The girl wakes up in the middle of the night. Sweating. In panic. Scared. She looks around, but a blanket of darkness is all she sees. She tries feeling the bed next to her. It's empty. Wondering where he was, she switched on the light. She slowly gets up from bed and searches for him. She walks around into the next room and finds him there. He was sleeping. It is dark. At first she sees only him. Sleeping like his usual self with one hand over his tummy, mouth open and leg crooked. She smiles and goes over to him, hoping to sleep on his arm. But as she draws closer, she notices that he isn't alone. There is someone else next to him. She rubs her eyes to make sure she isn't dreaming. She wasn't. There was someone else there. His arm is around her. She sleeps next to him. There is nothing wrong with the way they sleep. But she feels uneasy. As if she was intruding on a personal moment. She wants to run away. At first she thinks "He wouldn't cheat on me, would he? Not in the open, like this? He would be more discreet, right?". Thoughts run through her mind. "Where did this girl come from? Why is she sleeping on his arm? Why isn't he on their bed? Why? Why? Why?" So many questions. She tries to think nothing more. She goes back to her bedroom. After a lot of thought and twisting and turning, she drifts off.

She tries talking to him. About what she saw. But he couldn't talk. He never had the time. Talking was never his fortè. She tries to get him alone. Just to talk. He was always surrounded by people. Sometimes friends. Sometimes strangers. She could never fit into his crowd. Always alone in a sea of people.

She finally gets him to talk. But then, she couldn't ask him about 'her'. She feels worried that this would cause unnecessary trouble. She wonders if she is overreacting. Maybe they were just sleeping. Maybe she was seeing things. Maybe it was a nightmare. So she shuts herself up and smiles, like her usual self.

She keeps silent.

Never speaking up.

One day, she breaks.

She screams.

All hell breaks loose.

She walks out. He lets her.

Still hoping he will come for her, she waits. But he doesn't come.

...

This was a year ago. She wakes up now with a smile on her face and a skip in her step. She likes waking up early now. She makes coffee. Full milk. Just like she likes it. She waters her plants and talks to them. She reads her favourite book.

Glancing at the clock, she notices that it's late. She can't be late today. It's a special day. So she goes and puts on her favourite dress. The one she had gifted herself on her last birthday. She wears the ring that her mother gifted her on turning 17. She does her hair and makeup. She decides to wear a bold lip which wasn't her usual shade, because it is her special day.

She is finally ready. She grabs her bag and runs out the door. But she forgets her keys, so she runs back to grab them. Just as she leaves she glances around her clean and beautiful home. She smiles as she remembers how it used to be. How she was never able to think straight with all the mess around her. She runs her hands through her hair while locking the door.

She walks to her car. The red beauty waits for her, gleaming due to her last wash. She gets in and takes a deep breath.

"Let's do this", she breathes. This is the day that she is getting divorced. One more signature and she would be free.  Free from all the expectations, misunderstandings and meaningless discussions. Free from a loveless marriage.

This is the first day of the rest of her life.