LifeStyle of Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Dear GhanaWeb: I have been sleeping with my father as 'sacrifice' to keep our family wealth

File photo of a confused woman File photo of a confused woman

Dear GhanaWeb,

I am a twenty-four-year-old woman from a wealthy family in one of Accra’s most affluent areas. My father, who’s fifty-eight, is a key figure in the government and a highly influential man.

He has it all money, power, and connections. Growing up, I’ve always been under his wing, stunned by the luxurious life we lead, from first-class trips to any country I choose to the comforts of an opulent lifestyle.

In our household, everything was orchestrated with precision. As the eldest and my father’s favourite among my three siblings, I was accustomed to the luxuries of our life.

Then, one day, everything changed. My father called me into his office, which wasn’t unusual, but this time, his expression was more serious than usual.

Sitting in front of him, I can still remember the conversation that altered my life forever.

In a calm voice, he asked, “Do you love me?” I told him yes, that he was the man I loved most in the world. He then asked, “Do you love this life we lead, the travels, the luxury, all these beautiful things I give you?”

“Yes, daddy, I adore them. Thank you for everything,” I replied. He smiled, but something strange flickered in his eyes before he continued.

“You know, my daughter, all these things come with a price. Nothing is free in this world.” I was confused. What price? Everything seemed so perfect, so effortless.

Then he told me something that would change everything; he was part of a mystical group, and all the privileges we enjoyed came with sacrifices. And now, it was my turn to make a choice.

If I wanted this life to continue, I would have to help him.

Otherwise, everything will fall apart, I will die and he will become poor. I looked at him, the words swirling in my head, unable to comprehend.

For the first time, I saw my father cry. He told me the group demanded that he conceive a child with me, his first daughter.

My stomach churned. How could this be? My own father, asking such a thing, it was beyond unthinkable.

Then he said I had a month to think it over. He wouldn’t force me, but if I refused, I would die. My mother, my siblings, and I would be left to live like beggars. How could something like this even be possible?

For days, I was tormented by the thought of it. How could I refuse anything to the man who had given me everything? How could I turn my back on the life he provided?

I saw how the poor lived in the streets, their misery, and their struggle for every little comfort. Could I really accept such life? One month later, I made my decision to accept it.

The first encounter with my dad was strange but deep down, there was an emotion I couldn’t define. Overtime, these forbidden encounters took a different turn. I found myself not waiting for him to come to me. It was me who went to him. I was almost in love with my own father.

We found an excuse. I told everyone it was an imaginary boyfriend from university who got me pregnant before fleeing. No one ever questioned it. And thus, my daughter was born. Even after my daughter was born, the encounters didn’t stop. On the contrary every month, my father came to see me and we resumed.

He told me he could stop at any moment but I had to know what would happen if we stopped. He would have to die and we will lose everything. The only way to maintain our dream life was to continue.

Today, my daughter is five years old and she believes her grandfather is just a protective and caring man. She has no idea of what really goes on. But I can’t continue this anymore. I want a normal life, meet someone, marry, and have a real family. Each time I think about stopping, I see my father’s face, this crushing weight on my shoulders.

I’m trapped, I’m a prisoner of this cursed pact. And yet, a part of me has never been able to break this strange and unhealthy bond.

How can I escape this hell without condemning my father to a certain death? I want to be out of this life but how? My father said he is doing this to protect us but I’m not sure anymore. I’m completely lost, what should I do?


FG/EB

Also watch Miki Osei Berko's interview on Talkertainment below:

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