He opened his mouth, but no answer came.
“And what if we had a child tomorrow? Would that make you a faithful husband? Would it make you stop lying? Would it make you stop hitting me?”
He looked down.
I felt tears forming, but I kept my voice steady.
“Kelly, I wanted a child with you because I loved you. I never imagined that I would have to prove my worth by giving birth.”
He covered his face.
I stood up.
“I need time. Please don’t come here again without arranging it first.”
He looked at me desperately.
“Are you ending our marriage?”
I paused.
“I am ending the part of my life where I accept being mistreated because I’m afraid of being alone.”
Then I walked away.
For the first time, I did not look back to see whether he was following me.
Over the following weeks, I began rebuilding my life.
