Chapter 1 - THE MORNING OF EMPTY PROMISES
The sun bled through the curtains of the bedroom,
casting a sharp,
unforgiving light on the piles of black hair scattered across the floor.
I stood in front of the mirror,
running my palm over the smooth,
cold skin of my scalp,
feeling a strange sense of liberation I hadn't expected.
The woman staring back at me was bald,
yes,
but her eyes were no longer filled with the desperate need to please a family that viewed her as a walking ATM.
I heard the floorboards creak in the hallway,
the familiar,
heavy tread of Eleanor coming to check on her handiwork.
She opened the door without knocking,
a smug,
triumphant expression plastered across her wrinkled face.
"It’s past six,"
she barked,
her eyes lingering on my shaved head with a flicker of surprise that I had finished the job myself.
"The kitchen is waiting,
and Daniel likes his eggs poached,
not fried."
I didn't argue,
nor did I let the fire in my chest show on my face.
"Of course,
Eleanor,"
I replied softly,
my voice as smooth as silk.
"I’m going to be the perfect wife today."
I walked past her,
descending the stairs into the kitchen that I had paid for,
standing on tiles I had picked out,
surrounded by appliances that had been bought with my last Christmas bonus.
I began to cook,
the rhythmic sound of the whisk hitting the bowl acting as a countdown to the chaos I had set in motion during the night.
Daniel wandered in ten minutes later,
yawning and scratching his stomach,
hardly glancing at the woman who had spent the night rebuilding her soul.
"Coffee,"
he grunted,
sliding into his chair and pulling out his phone.
I poured him a cup,
not mentioning that the premium beans he loved would be the last bag he’d see for a very long time.
As I placed the plate of poached eggs in front of him,
Eleanor sat down at the head of the table,
looking like a queen who had finally reclaimed her throne.
"Did you send the email?"
she asked,
her voice dripping with false concern.
"The resignation?"
I nodded,
carefully placing a piece of toast on her plate.
"I’ve taken care of everything,"
I said,
which was the absolute truth,
though not in the way she imagined.
Daniel tried to pay for a new in-game skin on his mobile app,
his brow furrowing as he tapped the screen repeatedly.
"That’s weird,"
he muttered,
shaking the phone.
"My card is being declined."
I smiled to myself as I turned back to the stove,
knowing that his card was just the first domino in a very long line.
Eleanor waved a hand dismissively,
not yet realizing that her world was about to turn pitch black.
"It’s probably just a banking error,"
she said,
turning her attention back to her breakfast.
"Now,
about the grocery list for this week,
I want the organic salmon and that expensive vintage wine."
I leaned against the counter,
watching them eat the food I provided,
in the house I maintained,
while they discussed how to spend the money I no longer intended to give them.
The morning was quiet,
May you like
peaceful even,
but it was the silence that exists right before a dam finally bursts.
