Sometimes, the worst part about being cheated on is usually the way you find out. For many people, it happens in the most ridiculous, unexpected ways. But once the cracks appear, the truth rarely stays hidden for long.
We asked six Nigerians to share the wildest ways they discovered their partners were cheating. Their stories are all the proof you need to know that the signs are always there, if you know where to look.
“I regret not believing the woman who told me” — Blessing*, 42
Blessing* received shocking information during what was meant to be a joyful family moment.
“I met most of my fiancé’s family and close friends while attending his master’s graduation. I also met his best friend’s wife, Esther*, at the celebration, and we bonded quickly. Minutes into our conversation, Esther pulled me aside and said she didn’t want me to make the same mistake she did. She claimed both our men were chronic womanisers — my fiancé was even worse than her husband. I didn’t believe her, but she advised me to show up at his place unannounced. Weeks later, I acted on Esther’s advice.
I showed up at my fiancé’s house, and a woman opened the door in the middle of cooking for him. I was shocked. I confronted him with everything Esther said, and he claimed she was a student he was tutoring. He claimed Esther lied because she hated him and made me feel guilty for doubting him. Esther got serious backlash from his family after the incident, which ruined our relationship. Still, I ignored everything and we got married. It didn’t take long to realise Esther was right all along. I’ve spent years regretting that decision.”
“The gift said ‘For My Special Mother-in-Law’, but I wasn’t the sender” — Chuka*, 37
When a Mother’s Day gift believed to be from Chuka* turned out to be from someone else, it triggered a chain of events that shook his marriage.
“I usually send my mother-in-law gifts just to keep our relationship warm. So when she received a perfume package on Mother’s Day, she called to thank me, assuming it was from me.
I told her I hadn’t sent anything, but she insisted. The attached card read ‘For My Special Mother-in-Law, Love Chuka,’ and I was her only son-in-law.
I played it cool and asked her to send a photo of the pickup label. When I showed it to my wife, her reaction was strange, which prompted me to try the sender’s number. It didn’t go through.
I asked my wife to be honest and threatened to get to the bottom of it, even if it meant visiting the pickup address. That was when she finally confessed. She’d been dating another man, and after they broke up, he threatened to ruin her marriage. She suspected he sent the gift out of spite. I couldn’t believe it. I’d never suspected her of infidelity before the incident. It took time, but I eventually forgave her.”
“His real girlfriend stalked me on Twitter” — Victory*, 24
Victory* never imagined commenting under her man’s tweet would set off a chain of events that exposed everything.
“I’d been seeing this guy for a few months when one day, I got a random text asking if I knew he had a girlfriend. I was confused and asked who was speaking, and she introduced herself as Jola* — his real girlfriend.
She’d been watching me since I commented under one of his tweets. She pieced it all together after zooming into a picture from my photo dumps, and spotted his car.
Jola came with receipts. They’d been together for over five years, and I wasn’t the first girl he’d cheated with — and to make matters worse, he’d told me she was his cousin. We spent hours exchanging screenshots. Almost everything I knew about him was a lie.
When I confronted him, he called her his crazy ex. In response, I sent him a screenshot of the ‘Good morning babe’ message he’d sent Jola earlier the same day. He blocked me immediately.”
“She saved her sugar daddy’s contact as ‘Tailor Julia’” — Richard*, 32
A strange reaction to a phone call made Richard* question everything. He didn’t expect what he would uncover next.
“My long-term girlfriend visited one weekend, and everything was fine until her phone rang while she was bathing. She ran out with soap in her hair just to answer the call, and that tipped me off. I asked her who was calling, and she claimed it was her tailor. Sure enough, the number was saved as “Tailor Julia” when she handed me the phone to check. She said she’d given Julia a dress and was expecting it back. Still, I didn’t buy her explanation.
Later, when she wasn’t looking, I checked her phone. I found nothing incriminating, except several calls from Tailor Julia, but I copied the number anyway. A few days later, I called the number and a man picked up.
I was furious and asked him to stay away from her, but he laughed and said even if he left her, she had other men. Then he told me to “tame my dog.” That was all I needed to end things. I didn’t need any explanation from her.”
Read Next: I Spent Years Looking For My Dead Fiancée In Other Women
“My friend took pictures of him at a bar” — Osaz*, 26
Osaz* had doubts about her relationship, but nothing prepared her for the Snapchat message that exposed her boyfriend.
“I already had my suspicions about my then-boyfriend. My gut kept telling me something was off. He started staying out late, got overly protective of his phone, and just felt emotionally distant. But I couldn’t prove it.
Then one day, my friend messaged me on Snapchat. She was at a bar for a team hangout and sent a photo with the caption, ‘Isn’t this your man?’
He was all smiles in the picture, along with a fully glammed-up babe. It was clear she wasn’t just a friend. When I confronted him, he denied it. Then, I showed him the picture, and he switched tactics and accused me of stalking him and invading his privacy.
That was the day I understood the power of hard-launching your man. If not for Snapchat, I might have stayed clueless.”
“Find my iPhone exposed her” — Abdul*, 28
What was meant to be a sweet surprise turned into the night Abdul* uncovered a lie.
“My girlfriend and I were texting like usual, and she casually mentioned she was home and hungry. I thought it’d be sweet to surprise her with her favourite food, so I left my office and drove to her place in Fadeyi.
When I got there, her gateman told me she hadn’t been home in over two hours. That’s when I decided to check her location using Find My iPhone. It showed she was in Lekki. It definitely wasn’t a random outing; it was planned. So why lie?
I didn’t confront her immediately. I went home, sat with my suspicions, and started investigating. I got access to her Snapchat and found out about the other guy. When I confronted her, she said they were just flirting and didn’t see anything wrong. That was enough reason to end the relationship.”
See what others are saying about this article on Instagram
If you want to share your own story, I’d love to hear it here.
