At first, Kiara convinced herself Rick's outburst had been a mistake. He was under stress, unemployed, and humiliated. Perhaps, she told herself, she had provoked him.
But the apologies faded, replaced by anger that surfaced over the smallest things. A misplaced plate. A late dinner. A question he didn't want to answer. Each excuse ended with Kiara's body carrying the proof—fresh bruises hidden beneath her clothes.
Vivian was the first to notice. One afternoon, she hugged Kiara and felt her flinch. Later, she caught sight of the faint purple shadow under Kiara's eye. Kiara brushed it off with a shaky smile.
"I fell down the stairs," she said.
Vivian didn't believe it, but Kiara's silence built walls too high to climb.
Kiara buried herself in work, pouring her pain into every design. Success surrounded her—sales soared, her bosses praised her—but at home, shadows grew darker. Rick, once her source of comfort, now loomed as her greatest fear.
Sometimes, the wise thoughts she ensured eluded her, rolled around in her mind. Should she ask him to go for therapy? Perhaps all their marriage needed was distance for him to remember how things had changed. However, these thoughts never yielded fruit. The thought of even suggesting therapy made her shiver. She often thought of confiding in Vivian. But she knew her friend. Vivian would never let such slide. She would drag Kiara away from the marriage if she had to. What happens to her baby then? She had no experience and from what she knew, neither did Vivian. How would she take care of her baby as a single parent? She decided to bottle it all in. That's what she'd been doing all her life so it wasn't that difficult. But fear had a way of twisting one's insides. She knew she had to tell someone but who? Certainly not her mother. But who else could give her advice? She held on to the idea until she couldn't.
When she finally called her mother, desperate for guidance, the reply chilled her.
"He's your husband. Keep him happy, avoid what he dislikes. That's how some men are."
For the first time, Kiara realized she could expect no rescue. She was on her own.
As Kiara hung up the phone, the weight of her mother's words crushed her. 'Keep him happy, avoid what he dislikes.' The phrase echoed in her mind, a cruel mantra that seemed to seal her fate. She felt a wave of despair wash over her, her body trembling with fear and frustration. The realization that she was truly alone, that no one would rescue her, was a bitter pill to swallow. Kiara's eyes welled up with tears as she wondered if she would ever find a way out of this nightmare.
As she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Kiara's mind wandered to the future. Would she ever be free from Rick's grasp? Would she ever find the courage to leave him? The thought of raising her child alone was daunting, but the thought of staying in this toxic relationship was even more terrifying. Kiara's heart ached with uncertainty, her mind racing with questions she couldn't answer. All she knew was that she had to find a way to protect herself and her unborn child, no matter the cost.
As the days passed, Kiara's situation grew more precarious. Rick's behavior became increasingly erratic, his anger and aggression escalating with each passing day. Kiara knew she was walking on eggshells, never knowing when the next explosion would occur.