At night, however, he sometimes woke around midnight and stood quietly beside the bed without speaking.
I would pretend to sleep, sensing him staring downward toward the floor for long, silent minutes before lying back down carefully.
When I once asked why he stood up at that hour, he said he was praying quietly over our marriage.
I accepted that explanation because I wanted to believe I had married a spiritual and protective man.
Eight months passed without conflict, and the strange rule slowly blended into the background of our daily routine.
Yesterday morning, everything changed because of something small and ordinary that should have meant nothing at all.
Obinna left early for what he called an urgent business trip to Abuja, promising to return the following evening.
I planned to attend a friend’s bridal shower later that day, so I stood before our bedroom mirror selecting jewelry carefully.
I chose a pair of expensive diamond earrings he had given me during our fifth month anniversary celebration.
As I tried fastening one earring, it slipped from my fingers unexpectedly and bounced against the thick bedroom rug.
I watched helplessly as it rolled in a straight line beneath the large king-size bed.
My heart skipped slightly because the forbidden space suddenly felt closer than ever before.
I stood still for several seconds, hearing his warning echo clearly in my mind about ancestral protection and disaster.
But it was only an earring, an expensive one, and I could not imagine explaining its disappearance carelessly.
I knelt slowly on the rug, telling myself I would retrieve it quickly without truly looking at anything unnecessary.
Using my phone flashlight, I lowered my head toward the floor and directed the bright beam into the darkness.
At first, I noticed something unusual about the rug itself because it seemed cut precisely along the bed’s outline.
