ADVERTISEMENT
After dinner, while the guests chatted in the living room, Emma excused herself and went upstairs. She opened her closet, took out a large leather bag, and began to fill it silently. She packed a few sets of clothes, her grandmother’s jewelry, important documents she’d kept in a folder—passport, birth certificate, bank papers. She’d prepared all this months ago, just in case. That night, she realized that “just in case” had become now.
She moved quickly but quietly. Every object she packed wasn’t just cloth or paper—it was a piece of her freedom. As she zipped the bag, she looked at herself in the mirror. For the first time in years, she didn’t see the woman David humiliated. She saw a woman who had reached her limit.
Downstairs, the sound of laughter floated up to her. David was in his element, entertaining his colleagues, enjoying the attention. He didn’t notice Emma briefly return, leaving the empty bowl in the sink and sliding her bag by the back door.
He entered the room one last time.
“Does anyone want coffee?” he asked politely.
The guests smiled and shook their heads. David waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t bother. Just sit down and look pretty for once.”
Emma’s lips curved into the slightest smile.
“Of course,” she replied.
He stayed for a few more minutes, listening, nodding, laughing at the right moments. And then, when he felt it was time, he stood up.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly, looking at each guest. “I need to step out for a moment.”
David barely looked at her.
“Don’t be long.”
CONTINUE READING ON THE NEXT PAGE 🥰
ADVERTISEMENT
