HE ABANDONED HIS PREGNANT WIFE WITH 3 KIDS IN A RUINED APARTMENT , UNAWARE OF THE ESTATE THEY OWNED

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👑 The Herbalist’s Legacy: Abandoned Wife Turns Ruin into Riches, Unaware of the Millions She Inherited

 

The night was quiet, too quiet. The rain tapped softly against the windows of the small Lagos apartment. Inside, everything was loud with anger and betrayal.

“Get out. Take your useless children and leave my house!” Deo, my husband, screamed at me, his face twisted with rage. His new girlfriend, Blessing, stood behind him, smiling like she had won a prize.

My hands shook as I held my three children close: Funke (8), Sean (6), and little Beey (4). My belly was round and heavy with our fourth child. My name is Yatunde, and this is the story of how my husband threw us away like trash, unaware that he was giving us the greatest gift of our lives.

“Deo, please,” I begged, tears running down my face. “I am pregnant. Where will your child sleep tonight? The children need their father.”

He laughed, a cold sound that shattered my heart. “That is not my problem anymore! I am tired of being poor. I am tired of you and these children who keep coming one after another.”

Blessing stepped forward, her expensive perfume filling the room. “He has a new life now. A better life with me. We are moving to Lekki to a nice house. There is no room for you and your children there.”

Deo threw an envelope at my feet. An old, rusty set of keys fell out. “Your grandfather had a property,” he said, his voice hard. “Some old place in Ibadan. The address is in that envelope. It is all I can give you. Now leave before I call the police.”

I cried, reminding him of everything: working two jobs, selling my jewelry, borrowing money to start his business. His eyes were empty. “I am paying you back with that property. Now go.”

That night, I packed our few belongings. My children cried softly. At dawn, we left. Deo didn’t even say goodbye. I had 12,000 naira in my pocket—all the money I had in the world. As we walked to the bus station, little Beey asked, “Mama, when are we coming back home?”

I squeezed her hand and lied. “Soon, my baby. Very soon.”

The Ruined Estate

 

The bus ride to Ibadan took four agonizing hours. We shared one meat pie and water. My pregnant belly ached, and the baby kicked, demanding food.

In Ibadan, I took a taxi to the address. The driver looked at me with pity. “Sister, that area. It is not good. Nobody lives there anymore.”

I paid him the last of my money. He drove off, leaving us standing before a rusty gate. Behind it, the property was swallowed by bushes and tall grass.

When I finally pushed the gate open and got inside, my heart sank. The property was massive—three buildings: one big main house and two smaller ones—but they were all falling apart. The roofs had holes, the windows were broken, and mold covered the walls. It looked like a graveyard of broken dreams, abandoned for 20 or 30 years.

“Mama, this place is scary,” Funke whispered.

We found one room in the main house where the roof was not entirely broken. I spread out our thin mat. That was when I finally let myself cry. No food, no money, no phone, and seven months pregnant.

“God, I prayed silently. Please help us. Do not let my children suffer because of their father’s cruelty.”

That night, we slept hungry, cold, and afraid.

 

Water, Mangoes, and a Secret

 

I woke up before sunrise, my body aching. In the early light, the ruin was clearer. How can I raise my children here?

My eight-year-old, Funke, saw my tears. “Mama, you are strong. God does not give us problems we cannot solve.” Her words, so wise, pierced my despair.

“You are right,” I hugged her. “We will survive this. We will not give up.”

I started exploring the vast land. It seemed to go on forever. Though wild, it was filled with mango trees, orange trees, and other fruit trees. Behind the smaller buildings, I found an old, overgrown well. I dropped a stone—Splash! There was water! My heart leaped with hope.

We worked together, cleaning out the well until the water was clear. Next, I found dry wood and an old box of matches that still worked. We made a small fire.

Then came the food: ripe mangoes that had fallen to the ground. Small and marked, but food. We washed and ate them. They were the most delicious mangoes I had ever tasted. For the first time since we left Lagos, my children smiled.

Over the next two days, we cleaned the two rooms with intact roofs. We scrubbed out the dirt, spiderwebs, and dead insects, transforming the ruin into a safe, if basic, sanctuary.

Then, on the third day, I walked to the farthest corner of the property. Behind the thick bushes, I found another building, smaller and stronger than the others. The rusty key from the envelope fit the lock.

Inside, I gasped. The room was clean. It was a storeroom, filled with old canned foods, bottles of palm oil, salt, dried fish, and tools: a hoe, a cutlass, a shovel, and seeds in sealed containers. There were blankets and even children’s toys.

That night, we had our first proper meal: rice and beans cooked over our small fire. We ate until our bellies were full. My children laughed and played, truly happy for the first time.

 

The Inheritance Revealed

 

The next day, while fetching water, I noticed marks on the ground, like recent digging. I followed them to the back of the property, behind some banana trees. There, half-buried, was a small concrete building. I used a stick with cloth as a torch.

The walls inside were lined with shelves of hundreds of old medicine bottles. They were sealed and labeled: Medicinal palm wine for strength, Herbal mixture for women’s problems.

In the corner, I found a plastic bag full of old documents about the property. As I read them, my hands shook with disbelief.

This property belonged to my great-grandfather, a famous herbalist. He had owned 15 acres of land. That’s why the property was so massive. He had planted medicinal plants, fruit trees, and vegetables everywhere. The papers stated that after he died, his children—including my mother—fought over the land and eventually abandoned it.

But now, according to the documents, it was mine. All of it. The land, the buildings, the medicine storehouse, everything.

I sat down and cried, but this time, the tears were from shock and overwhelming happiness.

My husband thought he was throwing us away with nothing. He thought he was giving us a ruined, worthless place. But he had actually given us an estate worth millions of naira—a place that could give us a new life built on a rich legacy.

“Children!” I shouted, running back, holding the documents. “We are not poor! This whole place is ours!”

 

The Comeback

 

Every day brought new blessings. I found a small stream running through the property—fresh, flowing water. The overgrown garden was full of wild tomatoes, peppers, and onions. My grandfather had created a complete, self-sustaining farm.

Two old village women, Mama Bola and Mama Iniola, who knew my grandfather, approached the property. When I told them my story, they were furious at Deo and instantly became my allies.

“That man is a fool!” Mama Bola said. “He threw away gold thinking it was dirt!”

They stayed, teaching me about the medicinal plants my grandfather had grown, showing me how to prepare and use the mixtures. They brought news of the outside world and told me my grandfather had been a wealthy man.

Soon, people from nearby villages, hearing the story of the herbalist’s granddaughter, started coming. They brought small amounts of money, or food, or clothes for my children. I charged little, remembering my own poverty, and treated the poorest people for free.

Within three weeks, I had saved 45,000 naira. I bought a small solar lamp for light and hired Mama Bola’s son, a carpenter, to fix the roof of the main house.

One evening, Funke asked, “Mama, are you still sad about Papa?”

“I was very sad,” I admitted. “But now I see that God used your papa’s cruelty to bring us to this place. If Papa had not thrown us out, we would never have found this property. So Papa actually did us a favor, but he does not know it.”

I rubbed my pregnant belly. “We are blessed. This baby will be born into a home full of love, not disrespect.”

Two months passed. My baby was growing, and our property was transforming. Three bedrooms were repaired and painted. The farm thrived. I used my grandfather’s recipes to create a successful herbal medicine business. People came from far away, calling me the “herbalist’s granddaughter who brought her grandfather’s legacy back to life.”

 

The Court Battle

 

Then, Mama Bola warned me: “Your husband is hearing stories.”

Three days later, Deo arrived in his shiny black Jeep, accompanied by Blessing, his brother Femi, and a friend. He wore an expensive Abada and a fake, wide smile.

“My wife, look at you! You look so healthy and beautiful. I came to see how you and the children are doing. I have been worried.”

“We are fine,” I said coldly. “Now please leave.”

Blessing pushed forward: “This is our property. Deo brought you here.”

“Actually,” I replied calmly, “this property belonged to my grandfather. Deo has no legal claim to it at all.”

Deo’s smile vanished. He tried to reconcile, offering to take us back to Lekki. “I made a mistake. What is yours is mine, and what is mine is yours, right?”

“When you threw me out, you said you were tired of me and the children. You said this place was rubbish and that we should stay here and rot. I am not going back!”

I understood their game. They had come to steal my valuable property.

“Get out of my property!” I shouted. “This land is mine! Everything you see here I built with my own hands!”

Mama Bola and Mama Iniola, along with other villagers I had helped, quickly gathered, forming a protective circle around us.

Deo, outnumbered, threatened: “You will regret this. I will take you to court. I will get lawyers. This property will be mine. You are my wife, and what you have belongs to me!”

“Try it,” I stood tall, despite my fear. “I have documents proving this property is mine. I have witnesses who saw you abandon us. I am not afraid of you anymore.”

Deo, Blessing, and his entourage left, but the battle had only just begun. Mama Bola introduced me to Hadiza, a top property lawyer whom I had cured of a terrible skin disease. Hadiza, grateful, agreed to represent me for free.

Hadiza worked fast, officially registering the property in my name and establishing the Heritage Herbal Healing Center as a registered business entity. “That way, even if your husband tries to claim marital rights, he cannot touch it because it is a business entity, not just personal property.”

 

The Final Blow

 

Three weeks later, I went into a difficult labor. The baby was not in the right position. The midwife wanted a hospital, but I refused, fearing Deo would seize the property. Mama Iniola found my grandfather’s “emergency birth tonic.” Within minutes of taking the bitter liquid, my body responded. I pushed, and my strong, healthy son was born.

His name is Olawatise (God pushed me forward).

Two days later, Deo’s mother visited, demanding I forgive Deo and register the property in his name, citing “culture” and “tradition.” I stood my ground, reminding her of my family’s tradition of protecting women and that her son had violated every cultural norm.

Then came the final, devastating move: Deo filed a case in court, not just for the property, but for full custody of the children, claiming I was an unfit mother living in an unsafe environment.

My heart shattered. He knew the property case was weak, so he attacked my children.

But then, Blessing arrived. Broken and crying, she confessed that Deo had lied to her too, that he had never divorced me, and that he was now beating her and trying to force her to abort their child.

“He said I was just useful to make you jealous, to hurt you,” Blessing wept. “And once he gets your property, he will throw me out just like he threw you out.”

She revealed the real strategy: “He knows the property case is weak, so he is attacking where he thinks you are vulnerable: your children.”

Blessing handed me her phone: recordings of Deo’s voice admitting he only sought custody as extortion to make me surrender the property. “Threaten what she loves most, and she will give up everything else.” She also gave me bank statements and messages proving his lies.

“This is everything you need to destroy him in court,” Blessing said. “Save your children and your property.”

 

Triumph and Redemption

 

Two days later, we were in court. Deo’s lawyer spoke of Lekki and expensive schools. Hadiza stood up, playing the recordings and presenting the bank statements. “This man abandoned his pregnant wife and three children. He only filed this custody case to manipulate and control his wife. This is not a custody case. This is extortion.”

Justice Iyiola was stern. She questioned Deo, who stammered, forced to admit his lies. She then looked at my children.

“Mama, my father threw us away, but my mother fought for us. She loves us,” Funke testified.

The judge delivered her ruling:

Custody: Mr. Deo Adaba is an unfit father who abandoned his children. Full custody is granted to Mrs. Yatunde Adaba.
Property: Mr. Deo Adaba’s claim is dismissed. The property, Heritage Herbal Healing Center, is legally registered as a business entity owned solely by Mrs. Yatunde Adaba.

“You, sir, are no man. You are a coward and a cheat,” the judge told Deo, ordering him to pay child support.

The courtroom erupted in cheers. I looked at Deo, defeated, his head in his hands. He thought he was cursing me, but he was actually blessing me.

I never looked back. The Heritage Herbal Healing Center became a thriving, nationally recognized business. I used my wealth to help other women, teaching them herbal medicine and business.

Deo thought he was throwing me away, but he gave me everything: freedom, purpose, and the push I needed to discover my own strength. I proved that the best revenge is not bitterness, but building well, loving well, and knowing that you survived and thrived despite everything they did to destroy you.

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