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Solene
"You're joking, right?" My voice trembles as I scan the paper in my hand. Petition for Divorce, the words scream at me in bold letters. My eyes suddenly fill with unshed tears as I look up at my husband.
He stands across the living room, with his arms crossed over his chest like a stranger. Not the man who once held me like I was his whole world.
"It's over," he says flatly.
It's over. The words echo in my head. They sting worse than the slaps my drunk father used to give me.
"No..." I whisper, more to myself. My breath feels forced. "I can't believe this. Rowan, what is this?" I ask with a shaky voice as I clutch the paper.
"Exactly what it looks like," he snaps, with a tight jaw.
"But... why? I'm your wife," I say.
"You should have thought about that before spreading your legs for someone else," he says, and tosses a manila envelope onto the table.
It lands with a thud, slides open. Photos spill out like poison.
I stagger back and sink onto the couch. My fingers shake as I pick one up-and my breath catches. It's a picture of me. In bed. With a man I don't know.
"No... no, this isn't me," I murmur, shaking my head as I scan every detail. "These are fake, Rowan. This can't be real. Look!" I hold one up, pointing. "I lost that bracelete two years ago. These have to be doctored!"
"I have seen the evidence," he growls. "I ignored it. Over and over. But now? It's undeniable. You're just a stripper who fooled me into thinking she changed."
Tears stream down my face as I drop to my knees. My hand reaches out for his leg, I just wish he can look at me.
"Rowan, please. You know me. You know I'd never do this to you."
He yanks his leg away like I burned him. His face is stone.
"My mother warned me. She said you were after a meal ticket, and I.. God... I should have listened."
"You didn't say that when you were defending me at our wedding," I snapped through my tears. "You promised I was different. You said you believed in me. What changed, Rowan? Her words? Or the lies in that envelope?"
He hesitates, just for a second. His eyes flicker. Then, just as quickly, he shuts it down.
"Don't." He slams his fist into his open palm. "You fooled me once. That's on you. But I won't be fooled again."
I was once a stripper. Not by choice.
I become one to pay my mum's hospital bills, cover my dad's gambling debts, and put my brother through school. I dance every night for strangers, fake smiles painted on my face while I try to hold back tears.
Some nights, I'm nearly raped. Some nights, I get groped or spat on. But I always come back alive.
Then comes the light at the end of the tunnel-Rowan.
He pays off everything. He buys the club and pulls me out. I thought he saved me. I thought... Maybe this is what love looks like.
And I am grateful. But Rowan never lets me forget. Every chance he gets, he throws it in my face. He reminds me I'm his project. That I owe him.
Still, I stay. I cook. I clean. I smile. I love him. Wholeheartedly. For two years.
I stare at him now, with my heart crawling into my throat.
"Where did I go wrong?" I whisper, with a shaky voice. "I give up everything for you. My dreams, my dignity. Just to be the wife you said you wanted."
Rowan scoffs, his eyes sharp. "Oh, shut the fuck up. I'm not your rehab, Solene. I was your escape plan."
His words slam into me.
I drop to my knees and crawl toward him. "Please, Rowan... don't do this. I have nothing left. My mum's hospital bills are still piling up. You're the only reason she's getting treatment. Where do I even start from if you leave me now?"
He shakes his leg violently away from my grip.
"Don't fucking touch me with your filthy hands," he growls.
I flinch and stare at my trembling hands.
"Filthy?" I whisper. "You didn't find them filthy when you made love to me. Every night."
"Do you think I touched you because I care?" he spits. "Hell no. You were supposed to give me a child. But no, you can't even do that. God knows how many abortions you had before I found you."
My heart shatters.
"You know what?" he continues. "A woman like you doesn't deserve to be a mother."
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