Resolve came in small, deliberate steps. Selena met with a solicitor, her voice steady as she outlined her wishes: autonomy, safety, a clean break. She gathered her proof, filed paperwork, and packed her belongings with methodical precision. Every folded dress, every boxed photo, was an act of reclamation.
She wrote letters—one to her mother, another to her siblings—laying bare her hurt, but also her gratitude and hope that someday, understanding might come. Lastly, her soon-to-be ex-husband: "I hope you find happiness, and I hope you are the father your children deserve." Most importantly, she wrote to her unborn child, vowing to protect them from the duplicity that had poisoned her beginnings.
The house that once echoed with dreams became, overnight, a place of shadows. Selena left her keys on the counter; the silence behind her filled with finality.