Martina did not know what she did to deserve such a caring husband. If anyone had told her,she will know this kind of happiness, she would have hit whoever said that. But this was not a dream, it is reality, her reality.

Fred came into her life when she was in the lowest part of her life. She had just come out of a horrible relationship, which ended up with her father almost disowning her. Fred just came and swept her off her feet without her realising it.

True, she had almost ruined her relationship with Fred. When he first came into her life, she did not want to have anything to do with him. His presence always annoyed her. She had decided to stay away from men and was going to stand by it. But, Fred never gave up on her.

As she walked in the beautiful garden behind her house, she sat down on the beautiful garden furniture that was held up in a form of a swing. She was holding a glass of juice in her hand and was smiling to herself.

She remembered the first time she met Fred. She had gone out with her friend, Linda, on that day to have lunch together. She was feeling very down, and did not want to go out but, she finally got herself convinced by Linda.

As they sat down, waiting for their order in the beautiful restaurant, Fred approached them. Martina was very annoyed at the man for disturbing their peaceful time but chose not to act on it.

" Hello ladies",Fred greeted flashing the most beautiful smile ever. 

Martina rolled her eyes and looked the other way, refusing to make eye contact with the man.

" Hello," Linda smiled back.

" I could not help walking up to you as I walked in. Can I join you ladies for a bit?" Fred asked

" Sure, you can sit with us", Linda offered

" Thank you. I am Fred Mensah, by the way", he extended his hand to Linda who graciously took it.

" Linda Asantewaa. And this is my friend, Martina Wilson", Linda introduced.

" It's nice meeting you, Linda. Really, I was wondering how come two beautiful women such as yourselves are all by yourselves", Fred complimented

Martina who looked uninterested this whole time suddenly spoke up. " And who told you we were alone? Even if we were, what business is it to you?"

Linda threw her a glare. Then quickly apologised to Fred. " I am so sorry Fred. My friend is always not like this".

Fred just smiled. " Don't worry about it, I understand. Anyway, this is my card. Call me anytime, so that we can hang out". He handed the card to Linda who took it.

" Sure, will do that. Thank you", she said and put the card in her bag

"Well, it was nice meeting you both. I'm sure we will be great friends in future, don't you agree... Martina, right?" Fred asked, turning his attention to Martina.

Martina was very angry but tried to be respectful to the young man. " Well, I hope not. If you please, can you leave? I don't want to deal with the likes of you".

Fred smiled lightly. " Don't worry, I was about to leave anyway. So, I hope you will call me?" he asked Linda

Linda nodded. " Of course, I will."

Fred smiled again and left them.

Linda looked at Martina, quite shocked from Martina's response. " What was that for? You did not have to be rude to the man. He was just being nice".

" The man was clearly flirting with you and you were allowing it. And if my memory serves me right, you brought me here to have some girl time", Martina angrily replied.

" Yes, I did. But... "

" Can we just enjoy our lunch,please?" Martina cut in.

Linda kept quiet. They were later served their food which they started eating. They began talking about other things which seemed to have loosened the tension that had risen moments ago.

Martina laughed when she remembered how rude she was to Fred back then. Fred had actually approached them that day because of her. He liked her the first day he met her. He got Linda to convince her to go out with him, and after many rejections Martina finally accepted.

Since the day they had their first date, Martina was never depressed again. She realised the impact Fred had on her and how he was able to make her genuinely happy in a small space of time.

Eventually, they got married and had their beautiful son, Fred Jr. He was the most precious thing ever and both Fred and Martina loved him dearly. The boy grew up, very intelligent and smart. For a seven year old, he looked much smarter for his age.

Unfortunately, the boy was asthmatic and had to carry an inhaler around all the time. But, he was still the most sweetest little boy anyone could have as a son.

Martina knew life was giving her a second chance and she had no plans of ruining it for anything.

Martina had fallen in love before, with a boy whom she adored and literally worshipped. His name was Stanley. Stanley swept Martina off her feet the first time they met. That was at the university's library. When their eyes locked into each other, they knew there and then that they belonged to each other.

Stanley was Martina's happiness. They were always seen together, and it seemed like nothing could separate them. Stanley's family were not rich. It was difficult being the eldest son in his family. He had three other younger siblings he was taking care of and that always put a strain on his pockets.

Martina on the other hand, was raised in a well to do home. Her father owned one of the biggest building construction firms in the country. He had so many branches around the country and internationally as well. Martina never lacked anything. She had never worked in her entire life.

As an only child, everything was given to her on a silver platter. She was happy in her own world until she met Stanley.

Everyone thought Stanley was with Martina because of her family name and money. Who would have believed Stanley was with her out of love, anyway? But Martina paid no heed to what they were saying. She was confident in her heart that Stanley loved her as much she loved him.

Time went on, and their relationship grew. Martina became like a saviour to Stanley. She was so in love with the boy that, seeing him suffer because of money made her suffer as well. She always tried to help him, whenever he needed money.

She was always given extra allowances to use in school, even though she was not living on the school premises. She had enough to cater for herself and was willing to share what she had with Stanley. She would cook for him, clean his room and wash his clothes.

She became like his wife even though they were not married. This worried Linda a lot. She knew the sacrifices Martina was willing to make for Stanley but she never felt Stanley was worth it.

" Martina is high time you gave more attention to yourself instead of using all your allowance on Stanley. I don't think he is worth it", Linda said when she came to visit Martina at her home one evening.

" Why would you say that, Linda? You know how much I love Stanley. Stanley does not have enough money to fend for himself, especially since he is taking care of three younger siblings,  and I want to help him in any way I can", Martina replied

" He is working, isn't he? Come on girl, he has been managing on his own before he met you. But now look, he now visits expensive restaurants and buys expensive clothing just because you have decided to use the allowances your parents give you, on him", Linda said again.

" Oh Linda! How can you say that? How much can Stanley make from that small laundry business he does? You know very well he doesn't make much, that's why I want to help him stand on his feet. Maybe one day, we will get married and have a family of our own, who knows?" Martina shrugged

" All I can say is, be very careful. I would not want you to get hurt in any way. You know you are like a sister to me, and I love you very much", Linda warned.

She was worried about her friend and she knew she was making a mistake getting too involved with Stanley.

Six months after their relationship, things began to change. Stanley became more demanding. He became dependent on Martina for everything. He stopped doing laundry and complained that it was a woman's job. Martina was always worried and sad about the situation but she kept quiet about it.

One afternoon, after they were done with lectures, Stanley decided to speak with Martina. He looked around campus till she found her sitting under a tree, going through her hand out. She was concentrating on it so much that she did not realise him approaching her.

" I have been looking for you", Stanley said suddenly, startling Martina.

She snapped her head up, only to realise who had disturbed her. She frowned a little but had a big smile on her face when she saw who it was.

" Baby, how are you doing?" she asked happily.

Stanley did not reply. Instead, he had a frown on his face which worried Martina. He sat beside her on the bench she was sitting on.

" Baby, what happened? What's wrong?" Martina asked, worry evident in her voice.

" It's nothing, forget it", he brushed her off.

" Baby, come on. I can feel there is something bothering you. Please tell me and I will do anything I can to help you", she said again trying to calm him down.

Stanley looked at her, with seriousness written all over his face. " I need some money".

" O-kay. Why do you need money? Did something happen?" she asked again.

" Yes. It's my mother. She suddenly fell ill and she was taken to the hospital last night. I managed to send some money to them so that treatment could be commenced on her, but it's not enough", Stanley replied.

He had tears in his eyes which were threatening to fall. Seeing her love like that worried her so much. She had to do something for him.

" How much do you need?" Martina asked

Stanley smiled his biggest smile ever.

Martina loved Stanley wholeheartedly. He cheated on her several times with different girls but, she still forgave him and continued to love him. She gave her heart, body and mind to him. But, Stanley really did not appreciate it.

Linda wanted to help Martina get out of the toxic relationship she was in. She tried to help her see what the relationship was doing to her but Martina refused to see it. She was madly in love with Stanley and just wanted to be with him.

One evening, Martina decided to pay a visit to Stanley at his hostel. He was home, lying on the big matress that laid at the corner of the room in his white plain  t-shirt and black loose jeans.

He welcomed Martina nicely to his place but had this look of worry on his face.

" Is something wrong?" Martina asked, lovingly as she sat beside him on the bed.

" Nothing. Don't worry about me", he replied still looking worried.

" You can't tell me it's nothing, when the look on your face is telling me a different story. Come on, Stan, tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help you", she put her hand on his.

" I-I don't know if I should tell you this. It's just that I don't like worrying you with my problems", Stanley replied

" Well the thing is, I am planning on travelling to the United States for greener pastures and a friend of mine has promised to help me acquire my visa and passport. But the thing is...hmm", he kept quiet.

" What is it, Stan?" Martina urged him

" Well the thing is, he is asking for about 5000 cedis for the paperwork and I have been able to raise only 2000 cedis. And the deadline too is two weeks away. I don't know where I am going to get the rest of the money. I am very confused", he narrated.

" If you travel, what will happen to your education? We are already in our third year. Why don't you wait till graduation?" Martina suggested

" And let this opportunity pass me by? Martina, you are not serious. I can't believe you are the one saying this, Martina. You know how much I am suffering to take care of myself and my family. I need to grab this opportunity more than ever. I know I can make it when I get there", he said.

" Okay, I am sorry. I just thought it would be better if you could finish your education first, before thinking of travelling out", Martina said quietly.

She was sad that Stanley wanted to travel and leave her all by her all by herself.

" Listen, my love. I really want to travel, so that I can be able to take care of you as much you do for me. I don't want you to always spend your money on me. I want to be able to buy you all the nice things and make you feel good", Stanley said, holding Martina's cheek lovingly.

" I know. But, I am not complaining. I love you, Stanley and I do not want to loose you. Must you go? Please stay?" Martina almost cried out.

" Listen baby. I need to do this. I need to do this for us. For our future. I know you might be scared but you don't have to be", he persuaded her.

Martina believed every word he said and gave in. She wanted Stanley to be happy and what he needed to be happy right now was to travel overseas.

Martina thought for a while then asked, " So, how are you going to raise the rest of the money now, since the deadline is just two weeks away?"

" Well, I was hoping you could help me with the money, Martina", Stanley said

" I can't help with that, Stan. You know very well that my father no longer gives me enough allowances because he found out about you and I. So, where do you expect me to get 3000 cedis from?" Martina confessed

" I know that, Martina. But please help me out. I really want to do this for us. I promise that I will pay you as soon as I get to the States", Stanley pleaded.

" Okay, I will see what I can do. I am not promising you anything though".

Stanley was so happy when Martina said that and promised not to ever disappoint her. That day he showed Martina that he really loved her. Martina was determined to make Stanley happy like this everyday. So she vowed to herself that she would do anything to help Stanley raised that money.

Because of that, she made a bad decision she later regretted.