His redemption: He wants me back

Divorce

***ANNIKA'S POV***

The next day, I woke up from the sprinkling of water on my face by my mother-in-law. I opened my eyes, dazed and disoriented. I saw my mother-in-law standing over me, a bucket of water in her hand. "Get up!" she barked, her voice sharp. "You have work to do!"

I sat up, my head pounding. I felt like I had been hit by a train, like my body was made of lead. I struggled to my feet, my legs trembling. I knew that I had to do what she said, had to do what I was told. But I felt like I was trapped, like there was no way out.

"Get your lazy ass up," she said, her face twisted with anger. "You have a kitchen to clean, a house to maintain. You're not going to sit around all day, doing nothing!"

I bit my lip, the urge to retort strong. But I knew that I had to stay quiet, had to keep my head down. So I started the chores, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling out of control. I knew that I had to focus, had to keep moving. I couldn't afford to lose myself, to give in to the despair that was threatening to take hold of me.

The house was huge, and it felt like it was never-ending. I scrubbed and dusted, washed and rinsed. It felt like the work would never end, like I would be stuck here forever. But I kept going, kept pushing myself. I had to, for my own sanity.

As I worked, I thought about my situation, about my life. I had been married for three years, and yet I felt like I was a prisoner. My husband was cold and distant, and my mother-in-law was cruel and demanding. I felt trapped, like there was no way out.

I opened the door to the laundry room, and was hit by a wall of stench. The clothes were piled high, an overwhelming sight. But I took a deep breath, determined to get through this. I filled the washing machine with detergent, and then started loading the clothes. I worked as quickly as I could, trying to get through the mountain of laundry as fast as possible and I heard my mother-in-law and sister-in-law badmouthing me.

"I don't know what Alex was thinking, bringing that girl into our home," I heard my mother-in-law say, her voice filled with contempt. "She's nothing but a lazy slob, and she'll never amount to anything."

"She's so useless," I heard my sister-in-law, Becky, chime in. "I can't believe you're stuck with her."

I felt like my heart was breaking, their words like knives to my soul. But I kept working, determined not to let them see how much their words affected me. I couldn't let them win.

After doing my chores, I had just finished cooking, and I was about to take a bite when I heard the kitchen door slam. I turned, and saw my sister-in-law standing there, a look of fury on her face. Without a word, she walked over to the stove and turned it off.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice tight with anger. "That was my meal!"

"You're not allowed to eat," she replied, her voice cold and harsh. "You're just the help, you don't deserve to eat our food."

"You have to clean my room before you eat." She added.

"Can't you clean your room by yourself? Do I look like your slave? Stop tempting me!" I yelled at her.

"I'm not your maid! I'm not here to clean your room or to do your bidding. I'm a human being, with my own needs and my own life. You can't treat me like this, like I'm some sort of servant." I added.

My sister-in-law looked at me, her eyes full of contempt. "You're nothing," she said, her voice dripping with malice. "You're beneath me, and you'll never be anything more."

I felt my anger turn to fury, a fire burning in my chest. My sister in-law slapped me across my cheek and I slapped her back.

Then my mother-in-law came and slapped me but I did not retaliate to my mother-in-law, I could not disrespect an older lady.

I was stunned, the shock of the slap reverberating through my body. I couldn't believe that she had hit me, that she had actually laid a hand on me. I was angry, so angry that I could barely think. But as my mother-in-law raised her hand, I stopped myself. I couldn't hit her, I couldn't disrespect an elder. I stood there, trembling with rage, my fists clenched.

My mother-in-law looked at me, a satisfied smile on her face. "You see?" she said, her voice smug. "You know your place, you know your duty.

My husband Alex came back from work and my mother inlaw and sister-in-law lied to him that I had insulted them and fought them.

Alex's face darkened, his eyes narrowing. "What?" he said, his voice low and dangerous. "What did you say to them?"

"I didn't say anything," I defended, my voice trembling. "I swear, I didn't. They're lying, they're trying to get me in trouble."

"Don't lie to me," he responded, his voice rising. "You're not a good liar, I can see right through you. What did you do?"

I tried to tell him the truth, but he wouldn't listen. He just kept shouting, his anger spiraling out of control.

"I'm not a liar!" I shouted, my voice raw with emotion. "I didn't do anything, I swear. They're the ones who attacked me, they're the ones who hit me. I just defended myself, I didn't do anything wrong!"

But Alex wasn't listening, he just kept screaming. "You're such a troublemaker!" he yelled, his face red with rage. "You always cause problems, you always get into fights. I'm so sick of it!"

I felt like I was going to break, like I was going to shatter into a million pieces.

Alex suddenly went into the bedroom and came out with a paper and he threw it on me. "I've been looking for an opportunity to give you this and here it is. This is a divorce paper, sign it and get out of my life. I no longer need you as a wife."