Chapter 7 – The Final Blow

Eleanor’s heart was tired. The promises had been broken again. Victor was the same man he had always been. Lies, secrets, and coldness filled their home. She thought again and again, I cannot live like this forever. Something has to end.

One evening she placed food on the table. She waited for him. He came late, his shirt smelling of perfume. She asked softly, “Where were you?”
He snapped, “Do not start. I am tired.”
She said with trembling voice, “Tired of what, Victor? Tired of lying? Tired of hiding? Or tired of pretending I am still your wife?”

He slammed his hand on the table. “Stop it, Eleanor!”

She stood her ground. “No. I will not stop. You promised me change. You promised me respect. But you gave me nothing. You break me every day.”

His face grew red. He shouted, “I said stop!” He raised his hand and struck her across the face. Eleanor froze. Her body shook. Tears filled her eyes. She whispered, “You… you hit me?”

Victor turned away, breathing hard. He muttered, “You forced me. You always push me.”

She touched her cheek and cried softly, “A husband does not hit his wife. A man who loves does not raise his hand.” Her tears fell as she said, “You are not a husband. You are a stranger. A stranger who has destroyed my life.”

That night she could not sleep. She stared at the ceiling, hearing his laughter in another room as he texted on his phone. She whispered to herself, “This is the end. I will not live like this. I will not carry this pain anymore.”

The next morning she called her cousin. Her voice shook as she said, “He hit me.”
Her cousin cried on the phone, “Leave him, Eleanor. Come stay with me. You do not deserve this. You deserve peace.”

Eleanor packed a small bag. She did not take jewelry. She did not take gifts. Only her clothes and her photo album. She walked to the door. Victor stood there and asked coldly, “Where are you going?”
She looked into his eyes and said, “I am leaving. I will not let you break me again.”

He laughed bitterly. “You will come back. You have nowhere to go.”
She answered with strength, “I would rather sleep on the floor of my cousin’s home than live in a house of lies.”

Her voice was strong for the first time in years. She left.

For some weeks she stayed with her cousin. She found comfort in her church friends. They held her hands, they listened to her tears, and they said, “You are brave, Eleanor. You are not alone.”

Meanwhile, Victor kept calling. He left messages. “Come back. You are making a mistake. Think of the house, the money, the life you had.”

Eleanor did not answer. One day she finally picked up the phone. She said clearly, “I do not want money. I do not want your house. I do not want your fake life. I only wanted love, respect, and care. And you gave me none of them.”

He shouted on the line, “You are destroying everything!”
She replied softly, “No, Victor. You destroyed everything the day you chose lies over love.”

With that, she hung up.

Days later, she filed for divorce. When the papers reached Victor, he stared at them in shock. For the first time, he realized Eleanor was serious. He tried to talk. He said, “Give me one more chance.”

Eleanor looked into his eyes and whispered, “I gave you many chances. You broke them all. This was the final blow. Now it is over.”