CHAPTER THREE. THE ESCAPE
1029 Words
The Escape
"Sometimes walking away is not giving up. Sometimes it is the only way to stay alive."
The tiny baby who had fought for her life inside the hospital was finally discharged.
She was still weak, fragile, and far smaller than other babies her age. Doctors had done everything they could to save her life. Although she had survived, they explained that she would need regular medical care as she grew older. Her mother held her close every night, whispering prayers over her sleeping body.
That little girl was Goodness.
Her mother, Blessing, knew that every breath her daughter took was a miracle.
Life, however, refused to become easier.
After everything that had happened, the family could no longer remain in the same compound where Blessing had been publicly humiliated and brutally attacked. Every corner reminded her of the pain she had endured. Every familiar face brought back memories she desperately wanted to forget.
Eventually, they packed their few belongings and moved into another compound, hoping that a new environment would bring peace.
Sadly, peace never came.
Instead, another season of hardship began.
Months later, Blessing became pregnant again.
Despite everything she had suffered, she continued to carry the responsibilities of motherhood with quiet determination. She cared for her children, managed the little she had, and prayed constantly that God would one day change her situation.
When the pregnancy reached its end, she gave birth to another son.
He became the fourth child of the family and the last child she would ever have with her husband.
Although she smiled while holding her newborn baby, the weight on her heart remained heavy. The emotional a***e, neglect, and constant fear had exhausted her completely.
Still, she refused to stop believing.
One afternoon, something unexpected happened.
Her husband picked up the telephone and called her parents.
His voice was cold and without emotion.
"Do you people even care about your daughter?" he demanded. "Do you know what she is going through in this house? If you still want her, then come and take her away."
Those words shocked everyone.
The conversation quickly spread through both families. Relatives discussed the matter, trying to understand what had gone so terribly wrong.
After many painful discussions, Blessing made the hardest decision of her life.
She would leave.
Not because she no longer believed in marriage.
But because she wanted her children to have a chance at life.
One quiet morning, she gathered her children.
She packed only the few things they owned.
Before leaving, she wrote a short letter and placed it where her husband would find it.
It simply read:
"I have gone.
There is food in the kitchen.
Eat if you want."
Without another word, she walked away.
She carried her children toward an uncertain future, trusting only God to guide her steps.
For the first time in years, she was no longer sleeping under the same roof as the man who had caused her so much pain.
But freedom came with another heartbreak.
Not long afterward, her husband convinced their two oldest sons to return and live with him.
He promised them a better life.
"I have money now," he told them. "I can take good care of you. I have married a good woman who will love you like her own children."
The boys believed him.
They were still too young to understand that promises are not always truthful.
With innocent hearts, they followed their father.
They thought they were going to a happier home.
Instead, life became even more difficult.
Meanwhile, another dispute arose over the youngest son.
The father's family insisted that the little boy should spend time with them.
After many discussions, they assured Blessing that it would only be for a short holiday.
Reluctantly, she agreed.
She believed they would return him safely after the visit.
A mother's love often chooses hope, even when fear whispers otherwise.
Not long after, the children's grandfather visited.
He carried food, provisions, and other supplies for his grandchildren.
It was his simple way of showing love.
But his kindness was rejected.
The gifts were thrown away.
Eggs were smashed.
Food packets were scattered.
He was warned never to come near the children again.
The rejection broke his heart.
He had only wanted to support his grandchildren.
The conflict between both families grew deeper.
It became more than a disagreement between husband and wife.
It had become a family crisis that affected everyone connected to them.
Good people who had entered the marriage with sincere intentions found themselves caught in years of sorrow.
Blessing's parents often blamed themselves.
They had believed they were giving their daughter to a responsible man.
Instead, they watched her suffer through years of hardship.
Their greatest regret was that they had never imagined such pain awaited her.
While adults argued, children silently carried burdens they could not explain.
Among them was little Goodness.
She was only six years old.
Although still young, she noticed far more than people realized.
She heard whispered conversations.
She saw tears hidden behind forced smiles.
She watched adults pretend everything was normal when nothing truly was.
Every argument, every frightening story, and every painful memory quietly settled inside her young heart.
She could not fully understand what was happening.
But she knew something was terribly wrong.
Childhood, which should have been filled with laughter, slowly became filled with fear.
Before long, circumstances forced Goodness to leave the familiar environment she knew.
She had to move away for a period and stay with people she barely knew.
Everyone believed it would be temporary.
Everyone hoped it would help.
No one realized that this decision would become the beginning of another painful chapter in her life.
The little girl who had survived a difficult birth was about to face challenges that would shape her future forever.
She did not know it yet.
But the journey ahead would test her courage, her faith, and her ability to survive.
The scars left by family conflict would follow her into childhood.
Those experiences would eventually become stories she would one day find the strength to tell.
And that...
was only the beginning.
To be continued...
- Writer
