Walking away

She went to their room and she didn't find Thompson in the room. She sighed with relief thinking he probably left to his study and would not come back till morning. She had encountered the experience over and over. Her cold nights were all she knew.

Looking at the empty bed, her tears could not help but fall. She was lonelier that any single woman. She had a husband but she was all alone. A man that is supposed to protect her is the one fighting her. A man that is supposed to trust her is the one doubting her loyalty and motives. 

  The man that is supposed to be her shield  has turned out to be the one exposing her. 

  She didn't have the strength to cry in darkness. She wanted to pick the little pieces that is left of her life and start over. That was what she thought. But Maria would never have thought her life will take a turn for the worse

She walked to the closet and changed into her pajamas. She didn't need to put too much effort into her pajamas. She raised the duvet and slid inside. It was just perfect for this  weather.

Though she tried to sleep, she could not. Her tears were rolling uncontrollable downher cheek. Her low sniffs could be heard clearly in the silence of the night  but shehad no one to comfort her.

After her marriage to Thompson brown, she thought she couldlive in peace buther sister was allover her playing the good sisterallthe while she was feeding her brother in law with lies. At first it was a blow toher but then she decided to play along. What is the point of fighting for aomeone who doesnt love you. Where could she get the streght to fight? What support did she have.  Due to her husband's treatment, she was never respected in the brown family. Her mother in law was good to her when her father in law was alive but they all showed their true color when he died.

Early the next morning, She woke up late than usual. She didnt need to prepare breakfast for her husband since she signed the papers and she didnt have the energy to do so. She vowed to live her life and be herself. If they didnt want her in their life then she didnt need them.

She made a simple breakfastfor her self and prepared a table outside in the garden. She wasnt in the hurry to leave. She thought, Thompson had gone to work but he was not feeling well and decided to stay home today. He watched her move to the garden and set the table. Since they lived together, she didnthire any house managers and did everything herself. Today she wanted to treat herself. She felt free though pained but at last she was free from all the torture she has been going though.

Maria sat in the garden, the soft rays of the morning sun warming her skin, though the warmth couldn’t melt the cold ache that gripped her heart. She picked at her simple breakfast, the food tasteless against the backdrop of her thoughts. Her mind raced with memories of the past few years, every argument, every doubt Thompson had cast upon her. She felt both broken and liberated.

For the first time in years, there was no pretense, no need to pretend that things would get better. The papers were signed. It was done. Yet, a strange emptiness filled her—what would come next? Freedom sounded sweet, but it also terrified her. Maria had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. She had spent so long being Mrs. Thompson Brown that she had forgotten who Maria truly was.

As she sipped her tea, she didn’t notice Thompson approaching from behind. He stood by the doorway, watching her with a strange expression, his usual coldness replaced by something softer. She hadn’t seen this side of him in years, and it almost unnerved him to see her so... at peace. Thompson hesitated, debating whether to speak or leave her to the solitude she had clearly chosen.

"Maria," his voice startled her, her body tensing at the sound. She turned slowly, meeting his gaze, eyes slightly puffy from the tears she'd shed the night before.

"What do you want, Thompson?" she asked, her voice steady, though her heart raced. She had braced herself for this—the confrontation, the inevitable conversation that would lead to the final severing of their bond.

Thompson cleared his throat, taking a step closer but stopping short when he saw her shoulders stiffen. "I... didn’t go to work today." His voice was softer than usual, almost apologetic.

"I noticed." She turned back to her plate, uninterested in his sudden appearance in her life. Where was this version of him when she needed him the most?

He shifted awkwardly, clearly out of place. "Can I have breakfast with you."

Maria let out a bitter chuckle. " Sure but you will have tomake your own. I didnt know you were in so I only made mine." She said the last part quietly, but the weight of her words hung in the air between them.

Thompson’s face darkened, and he swallowed hard. It took her alot of courage to answer him in that manner. Her heart was pounding so hard and her voice almost trembled. She tried so much to stop herself from giving in

Thompson stood frozen for a moment, absorbing Maria’s words. Her cold, measured tone was foreign to him, but he knew he deserved it. He hadn't expected her to be so distant, so firm in her resolve. For years, Maria had been the one who tried to mend things, to bridge the gap between them. But now, it was clear that the dynamic had shifted.