Never Again

Flora wants a child, and Ndu, her husband, is always at work. Their marriage has quiet strain, but before they can address it, Ndu is in an accident. He wakes in the hospital with a neck brace and a sling, and he does not recognize Flora. He asks to see Nene, his ex-wife, and the doctor explains that his memory has gone back to a time before he married Flora. Familiar faces, especially Nene, might bring him back. Flora hides her frustration and calls Nene, who agrees to help despite their painful history. Nene sits beside Ndu as his wife, and Flora takes the role of household secretary, a position that leaves her watching them from doorways. Ndu becomes uneasy. There are no pictures of them together, his wife knows none of the small details he expects, and Flora is always lingering. When he visits Nene's orphanage and introduces himself as her husband, her assistant Fatima is visibly surprised. Flashbacks show what Flora's arrival once broke: Ndu and Nene were deeply bonded, struggled over having children, and on their anniversary Flora appeared claiming she was pregnant with Ndu's child. Nene left him over the betrayal. Ndu later finds a medical report that changes the picture. He has varicocele infertility and could not have fathered a child without surgery. He confronts Flora, who confesses that she faked the pregnancy to trap him into marriage. Enraged that her lie cost him Nene, he throws her out of the house. Then he goes to Nene's office, kneels, and begs forgiveness and tells her he was deceived and his life has been empty without her. Nene hesitates, years of bitterness still with her, but she softens and embraces him.