I will show him I'm not weak
1375 Words
Amira sat at the kitchen table her fingers wrapped around a cup of tea that had long gone cold She stared at nothing her eyes fixed on a spot on the wall but her mind was somewhere far away The silence in the house was thick almost comforting after the storm from the night before Ayra was asleep in her room soft baby music playing on repeat through the monitor Jace hadn’t returned and Tanya was finally gone maybe to work or to hell Amira didn’t care She looked down at the bruises on her arm the faded ones from last week and the fresh one from last night She touched them gently not with fear but with a quiet anger that had been growing stronger every day This wasn’t love and she wasn’t stupid enough to believe it anymore She used to blame herself maybe she wasn’t good enough or obedient enough or beautiful enough but not anymore Now she knew he was the broken one not her
She got up from the table and walked to the mirror in the hallway staring at the reflection that barely looked like the woman she once was Her eyes were tired her skin pale her hair always pulled back in a rush She used to wear heels and red lipstick now it was slippers and silence She used to smile like she owned the world now her lips barely remembered the shape of one But something in her eyes was changing the fire that Jace thought he killed was still burning quietly under the ashes It would take time but she would rise again She walked back to the kitchen opened the drawer and pulled out the envelope she hid the night before Her hands didn’t shake this time she was ready inside were copies of the divorce papers bank records and a plan so carefully made over the past six months every detail covered Every time Jace hit her every time Tanya mocked her she wrote it all down and stored it away because she knew the day would come when she’d use it
Amira took out her phone and dialed a number she hadn’t called in years Her lawyer picked up on the second ring and his voice was calm and direct as always She told him she was ready she wanted the papers filed by the end of the week He didn’t ask why maybe he already knew he always suspected Jace wasn’t what he seemed He agreed to handle it quietly she didn’t want drama yet not until the right moment She hung up and let out a deep breath it felt strange to take the first real step toward freedom but it also felt right She went into her room and started packing small things clothes for Ayra her daughter’s favorite toys documents and her old laptop which still held the files to her fashion designs She hadn’t opened those in years Jace made sure she gave up that dream but she never deleted anything She paused for a second her hand brushing over the silver flash drive on the shelf this was her backup her lifeline
Later that night Jace returned smelling like expensive cologne and someone else’s perfume Amira didn’t speak she served him his dinner and nodded when he asked if Ayra was asleep He didn’t hit her this time maybe he was too tired or just didn’t care enough tonight He talked about some deal falling through about how the company needed a new partner a big name to save them from dipping too low Amira listened quietly hiding the smirk behind her calm face She already knew about the failing numbers she had connections even if he didn’t know it She washed the dishes as he went upstairs his phone buzzing every few seconds probably from Tanya or the next woman on his list She didn’t care She went to Ayra’s room kissed her forehead and whispered goodnight Her daughter was the only light in her dark world the reason she kept fighting
The next morning Amira dressed simply jeans and a plain top but she felt stronger She took Ayra to the nearby park pretending for a while that their lives were normal the wind on her face the sound of children playing it felt like a world away from her prison of a house When Ayra laughed chasing a butterfly Amira smiled really smiled for the first time in months She sat on the bench and checked her email the lawyer had already responded the documents were being prepared her bank account secured the apartment she applied for was ready by next week She closed her eyes and whispered thank you to no one and everyone at once When she looked up she saw Jace’s car driving past not stopping not seeing her and she felt no fear just silence She picked up Ayra hugged her tightly and told her they were going to have a new home soon Ayra didn’t understand but she smiled anyway and that was enough
Back home Jace was in his study talking loudly on the phone Amira didn’t knock she didn’t care anymore She walked past him into the bedroom and started folding more clothes organizing what she would take and what she would leave behind She didn’t need much only what mattered She glanced at the photo of their wedding on the dresser and picked it up for a long moment They looked perfect in that picture him in his tux her in white smiling but now she knew those smiles were fake His love was a lie her sacrifice a waste She dropped the frame face down on the dresser and walked away that past no longer belonged to her In the living room Tanya was back sitting on the couch like it was her house again sipping wine and flipping through magazines Amira didn’t greet her she just walked to the kitchen calm focused unshaken Tanya raised a brow but said nothing and that silence was the start of something powerful
That night Amira lay in bed not sleeping but waiting She kept one eye on the clock counting the days until she was free She could hear Jace’s footsteps in the hallway then the sound of the guest bedroom door closing again He wasn’t even hiding it anymore but she didn’t cry not this time Instead she smiled in the dark because she knew something he didn’t Jace was about to lose more than just a wife he was about to lose his pride his company his false sense of control and he wouldn’t even know who hit him And Tanya that snake of a friend would go down with him Amira had stayed silent too long but that silence was ending now Everything was about to change and none of them were ready She had one last thing to do before she walked away for good She reached under the bed pulled out her old laptop and turned it on after three years of dust it lit up like a beacon and so did her heart
She clicked open the folder marked AV Designs her old sketches all still there untouched The ideas the passion the fire she once had it all came rushing back in waves She spent the next two hours going through them editing a few reshaping others until she felt it again the power of her talent She wasn’t just a housewife she was an artist a businesswoman a storm waiting to rise Jace never knew this part of her and he never would until it was too late Her fingers moved quickly her mind sharp and clear this was her world and she was stepping back into it She emailed a few contacts updated her portfolio and sent in a message to someone she trusted someone in the industry who owed her a favor She closed the laptop with a satisfied sigh her decision made her strength returning One more week and she’d be gone Not just gone but reborn And when Jace finds out who she really is he’ll beg for mercy
But she won’t give it
- Writer
