Lucy met Keoni through her friend's husband, and coincidentally, he had once been her senior colleague during her university days. He was a government worker—gentle in speech, polite in manner, and full of sweet promises.
He spoke about forever as if it were already waiting for them: marriage, family, and a future built on love. Lucy believed him.
They dated for four months. During that time, Keoni often complained to his friends that Lucy might be a lesbian because she refused to have sex with him. She wasn't ready; she had been celibate for a year and wanted to protect that decision. His accusations hurt her.
Eventually, Lucy gave in; she allowed intimacy to unfold, and their relationship progressed. Then, Lucy discovered she was pregnant. The news frightened her.
She thought about her plans, as her brother had already started processing her travel documents to leave the country before she met Keoni. She hadn't planned for this. She had imagined having more time to grow, prepare, and feel secure, even though she was already ripe for marriage and envisioned having her own children. But life rarely waits for perfect moments.
When she told Keoni, his reaction was serious. "If you ever abort this child, you will die," he said. The words shocked her. They felt heavy, like a warning she could not ignore. She wanted reassurance, not pressure, but he spoke with conviction.
So, she stayed.
Lucy resigned from her job; her pregnancy made it difficult to continue. The constant discomfort, the need for rest, and the demands on her body became unbearable. Her work required movement, cycling, and long hours, and she could not keep up.
She decided to stay with her sister, believing it would be safer—a place where she could heal and prepare for motherhood. But Keoni insisted she move in with him. He promised it would be easier and that he was preparing to meet her family to ask for her hand in marriage. He talked about responsibility and plans for building something lasting.
Lucy believed him again.
So, she moved in. That was when everything changed.
The gentleman she thought she knew became a different person.
He struggled to provide money for basic needs and asked Lucy to contribute. At first, she understood; relationships require cooperation, and life is expensive. But it soon became constant.
He frequently asked her to borrow money from her siblings and often told her to ask them for help. This made her feel sad and embarrassed.
Lucy began to blame herself. She wondered if she should have tested him financially before getting pregnant. Maybe she would have discovered earlier that he was not the kind person she thought he was but rather someone who entered her life because he knew her brother was financially stable and was helping her with her travel documents, which might benefit him.
Keoni even asked her to give him her SIM cards so he could borrow money from loan apps, but she refused. He suggested using her savings so they could "build together." Lucy hesitated; her savings represented security, a small cushion for the future—not something to be spent on things that would disappear.
Keoni compared her to market women who made money daily, to his exes who financially supported him, and to her friend whose husband had introduced them. His words implied she was lacking, that she was not enough.
Lucy began to understand; he was not a partner seeking shared responsibility but rather someone looking for financial assistance. The realization hurt. Love should not feel like a transaction.
He constantly complained about money, food, bills, and daily expenses. When he had money, he became silent and distant; but when it was time to spend, he would complain. Lucy noticed that when she contributed financially, he smiled, and his mood depended on her assistance. Affection was linked to finances, not a genuine partnership.
Keoni demanded sex even when Lucy was in pain. The pregnancy made her body sensitive, tired, and uncomfortable. She told him it hurt, but he ignored her; his needs came first. Her well-being did not matter.
He began calling other women "babe" on the phone, not because he loved them, but to make Lucy jealous—just because she brushed her teeth with sachet water.
Small things became weapons, and words turned into control. Lucy was pregnant; she could not simply walk away. So she stayed, hoping that things might improve.
Hoping the man she once believed in would return.
But cracks were forming.
And she could see them clearly.
The relationship she imagined was fading.
The promises she trusted felt empty.
Still, she told herself to hold on a little longer.
Because leaving was hard.
Because love is complicated.
Because sometimes we stay, not because things are good but because we hope they will become better.