I grew up in a big family in the English countryside, second eldest among ten siblings. From a young age, I had to shoulder a lot of responsibility around the house: cooking, washing clothes, looking after my younger brothers and sisters, tending to the garden, and helping with the animals. The long days left me utterly drained, and most nights I barely managed to put my head on the pillow before falling asleep.
When I reached adulthood, my parents began urging me to marry, seeing me as just another mouth to feed in an already crowded household. Without paying much attention to my wishes, they arranged for me to marry a man called Richard, twenty-seven at the time, who lived with his paralyzed grandmother in Manchester.
After the wedding, I moved in with Richard and his grandmother. I soon realised that nothing had really changed for me, aside from switching from caring for my siblings to caring for his grandmother. Richard became the breadwinner but treated me terribly. He would shout and call me names for no real reason. Sadly, half a year later, his grandmother passed away, leaving the two of us alone in the house.
Eventually, we had a daughter, Emily, and a son, Charles. While Emily always showed me warmth and kindness, Charles mirrored his father’s harsh attitude towards me. Despite the hardship, I found solace in a new hobby Id seen on the telly: making candles at home. I decided to try my hand at turning it into a small business, investing my savings into the necessary supplies. Richard mocked my efforts every step of the way, but soon enough, my candles started to catch on and I began earning some money of my own.
As the years went by, Emily continued to show me affection, whereas Charles only grew more disdainful. My candle business flourished, and I managed to put some money aside. One particular day, when Richard ridiculed me for buying myself a plain skirt, something in me snapped. I finally realised Id had enough.
By that time, my children were already in their thirties, and I was not yet fifty. I gathered my savings, rented a flat, filed for divorce from Richard, and carried on growing my little business. All I wanted was to live in peace, free from constant criticism and unkindness. There was no bitterness in my decisionjust a strong desire to create a better life for myself.
