He lived with his dad when he proposed to me. I asked why, at his age, he was still living with his father, and he explained that his mom and dad got a divorce. When his mother was leaving the house, they split the children. His mom left with his sister, while he stayed with his dad. He had built all his life around that house, so even his office is close to the house.

It wasn’t a deal breaker for me. I was also living with my parents, waiting to marry before I left. I visited his house once, and I understood why he wouldn’t leave. It was spacious and very accommodating. I fell in love with the house. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the fact that he shared a hall with his dad.

READ ALSO: My Husband and His Mother Don’t Want Me To Speak My Language To My Son

But his dad was equally accommodating and made me feel at home. His dad called the house Men’s Arena because they were the only men living there. I would go there, cook, clean, and arrange the place. His dad even started giving me gifts because of that. That house became my second home, but I never spent a night there.

Joshua tried all he could to make me. I told him it didn’t feel respectful for me to spend a night while his dad was there. We dated for a year and a half and got married. I knew after marriage, I was moving into that house. We talked about it. He said he didn’t want to leave his dad alone because of their bond and the fact that he was the one who took care of him.

He joked, “He’ll die one day, and that whole house will be ours. No need to rush out of our future house.”

So a few months after marriage, I moved into the house and began our marital life. It was no longer Men’s Arena. It had become a home for our present and our future.

I was in the bathroom bathing when the door was forced open. I opened my eyes, and my father-in-law was standing there. I quickly folded into a semi-ball, trying to hide what I had left that he hadn’t seen. He said sorry but was still standing there. I had to scream, “Oh my God,” several times before this man would take his eyes off me and walk away.

When my husband came, I told him what happened and he found it amusing. Even when I said it took him too long to leave, he didn’t find anything wrong with it apart from seeing it as an accidental crash.

Our section of the house was supposed to have a toilet and bath, but the soakaway had issues and was abandoned. My husband promised he was going to fix it to avoid such crashes in the future.

The second time it happened was in the toilet. Immediately I entered, he pushed it open, said sorry, and walked away. So I locked the doors to ensure I was safe. Surprisingly too, it only happened when my husband was not in the house.

One day, I was in the bathroom when I saw a shadow walk by. I knew it was him, but his feet didn’t make a sound. Where he was headed was also our room, so I looked under the bathroom door, through the tiny space there, to see when the shadow would return again. A few seconds later, his body fell to the ground. I didn’t see his face, but I could see moving fingers.

I poured water on myself and made sure some would fall where the finger was. He quickly got up and walked away. I stayed in there for so long, scared and confused. “What does he want to see?” “What if one day he attacks?”

I told my husband about it. He said it wasn’t possible. His dad wouldn’t do such a thing. “Maybe you’re seeing shadows because of what happened the other time. How can my father stoop that low? Please don’t overthink this. It was an accident, and it won’t happen again.”

I believed him, that I was seeing shadows. I told myself it was in my head. I tried to calm myself down and believe that nothing was after me.

For a very long time, I didn’t bathe or use the toilet when I was alone in the house with him. I would wait for my husband to come from wherever he was before I would bathe. When he travelled for three days, I went to my parents’ house, telling him my mom hadn’t been well and I would use the opportunity to visit.

Through all this period, we were very fine. The house was very peaceful. There was laughter, togetherness, and fun all around, but inside, I was very watchful.

One day, I’d come from the bath, and I was in the room, naked and putting cream on my body. Suddenly, there was a big pull on the door, followed by a series of swings of the door knob. It didn’t open because I’d locked the door. I asked who it was, and his voice came in, “Oh sorry, I didn’t know you were in.”

I asked if he wanted something from inside, and he said, “Oh, nothing really. I was just checking to see if someone was there.”

He knew I was in. We had talked a few minutes prior. He had seen me come from the bath, so what was he talking about? If the door wasn’t locked, it would have been another fake accident.

I didn’t tell my husband about this. I knew he would give all the reasons to make it look like an accident. I told him we needed to move, and he laughed, “To where?” I answered, “We need privacy. Even if it’s a single room, let’s rent and move in. When your dad dies, we can come back to occupy here.”

He said he told me before we got married, so I can’t change my mind when our marriage is less than a year old. I told him I feel watched. Again, he said it was in my head.

What Caused The Breakup Between You And Your Ex?

I stopped arguing. Just a few days ago, I got a decent single room I could pay for. I arranged with the landlord and even paid half of the rent. I asked my husband to go see it, and he said I was mad. I’m using the same madness to move out my things one after the other. By the time he realizes, I’d have moved out.

I don’t want to be the reason a father and a son fought. I won’t set fire to Men’s Arena and watch it burn. They owned it and loved the place before I came. I will leave it to them and manage my own small place without eyes watching my every step. Am I going too far? Do you also believe it’s in my head?

—Audrey

This story you just read was sent to us by someone just like you. We know you have a story too. Email it to us at [email protected]. You can also drop your number and we will call you so you tell us your story.

******