Weeks passed, and Chijioke and Nneoma's courtship blossomed. Nneoma moved into Chijioke's modest home shortly after their small, quiet wedding. The ceremony was simple, attended by a few close friends and neighbors. When asked about her family, Nneoma repeated her story about being an orphan, and though whispers of doubt spread through the village, Chijioke dismissed them.
In the beginning, their life together was blissful. Nneoma seemed to transform Chijioke's house into a home, filling it with warmth and care. Her love for him felt pure and unwavering, and soon she announced that she was expecting their first child.
But as time passed, strange things began to happen. It started with small, almost unnoticeable quirks. Nneoma never ate in front of others, claiming she preferred to eat alone. Chijioke found it odd but never pressed her about it.
During church services, Nneoma often excused herself halfway through, citing headaches or fatigue. One Sunday, the village priest mentioned seeing her wandering near the river during service time, staring at the water as though in a trance.
"What were you doing by the river, Nneoma?" Chijioke asked that evening.
She smiled faintly. "Sometimes the sound of water helps me think. That's all."
But it wasn't just her peculiar habits. Animals behaved strangely around her. Dogs growled and barked whenever she passed, and birds seemed to scatter at her approach. Chijioke began to notice that she avoided mirrors, always turning away or leaving the room when he was near one.
"Don't you think it's odd?" his neighbor, Mama Nkechi, asked one day. "A wife who doesn't eat in front of her husband? Who avoids church and mirrors?"
Chijioke laughed uneasily, brushing off the old woman's concerns. "You know how women can be with their quirks."
But deep down, a seed of doubt had been planted.