I did everything I could for my husband, but he always seemed unhappy. One day, I woke up to

hear his voice in the hall along with a woman’s voice. “How could he?” I thought. That was the last straw for me.

I work as a project manager at a bank, and our latest project has been the hardest yet.

I often came home late and sometimes had to work on the weekends.

But work is only part of my busy life. I also have a house and a husband to take care of,

though my husband isn’t as helpful as he used to be. He doesn’t help with chores,

doesn’t cook, and hardly goes food shopping. I end up doing almost everything.

Aiden didn’t seem to listen when I told him about my struggles. We talked about my new

project and how overwhelmed I was with work. One day, I came home at 9 pm, and the first thing I heard was, “Where have you been?”

“I had a lot of work today. I told you I’d be home late.”

“You didn’t tell me!”

“Yeah, I did. A couple of times. It’s the project I’m working on.”

Aiden interrupted, “Whatever, Claire. I’m hungry. Are you making dinner or not?” he said while watching soccer.

“I don’t think there’s much food left… We need to buy some.”

“I’ll wait. You can go to the store,” he said without looking away from the TV. So I grabbed my wallet and left.

On the way to the store, I got lost in my thoughts. Aiden used to be kind and gentle.

Now, he’s this demanding man who’s always dissatisfied. I have to be careful with every word around him.

“Why did you take so long? I’m starving!” Aiden said when I got home. I rushed to

the kitchen to cook dinner. He ate in silence and went back to the TV, leaving me with the mess in the kitchen.

Can’t he even wash his own plate? I thought. I didn’t say anything, too tired to start a fight. I cleaned up and went to bed.

The next morning, I could barely stand. My nose was stuffy, my throat hurt, and my head was pounding.

“You’re late… Where’s breakfast?” Aiden’s first words to me weren’t “good morning.”

I dragged myself into a hot shower, then went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Aiden was ready to leave and said, “Never mind, you’re too slow. I’ll be late,” and slammed the door behind him.

I felt so bad that I called in sick. I made some tea with honey and lemon, then went

back to bed. As I sat there, I tried to remember when Aiden started treating me so badly. He wasn’t always like this…

But I realized I couldn’t remember the last time Aiden helped or supported me in any way.

Even when he was wrong, he always found a way to blame me. I cried myself to sleep

I woke up to voices in the hall. Is he home? Did he forget something?

“Get out, I think she’s home…” Aiden whispered. “It won’t work today.” I got up and

quietly opened the door. I was stunned to see a beautiful brunette standing in the hall.

“Dear,” she said, “when will we meet again?”

“On the weekend. I’ll pick a fight with her, and we can go away for two days,” Aiden replied.

“That’s great!” she squealed and hugged him.

“Shhh, be quiet…!”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, so I went back to bed. It felt like a nightmare.

They didn’t even try to hide! I decided I needed to teach him a lesson.

Something shifted inside me. Why am I allowing myself to be treated like this by

a man who’s supposed to love me?As soon as Aiden left the house, I felt better. I called someone to change the locks. The apartment was mine.

Then I gathered all his belongings, packed them into suitcases and boxes, and walked around the house to make sure nothing of his was left.

I packed everything that belonged to Aiden. I didn’t want any trace of him in my apartment or any reminder of him in my life.

I spent the whole day packing until he came home and rang the doorbell. “What happened to the lock? Why don’t my keys work?

“You didn’t even greet me!” I said.

“What’s this?” Aiden asked, pointing to his stuff. “What’s going on, Claire?”

“This is where you leave, Aiden. I’m done. Take your stuff and go with your mistress! I’m filing for divorce.”

Aiden stared at me like he didn’t recognize me. “Who is she? Where’s the quiet wife who did everything I wanted?”

“Aiden, I know everything. You don’t love me. You’ve just been using me. Go, and don’t come back. I won’t forgive you.”

Aiden looked shocked. “Alright. I’m leaving, but you’ll regret this!” He called a cab, grabbed his stuff, and left

The next day, I filed for divorce, and a month later, it was finalized. Aiden couldn’t believe it. He tried several times to talk to me, but I refused.

Since the day Aiden left, I’ve felt like a new woman. I take care of myself, love myself, and don’t let anyone disrespect me. I started therapy, and my therapist is helping me heal from the wounds that abusive relationship left behind.