” the boss asked, raising a brow.

“Nothing, sir,” he confirmed.

As I was being led back to the van, Mr. Daniel stood in front of the crowd and said, “Ahhh Bright, don’t worry,” raising his hand. “Our G0d, the living G0d, the G0d of the innocent will deliver you and will fight for you.”

I looked at him and turned away.
This man had been everywhere since my arrest, always at the forefront like I did bad to him.

●

My consolation was that they found nothing in my apartment. Maybe I’d be free soon. On the evening of the third day in the cell, an 0fficer called out

“Bright! Your father is here to see you!”
Shortly, two 0fficers escorted me to the visiting area, with a heavy heart. The moment I saw my father, I broke down.

“You people abandoned me here for three whole days,” I cried. “Seventy-two hours! Nothing. Not even a message.”

“Bright,” my father said gently. “Calm down. A lot has been happening behind the scenes.”

I sat down, trying to hold myself together.
He sighed deeply before continuing, “Yesterday, your uncles and I visited the doctor’s office. He insisted that both families must be involved in the process, for transparency. So I had to call your late wife’s uncles. We were all at his office yesterday.”

●

I sat up. “So what did the doctor say?”

“Relax, son,” he said. “The preliminary autopsy came out.”

I held my breath.

“The doctor said they found no bruises, no scratch marks, and no petechial hemorrhages (Tiny blood spots) in her eyes, which means it wasn’t suffocation. Her heart was healthy too, so they ruled out cardiac arrest. For now, nothing was found to explain her death.”

I dropped straight to my knees. “Jésûs! Thank you! Thank you L0rd!” I whispered, almost in tears. For the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe again.
I thought it was over.
I thought I was free.

I looked at my dad. “So they’ll release me now, right?”
“Far from it, son. We are grateful to G0d,” my father said gently, “but this is just the beginning.”

My smile faded. “What do you mean?”
“Dad, yesterday the p0lice searched my apartment, but they didn’t find anything,” I said. “Now the autopsy results are out and nothing is found.”
I looked him in the eye and asked, “So what else again, Dad? What more do they want from me?”

●

My dad leaned forward and said,

“Damian, your late wife's brother, wasn’t satisfied. He said the preliminary report isn’t enough. He insisted on further tests such as toxicology and histology.”

I blinked.

“Toxic-what?” “Toxicology. It checks for hidden substances, poisons, drugs, and organs deeply. They said it might take between four to twelve weeks. Sometimes longer.”
I froze.

Weeks?
Months?

Six more weeks of rotting in this place?

“But… Dad, can’t both families resolve this quietly?” I asked, with tears in my eyes. “We’re all humans. This is too much for me to handle. I haven't even mourned my late wife.”

“You know your in-laws,” he said. “They’re educated. Well-connected.
This is beyond emotions now...they want the facts.”

My heart began to race again.

“Your time is up,” the 0fficer nearby said.

●

My dad stood and placed his hands on my shoulder. “We’re praying for you, son. Remember, the G0d of the innocent will fight for you.”
“Amen,” I whispered as I was led back into the cell.

But deep down, my spirit was heavy.
Because if I didn’t k!ll her...
then who did?

●

TO BE CONTINUED

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MY BRIDE SLEPT AND NEVER WOKE UP

EPISODE 4

“You evîl man!” her father roared, grabbing my shirt. “What did you do to her?!”

“Sir, I swear I didn’t do anything,” I stammered through tears, struggling to free myself from his grip. “It was just... a terrible coincidence.”

“Baba (father), please,” my uncle begged, trying to calm him. “Our son is innocent. No one bargains with d£ath.”

The old man’s eyes widened with rage.

“Ehn?! Nobody bargains with d£ath at the expense of my only daughter’s life?!”

Her mother rushed in, saw the commotion, dropped to the floor and began crying uncontrollably.

Then, her uncles and cousins started shouting at me and my people.

●

“Oloriburuku!” (a cûrsed person) one auntie screamed. “You cursed people! B@d luck follows your whole family!”

Another woman pushed through the crowd and pointed at me.

“You better confess what you’ve done to our daughter,” she said, her voice rising above the others. “If you think you can hide it, we’ll make this town too hot for you!”

I looked around helplessly, hoping someone ... anyone ... would defend me.

But surprisingly, her elder brother, Damian, said nothing.
He just took his phone, turned around, and walked out of the house.

●

“Where is she?” her father asked, suddenly quiet but with tears running down his cheeks. “Take me there. Take me to see my daughter.”

He pushed past the people standing by the door and walked to my car.

“I need to see my child. Take me there now!”

But the elders quickly followed him and began pleading.

“Baba, please, you know it’s a taboo for a father to see his child's d£ad body,” one said gently.

I looked at him closely for the first time since everything happened.

There was pain in his eyes… deep pain. The kind that comes from losing someone you raised with love. The bond between Rose and her dad was pure ... he adored her.

●

After much begging, he agreed to stay behind.

Two uncles followed us instead.

We returned to the hospital. The doctor took them in and confirmed everything.

It was almost 7:00 p.m.

I hadn’t brushed my teeth. I hadn’t showered. I hadn’t even sat down properly since morning. That’s not like me ... I’ve never skipped my routine.

I walked to a small kiosk near the gate and bought a pack of mint to freshen my breath.

Then I sat in the hospital reception beside my mum and younger sister, drained of strength.

I heard my phone ringing inside my pocket.
It was Mary, my ex.

“Hello Bright, good afternoon. I don’t understand what you meant yesterday when you said you saw the handwriting on the wall. Is something wrong?”

I didn’t reply.

I just ended the call and dropped the phone on my lap.

I had no strength to explain anything.

●

My mum turned to me slowly. Her voice was soft and broken.

“Bright, my dear… you can always confide in me. If you know anything ... anything at all ... about Rose’s d£ath… please tell me. Think about your father. Think about me. Don’t let shame cover our family name like this.”

Tears filled my eyes.

“Mummy, if nobody else believes me, you should. I’m your son. You know the kind of person I am. You know what I can and cannot do.”

She nodded slowly, but her eyes didn’t leave my face.

As we sat there talking quietly…
Three policemen walked into the hospital.
They were followed by Mr. Daniel, my landlord, and behind him was Damian.

●

“That’s him,” Damian said loudly, pointing. “The guy in the red polo.”

The officers walked straight to me.
Before I could even stand up properly, they started cuffing my hands.

“Damian, wait ... your uncles and mine are with the doctor. Let them finish. Let’s see if we can settle this issue amicably.”

But Damian’s face was hard.

“Don’t tell me how to handle my sister’s d£ath,” he said. “I always knew there was something off about you. I still wonder what Rose saw in a man like you.”

Mr. Daniel added quickly, not wanting to be left out.

“Oga Damian, did your family even do a proper background check on him? This guy is a chronic womanizer! One week to his wedding, he still brought a strange woman to the house.”

He turned to the police officers.

●

“This same man here walked out angrily on us when we gave the doctor a good idea on how to manage the situation. He left everyone ... tenants, neighbours who helped bring Rose here.”

Damian raised a hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Daniel. No need to say more. He’ll explain to the police in the cell.”

Just then, the doctor’s office door opened.

My father and his kinsmen, followed by my late wife's family, stepped out.
And just then someone from her family shouted,
"Well done, Damian, for arresting this man! We have just confirmed the body of our daughter.”

Before I could speak.
Before I could beg.
The officers started pulling me away ... right there.
In front of my family.
In front of hers.

My mum broke into fresh tears.
My father couldn’t even stand ... he dropped into a plastic chair beside the door.

●

And while other couples were out there enjoying their honeymoon… I was locked in a cell, treated like a murd£rer.

That night, I sat in the cold cell and wept.

“I didn’t k*ll her,”
“Please… I didn’t do anything…”

An officer looked at me through the bars and said:
“Only an autopsy can save you now.”

●

TO BE CONTINUED

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MY BRIDE SLEPT AND NEVER WOKE UP

EPISODE 3

But doctor, why would my landlord and neighbors suggest this? Were they not there when I screamed for help? I asked.
They saw how I carried her outside genuinely, desperately just a few hours ago. 'Mr. Bright, you don't have to be angry. That was the proper thing to do.'

The doctor’s words were still echoing in my ears when I stepped out of the office. All I wanted was to go home.
To think.
To breathe.
To figure out what the next step would be.

But the moment I got to the reception, I saw Mr. Daniel.
Standing beside him were two of the tenants who had followed us to the hospital earlier. They were staring at me, their eyes filled with questions like "WHAT DO WE DO NEXT?"
But I walked right past them like they didn’t exist.

●

“Bright!” Mr. Daniel called after me. “We’ve been waiting here for you all this while, and you just walk past us? How do we even get home at this time of the night?”

“You expect me to give all of you a ride in my car? After you sat in front of the doctor and suggested I involve the p0licê and my wife’s family?
Is that really the only thing you could think of?”
I stopped and looked at them, clearly angry and upset.
Chucks, my next-door neighbor, interrupted.
“No one is saying you’re guilty until proven guilty. If your hands are clean, then why is it a problem?”

I didn’t respond. I just turned around, walked to the parking lot, entered my car, and zoomed out of the hospital premises.

●

Whether they made it home that night or not was none of my business.
I was furious. Their suggestions had only made things worse for me.

That night, when I got home and stepped into the bedroom, my wife's phone was lying there on the bed. I picked it up. Then I saw a message sent just two hours earlier.
It was a message from her best friend, Blessing:

“My dearest friend, I’m so happy for you. May the blessings that come with marriage be yours, amen. I can’t wait to hear the gist from your first night. Enjoy, baby girl.”

That message broke me.
I dropped the phone and wept like a baby, asking G0d why.
Why would He give me joy only to sn**ch it in less than 24 hours?

●

Sleep refused to come. I drafted over five different messages to send to my wife's elder brother… but I couldn’t send any of them. I had no courage left in me.
By 4:00 a.m., I was already on the road, heading to my parents' house to break the news.
It was a four-hour drive.
By 9:00 a.m., I arrived.

I knocked on the door, and my younger sister opened up, smiling brightly.

“Big bro! What are you doing here? You should be enjoying your honeymoon!”
I didn’t smile.
“Is Dad and Mum around?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied, slightly confused.

I walked in straight and saw my father alone in the sitting room.
“The latest groom in town!” he teased. “How are you and our wife?”

●

“Daddy… there’s a problem,” I said quietly. “Where’s Mummy?”

Just then, she came out of the bedroom.

“Who do we have here? Why are you here, Bright? You should be on your honeymoon!” she said cheerfully.

I stood still and said it flatly, painfully.

“Mummy, Daddy… my wife dîêd last night.”

Everything froze.

“What?? Are you joking?” my dad asked, stunned.
“But I called you yesterday to tell you about the cash gift my friend from the UK sent. So what happened? When? How? Where?”

Tears flooded my eyes.
“Yes, Daddy. About 45 minutes after your call, I went into the room… and she was cold. I rushed her to the hospital with help from my neighbors, but she was confirmed dêâd on arrival.”

●

My mother screamed.
“Jésûs Christ of Názaréth! My enemies have mocked me!”
She began to panic and cry.

“I haven’t even shared the wedding souvenirs for my friends who bought the wedding lace!”
My father remained composed.
“You have to be a man now. Where’s her body?”
“In the hospital.”

“Alright. I’ll call two of our kinsmen. We will all go to your wife's family house.”

“Daddy, I don’t know how to face her people. What do I say?”

“Don’t worry. I understand how you feel. G0d will guide us.”
We drove out that morning...me, Daddy, and two of my uncles.
The journey to her family house was silent.
Nobody said a word.
Nobody knew what to say.
By the time we got there, it was 12:00 p.m.

●

As we entered the compound, the extended family screamed with joy.
“Iya Iyawo (mother of the bride)! Baba Iyawo (father of the bride)! Come out o! Our in-laws are here!”

They ushered us into the living room with smiles, not knowing what was coming.
Her parents stepped out a few minutes later.

“You people have come to top up the bride price so soon?” her father joked. Nobody laughed.
He sensed something was wrong.
My father’s elder brother stood up and requested that her mother excuse us for a moment. When she did, he broke the news to her father and elder brother.

It shattered them.

Her father let out a loud wail that brought the entire house to a standstill.

Then he grabbed my shirt and screamed,
“You cursed man! What did you do to my daughter?!”

TO BE CONTINUED

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●

MY BRIDE SLEPT AND NEVER WOKE UP

EPISODE 2

I carried her out of the room, barefoot, confused, cry!ng, shouting for help.
“Somebody help me!! My wife is not moving!”
Neighbors rushed out of their flats.

“Jêsûs! Is that not Rose, our new wife?!” someone gasped.
My next-door neighbor, Chuks, ran toward me.
“Bright!! What happened to your wife?!”

“I swear, I don’t know!” I sobbed. “We came back from the reception… she said she was tired and wanted to nap. I went to count the money we were sprayed. When I returned to the bedroom, she wasn’t breathing!”

People stared at me like I had done something evil.
Then our landlord, Mr. Daniel, pushed through the crowd.
“All this talk won’t help! Let’s rush her to the hospital. Now!”

●

We didn’t waste time. Mr. Daniel drove. I sat in the back, holding my wife.
St. Louis Hospital was just twenty minutes away, but it felt like twenty years.
My head was blank. My hands were trembling.

I was praying, bargaining, shaking her body the whole way.
“Don’t do this to me, Rose. Please. Wake up. Wake up, my love…”

At the hospital, I ran inside, screaming for help.
“Please help us! My wife is not breathing!”

They immediately rushed out with a stretcher.
They wheeled her into emergency while I waited outside, pacing and sweating.

The nurse looked up and asked, “Where is her hospital card?”
Our landlord flared up immediately.
“This is not about hospital card, madam! Let’s save a life first!”

●

Twenty minutes passed.
Then the doctor came out.

“Are you Mr. Bright?”
“Yes,” I said, rushing forward.

“I’m sorry…” he said gently. “She’s gone.”

Gone?
Just like that?

No sickness. No warning. No pain. No chance to say goodbye?
What do I tell her family?
How do I explain to my in-laws and friends that the same woman they cheered for this morning... is gone?

I sat down on the hospital bench, numb, staring at the floor.

●

But then… it hit me.

The night before. Friday. Our traditional wedding.

After the last guest left and we sat with our families in the compound, Rose turned to me quietly and said something I still can’t understand.

“Bright… tomorrow, after the white wedding… I want to sleep at my father's house. Just for the night.”

I laughed, thinking she was joking.
But she wasn’t.

I asked her, “Are you serious? You want to sleep in your father’s house on our white wedding night?”
She nodded, gently.

I was shocked and I communicated with a few family members about Rose’s weird request. My parents were confused. Her father was furious.
The elders were called. Her aunties begged her to reconsider.

●

The pastor had to intervene, explaining,
“Rose, after the white wedding, you are fully your husband’s. That night is sacred. You no longer belong to your father’s house.”
She eventually agreed to follow me home after many long talks.

But something still didn’t sit right with me.
And my heart is filled with fear, not just grief.
Because what bride fights to sleep in her father's house on her white wedding night?

Then, my phone rang. Mary. My ex.
“Hello Bright,” she said. “I just called to congratulate you on your wedding. May your home be filled with honey and........”

“Just stop there!” I cut her off. “I’ve seen your handiwork, Mary! The handwriting is clear! But I promise you, you will not know peace!”

“What have I done?” she asked, her voice still calm. “Is congratulating you now a sin?”
I didn’t say a word. I just ended the call.

●

For the past one year, she had been texting, crying and begging for us to get back together, but I ignored her.
I had moved on. Or so I thought.
Clearly, she hadn’t. Mary still loved me deeply.
But I ended things with her for a simple reason...my family never wanted me to marry someone from her tribe.

But just two weeks before the wedding, she sent a final message:
“I know you don’t love me anymore, but I still love you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you mine. I don’t even mind being your second wife.” - Mary

I stood in the hospital hallway and whispered to myself.
“How can I be a widower... on the same day I got married?”

●

As I stood there asking myself so many questions, a nurse came to get me, because my attention was needed from the same doctor, so I headed straight to his office.
“Mr. Bright… your landlord and some tenants have advised we keep your wife’s body until you get a police report. Her family also needs to be involved.”

I stood there… frozen.

How am I going to contact my in-laws to inform them of such devastating news?

●

TO BE CONTINUED

MY BRIDE SLEPT AND NEVER WOKE UP

EPISODE 1

I was still wearing my wedding suit when I began screaming for help.
My bride… my wife… was lying on the bed cold, stiff, and completely lifeless.
We had just gotten married a few hours ago in church.

This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.
I still remembered how she smiled at me at the altar, tears in her eyes as she said her vows.
Her hands trembled slightly in mine when the priest asked if she would love me forever.
She had said yes.
Now, I was holding that same woman in my arms but this time, she wasn’t breathing.

●

Three hours earlier…

Rose and I had just returned from the reception.
We sat at the dining table, eating our first meal as husband and wife.
She looked at me and giggled, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I still can’t believe it,” I said, smiling. “We met six months ago… now, we’re married. Rose, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Stop joor,” she said, blushing. “You’ll soon make me cry again.”
We laughed together.
After eating, she stood up and stretched.

●

“I need a quick nap,” she said, already walking upstairs to the bedroom.
I teased her, “Ah ah! This one that you want to sleep? It’s our first wedding night o! Shouldn’t we be… celebrating?”

She turned and laughed. “Tonight is for prayers. Don’t be silly, joor.”
I smiled, followed her, and watched her lay on the bed.
“I’ll wake you after I count the reception money,” I said playfully.
She gave me a tired wink.

That was the last conversation I ever had with my wife.

●

I went back downstairs and began sorting through the envelopes.
Spray money. Gifts. Notes.
We had been blessed by many people. My hands were counting money, but my heart was still upstairs with her.

Then my phone rang. It was my dad.

“To the latest groom in town, how are you?” he said joyfully.
“Daddy, I’m fine,” I laughed.
“A new fresh groom shouldn’t be picking calls by now anyway!” he teased.
We both chuckled.

“I forwarded your dollar account to Mr. Cosmos...my best friend in the US. He just sent his wedding gift to you guys, so make sure you call and appreciate him.”
“Thank you so much, Dad. I’ll call him now,” I replied.

●

As soon as I ended the call with my dad, I dialed Mr. Cosmos to thank him for his generous gift.
He sounded excited and warm. “Congratulations, Bright! You married a gem. Take good care of her, you hear me?”

“I will, sir. Thank you again.”

I ended the call, smiling.
My heart was full.
Then I looked at the clock.
It had been almost 45 minutes.

“Let me go wake this fine babe,” I muttered and got up.
When I finally went into the room, I smiled as I pushed the door open.
“Sweet baby, it’s time to wake up. Let’s enjoy our wedding night...”

“Rose?” I whispered. “Baby, are you pretending?”

●

No response.
No movement.
Still lying in the exact same position.
Same posture. Same angle. Same calm expression.

Too calm.
Too still.

I moved closer.

I reached out and touched her arm.

Her skin was cold.

Then I screamed...

●

TO BE CONTINUED