I got married two years ago to a man I thought was faithful, responsible, and ready to build a family with me. Before our wedding, we both went for medical tests, including HIV, and everything was negative. That gave me peace of mind, because I believed I was marrying someone I could trust with my life.For the first year, things were fine. But sometime around last October, I started noticing changes. My husband became unusually distant. He spent more time outside, claimed work was ātoo demanding,ā and stopped being intimate with me the way he used to. Whenever I asked questions, he would get defensive or dismissive.
Early this year, I fell seriously ill. I had constant fever, rashes, and lost so much weight within weeks. At first, I thought it was malaria or typhoid, so I kept treating myself at the pharmacy. When it didnāt get better, I went to the hospital. The doctor suggested running a full set of tests.That was when my life crumbled , the result came back HIV positive. I froze. I couldnāt believe it. I begged the doctor to retest. Still the same. I went to another clinic, and again, the same result. I cried like a baby.When I got home, I told my husband. He went pale but tried to pretend he was shocked too. At first, instead of accepting responsibility, he started pointing fingers at me. He accused me of being unfaithful, saying maybe I had brought the infection into the marriage. That hurt me even more because I knew how loyal I had been.I insisted he must test immediately, and after much hesitation, he did. His results also came back positive. Still, he tried to deny it, until something happened that forced the truth out. A few days later, one of his close friends, the same person through whom he had met a lady during a business trip, told him that the woman had recently died and people were whispering it was HIV that killed her. That was when reality hit him. He couldnāt lie anymore. He finally broke down and confessed that he had a fling with her during that trip. According to him, it happened a few times and he thought it was harmless. He said he never imagined she could have been carrying the virus, and he only realized after hearing of her death.
I felt my heart break into a million pieces. This wasnāt just infidelity , this was carelessness that cost me my health. I trusted him with my whole being, and he handed me a lifetime battle in return.Now here I am, 29 years old, on medication for the rest of my life. Iāve moved out of the house because I canāt even look at him without feeling rage. His family keeps calling, telling me to forgive and come back, but how do you forgive someone who has destroyed your future? How do you rebuild trust when your very life was put at risk? Sometimes I ask myself is marriage even worth it anymore? Just a few moments of his weakness have turned my life upside down forever.
