There was something uncanny about Leo. I had my reservations about him from the first time we met. It didn’t matter that Grace had introduced him as her fiance, I just felt that there was something off about him. Her choice in men didn’t always sit well with me and she would get upset whenever I talked to her about it.
It took a while for me to get over what she told me sometime ago. Imagine my baby sister calling me ‘frigid and jealous’ just because I told her that her boyfriend at the time wasn’t good for her. Just like other times, she came crying to me after he ran away with her money. After that incident, she begged for my forgiveness but I knew better than to make her business my business anymore.
Leo was the youth pastor at her church. They had only been friends for about four months and he was already talking about marriage. My sister was a sucker for fine men and Leo was a very handsome man. She was carried away by a fine christian man but I was worried for her. I couldn’t tell her what to do this time, after all what did I know? I was a rich, old single woman, add frigid and jealous to that.
They were married within a year. For the first few months after their wedding, I could see the glow in my sister and I began to chastise myself for thinking bad things about Leo. All of that was short-lived. I watched my sister deteriorate from a charming young woman to a shadow of herself.
Leo had quit his job because “he had a calling to be a full time Pastor” and because he had to fast all the time he demanded for smoothie and freshly cooked meals daily. And for some weird reason, he would not take any food that had been refrigerated. He would not help around the house because it was not his place to do that and to make matters worse, his mother had to move in with them because “she preferred their house to hers”.
Grace couldn’t tell me what she was going through in her marriage but I could easily tell that she was not happy. I said I wasn’t going to meddle in her business but I couldn’t sit back and watch my only sister fade away. I had a talk with her and she opened up about everything. Leo and his mother were leeches. They were in her life for the gains and nothing more. I advised her to take a break for a while just to clear her head and find a way forward. She promised to think about it and get back to me but I was surprised to receive a text from her later that day where she said she spoke to her husband about what we discussed and he labelled me as a homewrecker and has advised her to stay away from me.
I was shocked to my bones. This was the height of manipulation. I decided to leave her alone until she comes to her senses.
I promised our parents that I was going to take care of Grace, she was the only family I had and I couldn’t bring myself to cut her off completely so I still tried to stay in touch with her even though her responses were labored. Maybe I should have done more, maybe if I pushed harder Grace will still be here today.
It was a Monday morning and I was getting ready for the day. I had a very busy day ahead of me but it looked as if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
I spilled coffee on my white suit, I knocked the coffee creamer off the counter, the lid was open and it spilled everywhere, my heels broke as I was running down the stairs and as if things couldn’t get weirder, Leo was calling my phone. I didn’t even know that I still had his number. He was stuttering and all I could hear was that I should get to the hospital as soon as possible.
The drive to the hospital was the longest I’ve ever done. My sister has refused to see me in two years. I’ve been to her home and office and I was not allowed to see her. I arrived at the hospital and I fainted when I saw her in a body bag.
Leo claims he had been out of town on pastoral assignment the day before and his mother had gone to visit her sister. He only returned from his trip that morning to find the lifeless body of his wife in the guest room. His stories added up as he had witnesses to corroborate what he said.
When I went to pick my sister’s belongings after she was laid to rest, I was surprised to find out that Leo’s mother had her things in the master’s bedroom and it was clear that my sister had been sleeping in the guest room. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the death of my sister but there was no substantially evidence to build a case.
Years went by and I couldn’t get over Grace’s death. I prayed everyday that karma would visit Leo if he had a hand in her death. From time to time word about him filtered to my ears and I heard that he had moved on. He was married to a FinTech executive but unlike my sister, she was a no nonsense type of person.
She made sure they moved out from the apartment Leo had lived with Grace into a place she got and she made sure her mother in-law did not move in with them.
Gist has it that Leo’s new wife had returned unannounced from a trip and stumbled on Leo and his mother making out on their matrimonial bed. She had noticed overtime that her preacher husband was cheating on her so she set him up. He thought she was out of town so he brought his lover home. And because his new Mrs did not know what to expect, she made sure she didn’t return to the house alone. She was accompanied by the estate security and she also had her video on to record whatever she was going to see.
That was how she sent the videos to City blogger who made the story go viral.
I sit back and wonder what Grace’s experience would have been. She must have been so overwhelmed that her heart couldn’t take it anymore and she died in her sleep as a result of heart attack. If only she spoke out, if only she opened up to me I would have help her and she would still be alive today..
As for Leo, I prayed that he will get what is coming to him and he did. The social media is having a ball with the story and I can’t wait to see how far this goes.
Oh! I just read somewhere that Leo’s mother committed suicide. This is getting more interesting. I can’t wait.
