A PASTOR'S BETRAYAL
PART 4
The house was too quiet.
Grace sat at the edge of the bed, her fingers tracing the rim of her morning coffee cup, the steam long gone. Michael had left early again—another "business meeting." But this time, something felt different. Her stomach twisted in knots, and no matter how hard she tried to shake it off, the feeling clung to her like a shadow.
She picked up her phone, scrolling mindlessly until a message notification popped up.
It was from an unknown number.
Her breath hitched as she opened it.
"Your husband and his secretary look so cozy together at the Silver Spoon Café. Thought you should know."
Attached was a photo—Michael sitting across from his young, beautiful secretary, their heads close together as they smiled over documents.
Grace’s hands trembled.
She didn’t remember driving to Michael’s office.
All she knew was the burning in her chest, the way her pulse roared in her ears. She burst through the doors, ignoring the startled receptionist, and marched straight to his office.
And there they were—Michael and her—standing close, the secretary laughing at something he said.
Grace saw red.
"Grace? What are you—" Michael started, his eyes widening as she stormed in.
"Who is she?!" Grace screamed, pointing at the secretary.
The young woman stepped back, her face paling. "Mrs. Thompson, I—"
"Grace, calm down!" Michael moved between them, his hands raised. "This isn’t what you think!"
"Then what is it?!" Her voice cracked, raw with betrayal. "Another business meeting? Another late night? How long has this been going on?!"
Michael’s jaw tightened. "Nothing is going on! We were just going over contracts!"
Grace let out a bitter laugh. "Contracts? Is that what you call it now?"
She lunged forward, shoving him hard. Michael stumbled back, shock flashing across his face.
"Grace, stop!"
But she couldn’t. The rage, the hurt, the months of loneliness—it all erupted. She grabbed the nearest thing—a glass paperweight—and hurled it at the wall. It shattered, the sound like a gunshot in the tense silence.
The secretary screamed, scrambling out of the room.
Michael grabbed Grace’s wrists, his grip firm. "Grace, enough! You’re acting crazy!"
"*Crazy?!" She wrenched free, tears streaming down her face. "You’ve been lying to me! You’ve been cheating on me!"
"I haven’t!" Michael’s voice broke. "Grace, please—just listen to me!"
But she didn’t want to listen.
She couldn’t.
The ride home was a blur.
Michael followed her, pleading the entire way, but Grace barely heard him. All she could hear was Pastor Gideon’s voice in her head:
"If you stay, you will die."
When they got home, the children were there—their three beautiful babies, their faces filled with confusion and fear as they watched their parents scream at each other.
"Daddy? Mommy?" little Sarah whispered, her eyes wide with tears.
Grace’s heart shattered.
But she couldn’t stop.
She packed her bags that night.
Michael begged on his knees, his voice broken. "Grace, please… Don’t do this. I love you. We love you."
The children cried, clinging to her legs. "Mommy, don’t go!"
Grace closed her eyes, her hands shaking as she zipped up her suitcase.
Pastor Gideon’s words echoed louder.
"God wants you free."
She turned away, walking out the door without looking back.
When she arrived at the church, Pastor Gideon welcomed her with open arms.
"Sister Grace," he said, his voice dripping with false warmth. "You’ve done the right thing. God is pleased."
He patted her back, his smile wide. "This is your new beginning."
Grace nodded, but deep down, beneath the numbness, a voice whispered:
What have I done?
That night, alone in the small apartment the pastor had arranged for her, Grace sat on the edge of an unfamiliar bed, staring at her phone.
There were 17 missed calls from Michael.
32 messages from the kids.
And one voicemail—Sarah’s tiny, broken voice:
"Mommy… please come home."
Grace pressed a hand to her mouth, choking back a sob.
For the first time, she wondered—had she made the biggest mistake of her life?
TO BE CONTINUED...

A PASTOR'S BETRAYAL
PART 1
Grace wiped her hands on her apron, the scent of fried plantains still lingering in the air. The kitchen was warm, the way her husband, Michael, liked it. Eighteen years of marriage had taught her that—just like she knew he preferred his tea with two sugars and a splash of milk. Little things. The kind of things that should have bound them closer, but instead, they had become silent reminders of the distance between them.
She glanced at the clock. 8:47 PM. Michael was late again.
Not that it was unusual. His construction business had been demanding more of his time lately, and Grace understood. At least, she told herself she did. But understanding didn’t stop the loneliness from creeping in, didn’t stop the quiet resentment from settling in her chest like a stone.
The front door clicked open, and Michael’s heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway.
"You’re late," Grace said, not looking up as she arranged his plate on the table.
"Traffic," he mumbled, loosening his tie.
She wanted to say more. Wanted to ask why he hadn’t called, why he hadn’t texted. But the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she watched as he sat down, his eyes fixed on his phone, fingers scrolling mindlessly.
"The food’s getting cold," she said softly.
Michael grunted in response, finally setting his phone aside. He took a bite, chewing slowly, his mind clearly somewhere else.
Grace sat across from him, picking at her own food. The silence between them was thick, suffocating. It hadn’t always been like this. Once, they used to talk for hours—about dreams, about their daughter, Sarah, about everything and nothing. Now, it felt like they were two strangers sharing a meal out of obligation.
"You forgot to pay the electricity bill," Grace said, breaking the silence.
Michael frowned. "I thought you handled that."
"I did last month. You said you’d take care of it this time."
A sigh. "Grace, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. You couldn’t just remind me?"
Her grip tightened around her fork. "I shouldn’t have to remind you, Michael. This is your house too."
He rubbed his temples, exhaustion lining his face. "Can we not do this tonight? I’m tired."
Tears pricked at the corners of Grace’s eyes, but she blinked them away. This was how it always went. A small issue, a minor misunderstanding, and instead of fixing it, they let it fester. Like cracks in a wall, ignored until the whole structure threatened to collapse.
She wanted to scream. Wanted to shake him and say, "We’re slipping away! Don’t you see it?" But she didn’t. Because maybe he didn’t see it. Or maybe he just didn’t care enough to try.
Instead, she stood, taking her plate to the sink. "I’m going to bed," she whispered.
Michael didn’t respond.
Upstairs, Grace sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her wedding photo on the nightstand. They looked so happy then. So, in love. Where had they gone wrong?
Was it the long hours at work? The missed anniversaries? The way they stopped holding hands in public. Or was it the slow, painful erosion of communication—the assumption that love alone would carry them through, even when they stopped trying?
She picked up her phone, scrolling absently until she saw a notification from Pastor Gideon’s weekly sermon: "God’s Plan for Your Marriage."
Her finger hovered over the link. Maybe… maybe he had answers. Maybe he could help her understand why her marriage felt like it was crumbling over things that should have been so easy to fix.
With a deep breath, she clicked on it.
Little did she know that one click would change everything.
TO BE CONTINUED...

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