Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5
Episode Five
Months passed after Evelyn was pushed out of Benjamin’s compound. Benjamin tried to forget the pain. He focused on his work. He spent more time at the restaurant and the supermarket. He repaired his heart slowly.
One morning, a young woman came into the restaurant. She was dressed simply but looked very beautiful. Her name was Mary. She had a calm face and soft eyes. She greeted Benjamin politely.
“Good morning, Mr Benjamin. I heard your food is very good,” she said with a calm tone.
Benjamin smiled. “Good morning. Please sit. What would you like to eat?” he asked.
Mary sat and ordered food. She did not shout or demand. She spoke quietly. She thanked the waiter. She left with a smile. That small thing touched Benjamin.
After that day, Mary came often. She became a regular customer. Each time she visited, she spoke kindly to the staff. She greeted everyone with respect. She asked about the business and praised the food.
“Your place is always clean,” she told Benjamin one afternoon. “I like how you treat people.”
Benjamin answered with a smile. “Thank you, Mary. You are always welcome here.”
They began to talk more. Mary told him about her life. She had no husband. She worked at a bank nearby. She was hardworking. She had pride but not arrogance. She listened when Benjamin spoke. She laughed when he joked. She cried when he told his story about Evelyn and the pain he felt.
Mary’s care was gentle. She did not rush Benjamin. She gave him time to heal. She sent him small gifts sometimes — a box of biscuits for the staff, a flower for the office. She wrote a short note: "I believe in you." That note made Benjamin cry once at night.
“You are very kind, Mary,” Benjamin said one evening after closing. “You care for me like no one has ever cared.”
Mary put her hand on his and looked at him. “I love you, Benjamin. I love your heart. I want to be with you if you will have me,” she said quietly.
Benjamin looked at her for a long time. His heart opened slowly. “Mary, you are different. You respect me, you understand me. I feel peace with you,” he said with a calm voice.
They grew closer in months. People in the estate noticed. They saw how Mary walked with Benjamin, how she laughed with his workers, how she stood by him when business was difficult. Mary was not loud. She was gentle. She was beautiful in the way she cared for others.
One afternoon, Benjamin took Mary to a shopping mall. He had decided he wanted to show her his full heart. He wanted to ask her to be his wife.
In the jewelry shop, Benjamin looked at many rings. He chose a simple but elegant ring. He paid for it without hesitation. He felt certain for the first time in a long time.
Outside the shop, he held Mary’s hands. “Mary, will you marry me?” he asked with a trembling voice.
Mary’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes, Benjamin. I will marry you,” she said with a calm voice and a bright smile.
They hugged. People passing by clapped loudly. They left the mall holding hands.
Soon, the wedding date was set. They picked a Saturday in two months. They wanted a quiet wedding with family and close friends. Benjamin invited his workers and a few neighbors. Mary invited her colleagues. The pastor at their church agreed to lead the marriage.
News spread quickly in the estate. The town spoke of Benjamin’s new love. Some were happy for him. Some were surprised. Others still remembered Evelyn’s story and shook their heads.
At the market, a woman told another, “Did you hear? Benjamin is getting married. The woman’s name is Mary. She is very respectful. God bless them.”
At the filling station, two men discussed the wedding. “Benjamin has really moved on,” one said. “Good for him. He deserves happiness.”
But the news did not reach only kind ears. Evelyn heard too.
She was at home when her neighbor said, “Evelyn, have you heard? Benjamin is going to marry that Mary they say is respectful.”
Evelyn’s face changed. She sat down slowly. Her mouth was dry. Her heart felt as if someone had taken it. For a moment she could not breathe.
“How can he marry another woman? After all we shared?” she asked herself.
Her mind went back to the night she knelt and begged at his gate. She remembered the cold look in his eyes, the gate closing, the shame and the pain. She remembered how he told her he had moved on.
Now she heard he was truly moving on. He had found love again. He had found peace.
Evelyn felt a sharp pain of regret. Her chest tightened. She tried to call a friend but her hands were shaking. She stepped outside and walked along the road, trying to think.
Soon, she went home and sat alone. Her thoughts were loud. The life she had imagined crumbled. The rich man she had chased had been false. She had lost Benjamin, and now he was to marry someone else. She felt empty.
A dark plan began to grow in her mind. It started as a whisper — a wish that Benjamin would not be happy. She remembered his calm voice when he said he had moved on. She remembered how he pushed her away. The thought of him with another woman angered her.
“I will not let him be happy,” she whispered to herself. “He cannot leave me and marry another woman. He must suffer the way I'm suffering.”
She thought of ways to stop the wedding. She thought of telling lies, of causing trouble at the restaurant, of spreading rumors about Mary. She imagined Benjamin’s face when he discovered betrayal. She imagined him begging.
The anger inside her mixed with deep regret. Tears fell, but her eyes burned with determination. She could not accept losing him to someone else.
She stood up, walked to the mirror, and looked at her face. “No,” she said to her reflection. “I will not be pushed aside. I will fight for what I want.”
Her voice grew louder. She paced the room and made a promise she knew would change everything.
“I will scatter their plans. Benjamin cannot leave me and marry another woman. I will make him suffer.”
To be continued
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