Chapter 2

I couldn't tell how much time passed before Margaret grew tired of hitting me.

She tossed the feather duster roughly on the floor and looked down at me with cold scorn. "That's enough lessons for today.

"You'd better remember this moment well. If you ever give me attitude later on, the punishment won't stay this mild," she said.

She walked out of the room with a proud look and pulled the door closed hard behind her.

Heavy silence settled over the room right away.

David eased his hold on my shoulders.

My legs gave out entirely, and I collapsed limply to the floor. He lowered himself beside me and reached out to help me rise.

"Emily, don't be upset with my mom. This is how she's always been. She speaks harshly but she cares underneath," he said softly.

But his calm tone only turned my stomach in revulsion.

I didn't shift or move at all. I stayed hunched over and stiff where I sat.

A sharp burning pain spread across my back, arms and legs. Thin trails of blood seeped slowly from the fresh welts on my skin.

Seeing that I wouldn't lift myself, David extended his hand to guide me upward.

"The cold floor will only make your soreness worse. You need to get up," he said.

My gaze fixed on his outstretched hand.

That same hand had slipped a wedding ring onto my finger only a few hours prior.

That same hand had pressed me down hard minutes before. He'd kept me trapped so I couldn't break free while his mom shamed me and struck me.

I slowly lifted my head and stared at him.

"Don't touch me," I said. My voice stayed soft but carried a cold, biting chill.

David's hand froze mid-air.

He'd likely never heard me speak to him in such a frigid tone before.

"Emily, you..." he started.

"Get out," I said sharply, cutting him off.

Dark anger flickered across David's face, and his expression turned sharp.

"Emily, what's your problem? Mom set those rules to guide you, and she only wants what's best for you. Why would you act this way?" he snapped.

I stared right at him and laughed bitterly until tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

What a perfect excuse. People always hid cruelty behind empty words meant to sound kind.

I wouldn't waste breath arguing with him any longer.

No meaningful conversation could happen with a man who held his wife down and let his mother hurt her.

I gripped the edge of the bed for support and pulled myself slowly to my feet.

Every small movement pulled at my fresh wounds and sent tearing pain across my whole body.

I walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

The mirror reflected a completely broken version of myself.

My hair fell messily around my face and my eyes held no light or emotion.

Faint blood seeped through the thin fabric of my silk nightgown and stained the material along my back.

I took off my nightgown and faced the mirror to look over my body.

Dark red and purple marks crisscrossed my skin. The sight left me shaken to my core.

This was the reality of my wedding night.

This was the love I had once trusted with my whole heart.

I turned on the shower faucet and let cold water pour down over my head and shoulders.

The stream washed directly over every bruise and welt and brought sharp stinging pain.

That sharp discomfort cleared my mind.

When all love faded from my heart, I could finally start over.

I didn't sleep a wink that night.

I sat on the bathroom floor all night, listening as David's impatient knocking turned to angry yelling. He soon tired himself out and fell asleep, his loud snores filling the quiet space.

*****

Soft morning light filtered in through the window once night broke.

I rose to my feet as the new day began.

I changed into my own clothes and left every belonging from this new house behind, only keeping my phone, driver's license, and wallet in my bag.

After unlocking the bathroom door, I stepped into the bedroom, where David still lay sound asleep, completely oblivious to everything around him.

I didn't glance his way once and walked straight out of the house, sickened by every part of it.

I had no intention of returning to my old place or asking any friends for help.

I first stopped by an all-night pharmacy to get basic first-aid items for my wounds. Then I headed to the city's main hospital and checked into the emergency room.

The attending doctor's expression changed right away once he saw the full scope of my bruises and welts.

"Ma'am, are you a victim of domestic abuse? Would you like to file a police report?" he asked.

I shook my head slowly. "Could you please write up a thorough, detailed medical injury report for me?"

The doctor sighed softly and nodded.

He took photos of my wounds, wrote detailed notes on every mark and finished all required medical checks.

I held back all tears through the whole process and stayed perfectly calm the entire time.

*****

By the time I left the hospital, it was ten in the morning.

I carried my official medical injury report with the hospital's formal stamp and went straight to the closest law office nearby.

I told my lawyer, Elliot Thompson, every single detail of what I'd been through, and made it clear I wanted a divorce.

I wouldn't send back any part of the money his family had given me. Every item they had gifted would get valued, and its cost would come out of the marital assets I was legally owed.

I planned to make him walk away from the marriage with nothing.

After Elliot heard my story and looked over my injury report, his face held clear admiration. "Ma'am, you're so composed and brave.

"You can trust me with this case. I'm ninety percent sure we can make him pay for what he's done."

An hour later, I left the office with a drafted divorce agreement in hand.

The bright sun felt harsh against my skin.

I held my two documents firmly. One was my medical injury report, and the other was the divorce papers.

These papers were my choice to fight back.