Cast out by my husbandyears later, I realised it was the best thing that could have happened.
When my husband threw me onto the street, I had no will to live. Only years later did I understand it was the finest turn my life could have taken.
I had married for love and never imagined the trials ahead. After giving birth to our daughter, I gained three stone, and from that moment, my life changed beyond recognition.
He tormented me, calling me a “cow” and a “pig,” refusing to see me as a woman. He constantly compared me to his friends wives, claiming they were flawless while I had become, in his eyes, nothing but an animal.
Those words cut deep. Later, I learned of his young mistress, whose existence he no longer bothered to hide. He spoke openly with her on the telephone, exchanged messages, while my daughter and I became invisible to him.
At night, I wept, but there was no one to confide in. I was an orphan with no family, and my friends had drifted away after the wedding. My husband grew bolder, raising his hand against me. Our daughters crying at night enraged him; he would shout at me to silence her, threatening to throw us out.
I shall never forget that day. He returned from work and announced from the doorstep that I was to leave at once. It was nearly nightfall, snow falling. With one bag and my child in my arms, I stood in the courtyard, lost. He wouldnt even let me gather my things. As I struggled to grasp what was happening, a cab pulled up, and out stepped his mistress with a suitcase, walking straight into our flat. All I had in my pocket were a few pound notes and nothing more.
My only choice was the hospital where I had once worked. By luck, a nurse I knew was on duty. She let us in, and we spent the night in safety.
The next morning, I went to a pawnshop and sold my mothers cross necklacemy only keepsakealong with the earrings my husband had given me before our wedding and my wedding ring. I found an advertisement from an elderly woman, Granny Edith, who rented a room on the outskirts of London. She became family to us. With her caring for my daughter, I found work.
Without qualifications, I took jobs as a packer in a meat factory and scrubbed stairwells at night. Later, I met a woman whose home I cleaned. She offered me a position as an administrator in her firm with decent pay. It was she who encouraged me to study, and in time, I became a solicitor.
Now, my daughter attends university. We own a three-bedroom flat in Chelsea, a car, and travel abroad several times a year. My law practice thrives, and I am grateful fate saw me cast out all those years ago. Had it not happened, I would never have achieved so much.
Recently, my daughter and I decided to buy land just outside London to build a holiday home. We found the perfect spot. Imagine my shock when the door opened to reveal my ex-husband, the same mistress now stout behind him. I longed to say everything in my heart, but I just stared into his eyes. Before me stood a drunk, paunchy man drowning in debtthe very reason they were selling. We stood in silence a moment before I called my daughter, and we drove away.
Granny Edith remains dear to us. We visit often, bringing gifts and helping where we can. I will never forget how she reached out when I needed it most. And I remember Katherine, my employer, toothe woman who gave me the chance to believe in myself and find success.
