“You just sit at home all day and do nothing” those words cut through me. That was the moment I decided he needed to be taught a lesson.
Back when I was engaged, friends warned me. They said, “Once you marry, a man will think he owns you. The real side always comes out.” But like any hopeful young woman, I believed it was different with James. Before our wedding, he was the epitome of kindnessnever a harsh word, always afraid to upset me, desperate to keep me by his side. Of course, I was wrongjust as all women realise, eventually. Something changes the moment a man believes hes won your heart.
A few months after we were married, James began complaining about my mother. “Why does she call so often? Why must she visit every week?” he would grumble. Anxious to keep the peace, I asked my mother to stop contacting me so frequently, only calling her when he was out. But that only opened the door to something far worse. I fell pregnant and, sadly, lost my job. My contract wasnt renewed because my doctor ordered strict bed rest. That’s when Jamess resentment really emerged.
Hed snap, “You just laze about here all day, doing absolutely nothing.” Still, I kept quiet. I was frightenedfrightened he might walk out on me while I was expecting our baby.
When our daughter was about eighteen months old, Jamess demands became unbearable. He insisted I worshipped himgreeting him at the door, slippers in hand, dinner ready and piping hot on the kitchen table the moment he returned from work. The child? Not his concern. That, apparently, was a womans job. Bit by bit, the exhaustion suffocated me.
At last, I packed our bags and took our daughter to my mums house in Richmond. Months went by without a word from James. Life carried on; I returned to work, found my spark again, and looked stronger every day. Then one afternoon, James showed up on my mothers doorstep, gaunt and dishevelled, dropping to his knees as he begged forgiveness.
I told himcalm and clearthat hed need to take cookery lessons. That from now on, he would cook and help tidy up when I returned home. He agreed, of course. But only time would tell if his promises meant anything at all.
