It all began on our wedding night.
The laughter, the camera flashes, the clinking of glasses — everything had seemed perfect. I had just married the man I loved, the man I believed God had made just for me — DANIEL.

I remember resting my head on his shoulder in the car, still smiling at the golden ring glinting on my finger. That night was meant to be magical.
We were supposed to go to a hotel for our honeymoon — Daniel had arranged everything himself. But halfway through the drive, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and his expression instantly shifted.
“Who’s that?” I asked softly, but he ignored me, answering instead. I couldn’t make out the other person clearly, but I noticed his voice drop to a whisper.
When he ended the call, he gave a small, forced smile. “Babe, change of plans. Let’s go home instead. I think it’s better if we rest at home tonight.”
I frowned, confused. “But… we already booked the suite, Daniel. You were so excited about it.”
“I know,” he interrupted quickly. “But I just feel home would be more comfortable. Please, don’t argue.”
The tone in his voice made my stomach twist. It wasn’t anger — it was something colder. Something I couldn’t put into words. I nodded silently, staring out the window as the car turned away from the hotel.
When we got home, he opened the door for me, kissed my forehead, and said, “Let me go get some wine from downstairs.”
That puzzled me even more — there was already a bottle of wine in our room.
As he stepped out, I went to the bathroom to freshen up. The sound of running water calmed me briefly… until I heard a faint rustle.
When I stepped out — towel wrapped around me — I froze.
A woman was in our room. She wore a black hoodie and a white mask covering her entire face. My heart nearly stopped. I watched as she opened the wine bottle and poured a white powdery substance into it.
Before I could scream, she turned sharply toward me — and dashed out of the room.
My whole body shook. My first thought was to tell Daniel. I ran toward the door, but just then, his phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at it — and what I saw nearly made me faint.
A message from an unknown number:
“I have added it to the wine, sir. She will soon drink it. The next is her mother.”
My hand trembled. My throat went dry. Sir? That meant Daniel. My husband. The man I had just married.
Why would he want to kill me?

I quickly called my younger sister, Ade, whispering everything. She gasped and said, “Don’t panic. Pretend you drank it. Pretend you’re dead. Let’s see what he’ll do.”
So, with shaking hands, I sl!t a small line on my wrist with a broken glass, rubbed the blood around my lips, and lay on the floor.
Minutes later, Daniel returned. His footsteps paused at the door. Then, his f@ke gasp filled the room. “Oh my God… she’s de@d?”
I heard him whisper, then a low laugh followed. “Wow. My plan worked faster than I imagined.”
He dialed a number quickly. “Yes, send the ambulance. She’s gone.”
As he paced, I heard him humming — humming! — as if relieved.
Soon, my mother arrived with some relatives. Her cries pierced my heart, but I couldn’t move. I had to stay still; I had to act de@d because she was the next target. My mother begged him not to take me to the mortuary yet, saying maybe I’d wake up, but he insisted. “She’s going to the mortuary immediately, that’s where the de@d stay.”

Just then the ambulance arrived.
“I’ll stay alone with her before they take the body,” Daniel said, his voice suddenly cold. He forced everyone, including my mother, to leave the room.

Everyone left. My mother’s sobs faded. My heart pounded so hard I feared he’d hear it. “What is he planning next?”
Then Daniel locked the door.
“I have to make sure you’re dead,” he whispered.
When I heard him pick something from his pocket — the sound of a plastic seal breaking — my blo*od ran cold.
He brought out a small black cup, steam rising from it.
He smiled and said softly, “Just to be sure you’re gone My Love…”
What is he about to do?
I prayed we don’t marry we@pon fashioned against us.

I lay there on the bed, pretending to be de@d, my body covered with a white fabric. My hands were stiff, my lips cold, but I dared not move. I could hear his footsteps approaching — slow, heavy, and sure.

He held the black cup, steam rising. The smell was strange. My heart pounded faster. “What could it be?”
He moved closer and whispered, “I have to make sure you’re de@d.”
My body trembled beneath the cloth, but I stayed still. I couldn’t let him know I was alive.
Daniel lifted the fabric from my face. His hands touched my cheeks gently, lips curved into a small smile. “You were a good wife,” he said quietly, calm and cold. “But you were never meant to stay long.”
He brought the steaming cup closer — then suddenly, the door burst open.

It was Ade — my sister. She ran to me, crying loudly. “Sister! Sister please wake up!” she screamed. Tears streamed down her face as she held my hand tightly, pretending she didn’t know I was alive. She wanted to distract Daniel.
The men came in and carried me out. My mother’s wailing filled the air as they placed me in the ambulance. Daniel followed, acting like a grieving husband, but I could see the truth on his face. He was too calm, too pleased.
Inside, he sat beside me, humming quietly. Then his phone rang. I stayed still, listening.
“Everything went smoothly,” a female voice said. It was Ade. My blo*od froze.
She laughed. “You carried out the plan faster than I thought,” she said cheerfully.
Daniel smiled, voice steady. “I was planning to k!ll her on Saturday, Ade. Now she’s gone, and we can finally share her property.”
Ade’s voice came again. “Whoever did that have saved us from stress.”
My heart stopped. Why was Ade, my sister, working with him? Why didn’t she tell Daniel I was pretending?
He ended the call and looked at my covered body. “Whoever po!soned you deserves ten million naira,” he said softly. “Your company now belongs to me and your sweet step sister, Ade.” He laughed. But sadly, what can the de@d do?

Tears rolled down my face under the cloth. My chest burned with r@ge. I wanted to scream, to tear everything apart. But no — not yet. I needed to understand Ade’s mind, and who was behind the po!soning. I needed to see how far their lies went.
At the mortuary, Ade waited, calm — almost proud. They wheeled me inside, cold air biting through the sheet. Daniel stood by, watching as they opened the metal fridge.

My heartbeat thundered. Just as they were about to place me inside, a voice called out:
“Wait! Don’t touch her!”
Daniel froze. It was Ade. She walked toward him slowly with a crooked smile, holding a brown envelope. Daniel’s face changed; he looked nervous and dragged her outside.

I sat up, removing the white cloth. The attendant screamed, staggering back. “Jesus! Holy Spirit! Don’t kill me, please!” he cried, shaking, urinating on himself.
I covered his mouth. “Shhh… calm down,” I whispered. “I’m not de@d. I’m alive. Please don’t shout.”
He stared at me, trembling. “So… so you…you’re not a ghost?”
“No,” I said softly. “Help me. I need to hide here until I find out the truth. My name is Rose.”
He nodded. “Okay… stay here. I’ll find a way to help you.”

Outside, Ade’s voice was sharp:
“Now that Rose, my stu*pid step sister is de@d, it’s time for my next plan,” she said coldly. “Transfer all her properties to me. If not, I’ll expose you.”
Daniel sounded desperate. “Please, Ade. I didn’t po!son her. I swear I didn’t; I was planning to k!ll her on Saturday. I didn’t plan the po!son! I thought we were working together.”
Ade laughed. “I know you didn’t. I did it. I poisoned her, yes. But I have a voice recording to make it look like you did it. Sign the papers now… or jail comes before her burial.”
Daniel, shaking, signed, whispering, “You will pay for this, Ade.”
Ade looked at the papers, smiling wickedly. “Good. Now one f00l is dealt with. Time for plan B.”

She entered the room where I was hiding. Calm, pretending nothing happened. “Don’t worry, sister,” she said sweetly. “We’ll find who po!soned you. Stay here for now.”

Tears filled my eyes. Maybe I was wrong about her. “Thank you, Ade,” I whispered. I trusted her now; together we would expose that shameless man I called husband.

Ade smiled. “Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
But outside, her face changed. “No one, not even Rose, will escape what I’m about to do.”

Unknown to Ade, Jide, the mortuary attendant, heard everything.
“Oh no, Madam Rose is in tr0uble; I have to alert her immediately.”

Just as he rushed, a call came:
“Hello Ade, I think Jide knows our plan. What now?”

I hid in the dark corner as my phone vibrated — a message from Jide:
“Don’t trust your sister. Wait, I’ll send a video.”
My hand shook. “Not trust Ade? Impossible,” I whispered. “She’s my sister…”

Minutes passed. Outside, people whispered. “Did you hear?”
“What?”
“Jide… he’s de@d.”
I froze. “No… why?”

The phone rang. Ade’s name appeared. “Ade?” I said softly.
Her calm voice said, “Sister… don’t panic. I found someone with evidence against your husband. Follow him.”
I hesitated. “Ade… Jide… he d!ed?”
She paused, then said, “Forget him. Focus on exposing your husband. Someone named Samuel will help you.”

A man in white entered quietly. “You must be the lady. I’m Samuel. Ade sent me.”
His eyes looked kind, but the smile felt too perfect.
“I’m here to help you escape,” he whispered.

He led me through a narrow hallway past lifeless bodies. At the back door, he said, “She’s waiting for you.”
Outside, Ade’s car waited. She smiled behind her sunglasses. “Sister! Hurry! Mom is crying. Let’s go.”

I hesitated but weak and confused, I entered. Samuel gave me a strange look. Ade whispered, “Now, sister… let’s meet the man who started it all.”
The car drove off. Rose’s mother arrived at the mortuary in tears.

I sat beside Ade, heart racing. “Are you sure this is wise?”
She didn’t answer, just stared ahead, chewing gum. The road turned into a lonely path.
Ade laughed wickedly. “Relax, Rose. You’ll understand soon.”

We stopped at an old building. Dust and rot filled the air. Then I saw him — JIDE!!!
He hung upside down, tied, lips cracked and blo*ody. “You shouldn’t have come!” he shouted. “She…po!soned me. Run, Rose! Run!”
I froze. I turned to Ade. “Why are you doing this? I trusted you! It’s you?”
She laughed cruelly. “Oh, poor Rose. I don’t care about your husband. I just want your money. I poisoned your drink. You fell for everything.”

My legs shook. Far away, my mother cried at the mortuary. Samuel blocked her, pretending to protect me. Ade smiled sweetly over the phone. “Don’t worry, Mom. We’ll bury Rose soon.”

She threw papers at me. “Sign these or I’ll sh00t Jide.”
I trembled but signed. A gunshot echoed. Jide’s body fell. I screamed. Ade laughed, holding a syringe. “This will paralyze you for five days. Watch your own burial. Punishment for marrying Daniel.”

I grabbed her wrist, pushed her, and ran barefoot, bleeding, terrified. Ade shouted, “AFTER HER!”
The men chased me. I ran blindly until I reached a village road. An old woman screamed, thinking I was a ghost.
Before I could run again, Ade grabbed me, injected me. I froze.
“Take her to the mortuary,” Ade ordered Samuel.

The next morning, Ade dressed me like a corpse. Tears fell unseen. “Sleep well, sister.”

Hours later, I lay in a coffin. I could hear my mother crying. I couldn’t move. The pastor said, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”
I prayed, God, save me.

Ade and Samuel laughed, believing it over.

Unknown to them, my mother overheard Ade and Samuel talking. She secretly recorded their confession.

Early next morning, police surrounded the lounge. I walked in, alive, beside my mother. Ade panicked.
“You were de@d!”
“You tried to bury me alive, Ade. God had other plans.”

Mrs. Adeleke handed the police the recorder. Ade and Samuel were arrested.
They were sentenced to 15 years.

I reclaimed everything. Every month, I visited Jide’s grave. In his memory, I started THE JIDE FOUNDATION, a home for orphans — built from pain, love, and survival.