15/06/2026
The church members had already made arrangements for Ada to return home safely.
For days, the pastor and his wife had cared for her like their own child. Though the bruises on her body were slowly healing, the wounds in her heart still lingered.
At night, she still woke up trembling from nightmares. Sometimes she would suddenly look toward the door in fear, as though Tunde or the kidnappers would walk in at any moment.
But the pastor kept reminding her of one thing.
“You are no longer a prisoner,” he would say gently. “God brought you out alive for a reason.”
And finally, the day came for her to see her parents again. The journey felt longer than usual.
Ada sat quietly in the back seat beside the pastor’s wife, staring through the window without speaking. Her fingers trembled slightly as they approached her parents’ street. Memories flooded her mind all at once.
The day she left home proudly to marry Tunde, her mother’s warnings,
her father’s excitement over the wealthy son-in-law, the expensive cars and
the luxurious mansion.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
When the vehicle finally stopped in front of her parents’ house, Ada froze.
Her parents were sitting outside in front of the compound, trying to enjoy the evening breeze. At first, they simply looked at the unfamiliar vehicle with curiosity.
Ada’s father adjusted himself in confusion.
“This is not Tunde’s car,” he muttered.
Then the pastor stepped out.
Ada’s parents exchanged glances. They did not recognize him.
Next came the pastor’s wife.
Before either of them could ask questions, Ada slowly stepped out of the car.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Her mother stared at her in disbelief.
“Ada!”
The wrapper she wore was simple and plain. Her face had lost its glow. The elegance and pride she once carried as a millionaire’s wife were gone. Even the way she stood looked fragile.
Then suddenly, her mother screamed again,
“Ada!”
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She ran toward her daughter with tears pouring freely down her cheeks. She grabbed Ada tightly as if afraid she might disappear again.
“My daughter, my daughter.”
Ada broke down immediately.
The two women cried in each other’s arms while the pastor and his wife watched silently.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, Ada’s mother suddenly went down on her knees in the dusty compound.
“Thank You, Lord!” she cried loudly. “Thank You for bringing my daughter back alive! Thank You, Jesus!”
Neighbors slowly began peeping from nearby compounds, wondering what was happening.
But Ada’s mother did not care.
She lifted both hands toward heaven and wept openly.
Ada’s father remained standing in confusion. Nothing before him made sense.
Where was Tunde?
Why was his daughter looking like this?
Why did she return in another man’s car?
Why did she look frightened?
“Ada,” he finally said carefully, “what is going on? Where is your husband?”
Ada could not answer immediately.
Instead, she slowly turned toward her mother and suddenly knelt before her.
Her mother tried to stop her, but Ada held her wrapper tightly.
“Mother, please forgive me,” she cried bitterly. “You warned me, but I refused to listen. You saw what I could not see. But I thought you were trying to stop my happiness.”
Her mother began crying again.
Ada continued.
“Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for praying for me even when I ignored you. I know it was your prayers that brought me back alive.”
Her mother quickly pulled her up and hugged her tightly.
“No mother stops praying for her child,” she whispered through tears.
Ada’s father looked from one person to another in frustration.
“Can somebody please tell me what is happening?” he asked again, his voice shaking slightly. “Where is Tunde?”
His wife gently touched his arm.
“Please, let us go inside first.”
They all entered the house quietly.
The atmosphere inside felt heavy.
Ada sat down slowly. The pastor and his wife say too. For a few moments, nobody spoke.
Then Ada finally began telling her story.
At first, her voice shook badly.
But as the words continued pouring out, years of fear and pain seemed to leave her chest little by little.
“Tunde is not who we thought he was,” she said quietly.
Her father frowned deeply.
“What do you mean?”
Ada swallowed hard.
“Tunde is a r!tualist.”
The room instantly fell silent.
Her father stared at her as though he had not heard correctly.
“What?”
“He had a shrine inside the mansion,” Ada continued. “I saw things I cannot even explain. Strange sacrifices, strange men coming at night. Sometimes they wore masks. Sometimes they chanted till morning.”
Her mother covered her mouth in horror.
Ada continued speaking through tears.
“He collected my phone from the very beginning. Anytime I spoke to you people, he stayed close and listened to every word. Fear would not even allow me to speak freely. I only said what he wanted me to say.”
Her father slowly sat down.
Shock had drained the strength from his body.
“He stopped me from praying,” Ada continued. “He told me my mother's prayers were disturbing him.” She looked at her mother. “He even forced me to tell you to stop praying for me.”
Her mother burst into tears again.
“Tunde locked me inside that mansion like a prisoner,” Ada said. “Security men followed me everywhere. I could not go outside alone. I could not escape.”
Then her voice broke completely.
“And when he was finally done with me, he decided to use me for sacr!fice.”
Her father jumped to his feet instantly.
“What?!”
“He handed me over to masked men,” Ada cried. “They took me away in the middle of the night to k!ll me.”
Her mother screamed softly in fear.
“They shot me., ” Ada whispered. “But somehow the bullets did not k!ll me. The God of my mother protected me. When they saw the gun was not working , they hit me with a gun and abandoned me.”
The room became completely silent except for quiet sobbing.
“God saved me that night,” Ada continued slowly. “This pastor and his church members were passing that road when they found me. If not for them, I would have d!ed there,”
Ada’s father lowered his head into his hands.
The reality of everything hit him like a heavy stone. The wealth, the flashy lifestyle, the expensive gifts and
the pride.
All of it had hidden something dark and evil beneath.
After a long silence, Ada suddenly stood up.
She walked toward the pastor and his wife, then knelt before them.
“Thank you,” she said with tears in her eyes. “God used both of you to save my life.”
The pastor gently lifted her up.
“Thank God instead,” he replied softly. “He is the One who brought you out.”
Ada’s parents also appreciated the pastor and his wife too.
Ada then turned slowly toward her parents.
This time, she knelt again, not out of fear, but surrender.
She lifted both hands quietly.
Tears rolled freely down her cheeks, but there was peace in her eyes for the first time in a long while.
“The God my mother served saved me from de@th,” she said softly. “I chased after riches and ignored His warnings. But He still showed me mercy.”
Her voice became firmer.
“Today, before everyone here, I surrender my life completely to God. I will serve Him for the rest of my life.”
“I thought I had found the perfect life,” she said softly. “I thought money, luxury and comfort were signs that everything was good. I ignored the warnings because I was blinded by what my eyes could see.”
She wiped her tears gently.
“But now I understand something, not everything that shines carries light. Some things shine because darkness is hiding behind them.”
The only sound in the room was quiet weeping.
Ada continued.
“I once believed my mother worried too much. I thought her prayers were unnecessary. But today, I am alive because a praying mother refused to give up on her child.”
Her mother covered her face and cried harder.
Ada turned toward her father.
“Papa, I know this pain is heavy. I know you trusted Tunde because you wanted the best for me. None of us knew the truth. But God knew.”
She paused briefly.
“And even in the middle of darkness, He still came for me.”
Her voice became stronger.
“I have seen evil with my own eyes. I have seen how greed, deception and desperation can destroy lives. I have seen how people hide wickedness behind expensive clothes, sweet words and fake smiles.”
Then she lifted her head slowly.
“But I have also seen the mercy of God.”
The pastor bowed his head quietly.
Ada clasped her hands together.
“When they abandoned me that night, they thought my story had ended. But God said no. When de@th stood before me, God still gave me life.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks again.
“So today, I make this decision openly and with all my heart, I choose God.”
Her voice echoed with quiet conviction.
“I do not want a life built on lies anymore. I do not want wealth that destroys the soul. I do not want beauty that hides pain. I want peace. I want truth. I want the God who answered my mother’s prayers.“I surrender everything to Him.”
Her mother went down on her knees and lifted up her hands in worship.
Even her father, who had struggled to hold his emotions, turned away wiping his eyes.
Ada looked up one last time.
“If my story teaches anything, let it teach this, never ignore the red flags God is showing you because of money, beauty, or promises. Sometimes what looks like a blessing at the beginning can become destruction in the end.”
A deep silence filled the house.
Then Ada smiled faintly through her tears.
“But no matter how far someone falls into darkness, God can still bring them back home.”
And in that moment, with tears, brokenness, gratitude, and surrender filling the room, Ada finally found the freedom she had been searching for all along.
End of The Red Flags 1
Watch out for The Red Flags 2
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The Red Flags
©️ Nzubechi Queen Ozabor
Part 51
