” The problem started last year when I met Nick online. First he was sending messages to me on Facebook messenger but I refused to respond. Yet he continued sending chats, telling me that he loved me. He requested for my phone number but I didn’t give him. I was surprised when I woke up one morning to discover that he sent call credit to me. The first was MTN, then airtel, glo and etisalat. Each has two set of recharge numbers. He wrote that each network is worth 2000 naira. He further told me to choose the network I’m using and threw away the rest. I though that it was a scam but when I tried the MTN, I discovered that it was real. I also tried the airtel; it was real too. I quickly took the glo and etisalat to friends who are using the networks, they bought it paid me. Afterwards, I sent a thank you message to him.”

“It means that the call card he sent to you was worth 8000 naira?” Mrs. Paul asked.

” Yes ma”

“It’s aright, continue with your narration,” Mrs Paul urged her.

“When I told Uloma what happened, she blamed me for accepting the gift. She advised that I should return it but I didn’t mind her. Instead of heeding to her advice,
I sent my phone number to Nick and we started calling each other on phone. After a week, he couldn’t reach me because my phone was faulty. After I repaired it, I tried to reach him. He sounded so worried about not being able to reach me. I told him what happened and apologized to him. He promised to send a gift to me. After 2 days, a dispatch rider brought a Samsung phone for me. At that point, I lost my mind. I became so obsessed about him, that I couldn’t stay for a day without hearing his voice. He later told me that he wanted to marry me and requested that I should visit him. I didn’t blink my eyes before accepting.”

“You accepted to visit someone you don’t know anything about just because he bought phone for you?” Mrs Paul asked.

“Yes mummy, I did. But I am regretting my action now. When I got to his house, I was swept off my feet. The house has a taste of class. I made up my mind that I will do everything possible to make the marriage work. As I was still thinking about that, He knelt before me and proposed marriage again. I quickly accepted to marry him. He made lots of promises to me and I was grinning from ear to ear. I threw caution to the air and allowed him have his way with me. I spent three days in his house. When I was about to go, I was expecting a huge amount of money from him. However he told me that he was having issues with his bank. He made phone calls, claiming that he was talking with his account officer. After a while, I told him that I couldn’t wait any longer. He collected my account details and I left. When I came back, I ran to Uloma and Itohan to break the news of my engagement to them. When I told them that I spent 3 days in Nick’s house, Uloma was very angry with me. She told me that I was building my relationship on a faulty foundation. I told her that I would do everything to make Nick marry me, even it means building it without foundation.”

“That was very wrong,” Mrs Paul reprimanded her.

“Mummy, I wished that I listened to all the advises that Uloma was giving me. She warned me about the dangers of premarital sex. She also talked of being careful of friends we met online. But I didn’t listen. Today, that is my greatest regret,” She started weeping.

“Please, wipe your tears,” Mrs. Paul pleaded.

“Mummy please tell her to stop shedding crocodile tears and tell us the full story. Let her tell us the reason she advised me to marry Eric,” Itohan said in anger.

“I.T calm down. She is already talking,” Mrs. Paul pleaded.

“But she is slow. Let her say everything. She is a wicked soul. Let her just pray that everything work out well between me and Eric. If not, she will regret knowing me,” Itohan threatened.

“Itohan, I have already told you to calm down. Don’t try to push blames. You have 2 friends that were giving you advice. You decided to go with the one you thought will favour you. No one forced you. It is painful that Zina betrayed your trust, but the deed has been done. What we need now is solution. Zina please continue with your story.”

“The next day, Nick sent message to me via WhatsApp requesting that I send a huge amount of money to him. I thought his phone was stolen. But when I called his phone, I discovered that he was the one that sent the chat. I told him that I don’t have that kind of money but he insisted that I must send the money. I got angry and warned him never to call my phone again.Almost immediately he sent an image to me. On a closer look, I discovered that it was my nude. My world stood still.”

“What! How did he get it?”

“Mummy I don’t know. But on the second day, while I was in his house, I suddenly felled asleep after taking a wine he gave to me. I struggled to wake many times but I couldn’t. When I woke up the next day. I complained about the wine he gave me. He told me that it contained alcohol and promised not to give me such again since I didn’t like it. I never knew that it was drugged. When I saw the picture, I begged him to delete it but he refused. He told me that I must give him the money before he would delete it. If not, he would share it online. He also warned me not involve the police. He threatened that if I do, his friends who are already with the picture will share it on the internet. I later gave him the money and he told me that he has deleted it. The next month, he sent a video and demanded for a bigger amount of money. That was how I became a money making machine for Nick.”

“When all these were happening, did you tell your friends?” Mrs. Paul asked.

“No ma. Nick warned me not to tell anybody. Another is that I didn’t want to be laughed at. I wanted them to believe that all was well with me,”

“Zina you mean that this was going on but you never told me. You kept singing his praise. You even told me that he travelled out of the country,” Itohan asked in anger.

“Are you surprised! You believe what most people tell you at your own risk. This is Why I advise people to be careful of what people tell them and what they see on internet. Many people want you to believe that all is well with them. They will condemn your marriage, your business and the little success you have, claiming that they have a better one, whereas they wish to be like you. Many people that flaunt happy marriage are actually struggling. Many that flaunt wealth on internet doesn’t even have food to eat. It’s unfortunate that you were decieved,”Mrs Paul told her.

“Mummy, I am heart broken. Zina has finished me!” Itohan lamented.

“I.T I don’t like the way you are sounding concerning your marriage. Every marriage has its peculiar challenge. ” Mrs. Paul told her.

“Mummy I am not even married. I was impregnated outside wedlock. I remember the time that Eric threatened that if I insist to keep myself until after our wedding he would call off the relationship. I dare him to do so. But Zina kept pressurizing me to give in. He kept telling me the dangers of losing Eric. He told me that Nick is already building a new house for her parents in the village and Eric will do so for my parents too. I am heart broken to hear that the Nick she was using to boast is a scammer. Zina hid it from me and kept leading me on. Ha! Zina,it will never be well with you” she cursed.

“Enough!,” Mrs. Paul cautioned.

“Mummy I am heart broken. Zina is an unfriendly friend. She is an enemy in disguise.” Itohan spluttered in tears.

“I said that it is okay. All hope is not lost. Eric never abandoned you. You should pray and wish for the best . It’s too early to conclude,” Mrs. Paul advised.

“Mummy please plead with Itohan to forgive me. I am sorry for everything I did. It was not intentional,” Zina pleaded in tears.

” Mummy don’t mind her. The only plead for forgiveness that I will accept from Zina is for her to tell me why she deceived me to agree to marry Eric, when she knew that he was not even interested in marrying me. Why must it be me?” Itohan replied on anger.

Watch out for the next episode