Prologue
THE PASTOR'S WIFE
Written by Lucybella Max
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Prologue
The moment Daniel stepped into his apartment, he dropped his Bible on the table and collapsed onto his bed. He was exhausted from attending to people all day. The service had been wonderful, but he felt completely drained. Being the youth president was no joke.
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, his phone rang. It was his mother.
"Good afternoon, Mama," he greeted, already knowing why she was calling. It had become almost a daily routine.
"How was the service today, my son?" she asked warmly.
"We bless the Lord. It was wonderful."
"That's good. So... have you found—"
"No, Mama," he interrupted gently.
He loved his mother, but she could be quite persistent, especially when it came to marriage.
"I already told you about my dream. Until I find her, I don't want to think about marriage."
"Is it because of that useless girl you're dating?" she snapped. "I told you I don't like that Calabar girl. She will never help your ministry."
His mother had never liked Joy.
When Daniel first met Joy, he wasn't born again. He had been a struggling single father desperately looking for someone to help care for his little daughter. That was how their relationship had begun.
Now, things had changed.
His daughter was living with his younger sister Grace and Daniel had become a committed Christian and the youth president of his church. Deep down, he knew Joy was not the woman God had prepared for him.
Still, he couldn't simply throw her out. She had once cared for his daughter, and they had agreed to continue living together for the child's sake.
"Mama, she helped take care of your granddaughter," he said, trying to defend her.
"And you made the mistake of dating her," his mother replied sharply.
Daniel sighed.
"Well... there's nothing I can do about it."
"But you don't love her."
He was silent for a moment before replying, "As long as she doesn't hurt me and she's willing to change, I might consider marrying her."
"Never!" his mother shouted. "You are lying to yourself. There is no way I will accept her as my daughter-in-law."
"Mama, bye. I want to sleep."
Before she could say another word, he ended the call. He was simply too tired to continue the conversation.
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That night, he had the same dream he had been having for the past two years.
At first, it came only once in a while, but lately it had become more frequent.
In the dream, he saw himself standing beside a woman dressed as a bride. She completed him in every way, and he felt an indescribable connection to her.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could never see her face.
Daniel woke with a start.
He climbed down from his bed, knelt beside it, and whispered a short prayer.
He was grateful Joy was away on a trip. He couldn't bear to tell her that she wasn't the woman he kept seeing in his dreams.
He cared for her and appreciated everything she had done for his daughter, but he didn't love her.
She wasn't perfect.
Neither was he.
Who was he to judge her?
Taking a deep breath, he stared out the window and murmured to himself,
"Where are you, my dream lady? Why do I feel like you're so close... yet so far away?"
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THE PASTOR'S WIFE
By Lucybella Max
© 2026 Lucybella Max. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or distributed in any form without the prior written permission of the author.

