When I got a job in Accra, Tony was the first person I called to break the news to. He was happy for me. “Congratulations, but where will you live? Do you have family here?”

“No, I plan on living with you until I find a place,” I replied. My response didn’t seem to resonate with him. We had been dating long-distance for two years, and he had made most of the trips to come see me, so why was he not happy that I was coming now?

“When are you arriving?” he asked.

“In two days,” I replied.

“Why didn’t you say it earlier?” he scolded me, even when I explained that it wasn’t my fault—I got the notice on short notice. He was moody afterward, but it didn’t change the fact that I had to come anyway. So a day before my commencement, I set off for Accra.

By midday, I had arrived at Circle. I took a car straight to his place. I thought of waiting in the compound for him to return from work because it was still early afternoon, but then I saw his front door open, and a heavily pregnant woman stepped out to pour some food on the floor for the cats and dogs. My mouth dropped open. If my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me, that was Tony’s room. I watched as she went back inside, speaking to another tenant before she did. I stood on the compound with my bags, still in shock. When some tenants asked who I was looking for, I shook my head and left with my bags. My next destination was Tony’s office.

He was startled to see me.

“Bernice, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Why didn’t you also tell me you had a heavily pregnant wife at home?”

I hadn’t intended to, but I caused a scene at his workplace that day. He was embarrassed, and so was I. He rented a guest house for me.

“Stay here for the week; I will get you a place quickly,” he tried to appease me.

“If you don’t deliver on your promise, I will tell her everything.” I cried myself to sleep, and I reported on my first day at work with a broken heart. Apparently, he had been with her long before he even started dating me. I couldn’t accept it, so when he asked for forgiveness, I forgave him. He said I was the one he loved.

“I’m with her because of the pregnancy, but I’m with you because of love.” I knew it was a lie, but I believed it for the sake of love.

We pooled our resources and got me a nice apartment. Tony worked hard to stock the apartment for me. Everything in that room was purchased by Tony, including half of the rent. So it only made sense to give him a spare key. He came and went as he pleased; it was like he lived there with me. I didn’t mind. I was hoping that he would one day marry me and move in forever. But one day, he married the other woman, his baby mama. That day, as I watched the wedding pictures online, something in me died—maybe it was the foolishness that had died.

He came to see me that night with apologies and nonsensical explanations. I loved him, so I listened. When he left, I cried for and pitied myself. This was my fate, to be with a man who had chosen another woman yet promised to choose me later. And I still loved him. But then I started seeing someone else. I gave in to Tenkorang—TK for short. He was lovely, so lovely that I almost forgot about Tony. Tony had stopped coming around, and TK had taken over. One day, in a moment of passion, I let my guard down and gave it all away to TK. We were in the middle of it when my door started clinking and clanking, and then came Tony’s face. I froze for a while before I started screaming at him. He screamed back.

“Get out! Are you not even married?” I yelled.

“Stop acting like you didn’t know I was married before. You knew it, and you still took everything from me! Didn’t I buy everything in this room?” he retorted.

I was mad. I was disappointed. I wanted to hit him. TK only got dressed and left, muttering a little apology to Tony. He walked out the door and out of my life. I was angry when Tony tried to approach me. I screamed, “Get everything out of my apartment! Today is the day I finally say goodbye.”

“You’re bluffing. Can you give me half the rent I paid for this place too?” he said.

I laughed. The rent was even almost due; he paid one year in advance, and I paid one year. It was approximately two years of being his fool—a total of four years of wasting my time.

“I won’t pay for anything; you owe me millions for all the time I have wasted on you!”

He was mad when he realized I was no longer his fool. He started destroying the things he could destroy. The room was a mess; neighbors had to come to my rescue. The following day, I changed my locks and got people to move the belongings out. Even the things that weren’t destroyed, I gave them away. I wanted no belongings of the devil in my house. My apartment is almost empty now, except for my bed and my couch. Every month, I try to buy new things, so, even though it’s empty, it will get full soon. Even though it’s empty, I have my peace of mind.