Chapter 3 - The Departure
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Silence settled over the bedroom, thick and suffocating. In the hallway, the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock continued uninterrupted, indifferent to the violent shift in the room.
My head throbbed. I touched the corner of my mouth, my fingers coming away stained with fresh blood.
Judith stood near the wardrobe, her chin raised, nodding with subtle approval. "Sometimes a woman needs to learn her place early," she murmured under her breath.
Daniel backed away slightly, his chest heaving as the alcohol began to lose its numbing effect. Panic flickered behind his eyes, though his tone remained defensive.
"You pushed me, Rebecca," he stammered, raising his hands. "You know how my mother gets. I've been drinking... you just wouldn't stop arguing!"
I raised one hand, silencing him instantly. I didn't scream. I didn't shed a single tear.
I bent down, lifted the heavy plastic tub, and carried it into the adjacent bathroom. For a split second, Judith smiled, believing I had finally yielded to her authority. Instead, I poured the filthy detergent water down the bathtub drain and tossed the wet clothes into the basin.
I walked back out, set the empty bucket outside the bedroom door, and unfastened my wedding ring. I placed the platinum band cleanly on the center of the wooden dresser.
Without saying a word, I opened the small suitcase I had packed for our weekend trip, threw in my laptop and my change of clothes, and zipped it closed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Daniel called out, following me into the hallway.
"Home," I said, my voice dead calm.
He let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "To that pathetic studio apartment you can barely afford?"
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I paused at the front door, my hand resting on the brass knob.
He had no idea who he had just struck.
