Her mother's Enemy

Chika had never believed in love at first sight until she met Raymond. They bumped into each other at a book launch in Enugu.
He was confident, eloquent, and surprisingly humble for someone who came from a wealthy family.
Chika was a final-year literature student, living modestly with her widowed mother, Mma Ngozi. Raymond was pursuing his MBA and had just returned from London.
They had nothing in common on the surface, yet their souls found connection over poetry and palm wine.
He loved how grounded she was. She adored his discipline and vision. Within three months, they were inseparable.
But they kept their relationship quiet. Chika wasn’t ready to tell her mother just yet. Mma Ngozi was fiercely protective and often reminded Chika never to "trust the children of men who wear polished shoes and speak sweet English."
Eventually, Chika insisted they take the next step. She invited Raymond home for Sunday lunch. As Raymond stepped into the compound, Mma Ngozi froze at the sight of him.
Her hands trembled. Chika was confused. Raymond respectfully greeted her, but Mma Ngozi ignored him. She looked at Chika and said coldly, “That boy cannot step inside my house.”
After much begging and pleading, the truth came out: Raymond’s father was Chief Damian Obasi—a man who, decades ago, had falsely accused Mma Ngozi of theft when she worked as a secretary in his company. She was jailed for two years. Her fiancé left her.
Her life was ruined. Chief Obasi rose in wealth and fame. Mma Ngozi fell into poverty and shame. Raymond was shocked. He had never heard that story.
His father, he said, was “a man of integrity.” Chika was torn. Could she continue to love the son of her mother’s destroyer?
That night, Raymond went home and confronted his father. At first, Chief Obasi denied it. But when pressed, he finally admitted: “Yes, I did it. She knew too much.
She caught me diverting company funds. It was her word against mine. I protected myself. That was business.” Raymond couldn’t believe it. His father showed no remorse.
Meanwhile, Mma Ngozi begged Chika to end the relationship. “Love is not stronger than betrayal,” she warned. “If you marry him, you marry my pain.” But Chika loved Raymond—and she had her own mind.
The Truth Runs Deeper One week later, Chika received a call from Raymond. “I need you to meet someone,” he said. They met at a quiet café outside town.
To Chika’s surprise, Raymond arrived with a woman—his mother. Not Chief Obasi’s wife. The woman introduced herself as Grace. Raymond’s biological mother.
She explained she had been Chief Obasi’s secretary... the very same time Mma Ngozi worked there.
Grace revealed that she and Mma Ngozi were close friends. When Ngozi was accused, Grace tried to testify but was threatened. Out of fear and silence, she left the country.
She later gave birth to Raymond in the UK—after Chief Obasi raped her during that same period.
Raymond was not raised by Chief Obasi. He only reconnected with his father in adulthood after returning to Nigeria.
Chika broke down in tears. Her mother’s enemy had never truly been Raymond. The real enemy was silence and shame passed through generations.
She begged her mother to meet Grace—and they did. For the first time in 30 years, Mma Ngozi found closure. Two women, both victims of the same man, finally stood side by side as survivors.
Chika and Raymond decided to marry—but not in grandeur. They held a small village ceremony, with both mothers present, standing united.
Chief Obasi was not invited. When he heard of the wedding, he tried to send a gift. Chika sent it back… unopened.
Love doesn’t conquer all—but truth, when faced with courage, can heal even the deepest generational wounds.