You said today you married me because Im convenient!
So what? He shrugged. Is that a bad thing?
Are you wearing that old dressing gown again? Daniel sneered, fastening his cufflinks as if preparing for battle.
Emily froze, the coffee cup trembling in her hands. Steam curled upward, scalding her fingers, but she didnt flinch.
Hes convenient.
Yeah, convenient, he scoffed, adjusting his tie in the mirror. Like everything about you.
Emily lowered her eyes. The coffee had stopped steaming. The surface had darkened, reflecting the ceiling like a shattered mirror.
Dan, you
What? He jangled his keys, the metal clinking against his wedding ring.
Nothing.
The door slammed so hard the porcelain on the shelf rattled.
***
Theyd met at work. Shea quiet, unassuming accountant who tied her hair in a messy bun. Hea confident manager whose laughter echoed down corridors. Daniel had courted her with roses beaded with dew, candlelit dinners where he ordered her steak medium-rare without asking what she liked.
Youre not one of those women who whines over little things, are you? hed asked on their third date, smoothing a napkin over her lap.
No, Emily had smiled, ignoring the warning bells.
Good. My ex was always making scenes
She didnt dwell on it. Then came the wedding, the children, the house. Everything as it should be.
Only sometimes, when she tried on a dress with bare shoulders, hed say, Try something simpler. Thats not your style.
Or when she applied lipstick, hed mutter, Why bother? Youre just staying home.
Once, when she bought a new floral perfume, he wrinkled his nose. Smells like a cheap shop. Trying to be like Aunt Margaret from accounting?
She stopped wearing it.
For her birthday, he gifted her a vacuum.
The old ones squeaky, he said, watching her unwrap it. Youre always sighing when you clean.
She thanked him. Then stared out the window until the children called her to cut the cake.
But she stayed silent. Because he was a good man, wasnt he? Didnt hit her, didnt drink, brought home money.
Wasnt that enough?
***
Did you ever love me?
Same evening. Same conversation. Daniel looked away, as if checking the window latch.
Of course Youre the perfect wife.
Thats not an answer.
He sighed, as if explaining basic arithmetic.
Emily, why are you making a fuss? Everythings fine.
Fine?! Her voice shook, not with tears but with fury finally breaking free. You said today you married me because Im convenient!
So? He shrugged. Is that bad?
She studied him like a stranger: that tan on his neckfrom tennis with colleagues, not her. That crease between his browsnot from worry, but irritation at having to justify himself.
What about Charlotte?
Daniels face twitched, as if tugged by an invisible string.
Whats she got to do with this?
You loved her.
Yes. The word was sharp, carrying more feeling than all their years together. I did. But she wasnt practical.
Something inside Emily snappedquietly, like a broken heel. You could still walk, but not the same way.
So Im the obedient, sensible replacement.
Dont be dramatic, he waved, swatting away a fly. We have children. A home. What more do you want?
***
She hesitated.
Maybe he was right? Maybe love was a luxury, and family mattered more? Emily stood by the window, watching raindrops smear the glass. Her fingerprints marked the paneshed stood here so often lately, as if the world outside held answers.
And Daniel Daniel carried on as if nothing had changed.
A week later, seeing her silence, he stopped pretending.
Pasta again? He prodded his fork, as if dissecting evidence of her failure. Couldve at least seasoned it.
You said you hated spice, she replied, her voice distant, as if someone else spoke.
So? He pushed the plate away like it held scraps. Charlotte always
Emily stood abruptly. The chair screeched, leaving a scratchanother mark in this house, another crack.
Want to go back to Charlotte? Go!
Oh, come off it, he laughed, the sound sharper than a shout. Where would I go? You know Im comfortable with you.
In that moment, she understood.
He wasnt even trying to keep her. Not because he trusted her love, but because he trusted her obedience.
She noticed it everywhere now.
The way he no longer corrected her clothesjust walked past without looking. The way his gaze slid over her, as if shed become part of the furniture. The way his calm stretched for weeksno fights, no complaints. Just nothing.
And the worst part? That nothing was louder than any scream.
Clutching the kitchen counter, she realized: he wasnt even angry. He was just waiting for her to accept it. Like shed accepted the vacuum instead of a gift. Like shed stopped wearing perfume. Like shed agreed she wasnt the whining type.
Then something inside her turned over.
Not pain, not ragefreedom.
Because if someone stops even being angry at you
Youve already ceased to exist.
***
A month later, she filed for divorce.
Daniel didnt believe it at first. He found her in the kitchen, packing the childrens clothes into boxes, and frozeas if facing a stranger.
Youre serious? His voice wavered for the first time in years.
Emily didnt look up, folding tiny jumpers neatly.
Yes.
Over nothing? He stepped forward; her shoulders tensed.
Its not nothing, she said softly. Im not furniture.
He laughedsharp, nervous.
Oh, here we go! You always overreact.
Emily finally met his eyes. His face was painfully familiar, yet different now: tight lips, narrowed eyeshe was angry, not at losing her, but at his convenient world cracking.
Im not overreacting. Im tired of being convenient.
Daniel paused, then snatched his keys.
Fine! You think Ill struggle? He glared at the boxes. You cant even cook properly.
She flinchedan old, familiar sting. Once, those words made her doubt herself. Now now they rang hollow.
Maybe, she agreed. But someone else thinks differently.
His face twisted.
Ah, so thats it! Theres someone else? He smirked. Look at youwhod want you?
Her chest tightenedthe old, familiar ache. She almost opened her mouth to say, Youre right, Im sorry, like she had a hundred times before.
But suddenly, she didnt want to.
I do, she said firmly. I want me.
Daniel stilled. He hadnt expected that.
Youve lost your mind, he hissed. What about the kids? Dont you care?
She closed her eyes briefly. The children Yes, she thought of them every second.
Theyll learn what self-respect means, she replied.
Oh, spare me! He waved a hand. Youre just selfish. We have a home, security And youll throw it away over nothing?
Emily looked at him and realized: he truly didnt understand. To him, it *was* nothing.
For youyes, she said. For meno.
He turned away, tapping his keys against his palm.
Fine. Youll regret this.
The day she collected her last things, Daniel suddenly asked,
You really think youll find someone better?
She paused at the door, feeling the breeze brush her face.
Better? She echoed. I dont know. But someone wholl see *me*not an empty space.
He said nothing.
And she stepped outside, where the air smelled of rain and freedom.
***
Two years passed.
Emily married a man who kissed her shoulder each morning, even when she grumbled it was too early. Who whispered, Youre beautiful, when she wore an old dressing gown, hair tangled, eyes tired. Who once, spotting that same vacuum on sale, laughed and bought her peonies insteadjust because their color matched her lips.
She wore perfume again. Applied lipstick. Chose dresses with bare shoulders. And every time she caught her husbands admiring gaze, warmth spread through herlike something long frozen was thawing.
And Daniel?
She bumped into him once at a café. He sat alone, nursing a coffee, scrolling his phone. A
