Chapter 2 – Silent Wounds

Daisy stayed in her marriage year after year. She hoped things would change. She thought George would see her pain one day. But instead, the wounds inside her grew deeper. They were wounds no one could see. She smiled outside, but inside her heart was breaking.

George had a sharp tongue. His words were like knives. One morning Daisy brought him breakfast. He looked at the plate and said, “Is this what you call food? Useless.” Daisy held the plate with shaking hands. She wanted to speak but stopped. She whispered to herself, “Don’t cry. Stay strong. Maybe tomorrow will be better.”

Every day was the same. Small mistakes became big insults. If the shirt was not ironed perfectly, George said, “You can’t do even this simple job.” If the tea was not sweet enough, he shouted, “What do you even know?” Daisy stood silently. She felt her chest tighten. She thought, “Why can’t he say one kind word? Why can’t he thank me once?”

Daisy kept quiet because she wanted peace. She thought silence would save her marriage. But silence became her prison. She cried in the kitchen where no one could see. She cried at night into her pillow. She cried in the bathroom with the tap running so no one would hear. These were her silent wounds.

One evening Daisy gathered courage. She said softly, “George, I try every day. I only want you to be happy.” George looked at her with cold eyes. “Then try harder,” he said. Daisy’s lips trembled. Her heart whispered, “What more can I give? I have already given my whole life.”

The wounds grew when George started comparing her to other women. At family gatherings, he praised them. “Look at how she speaks. Look at how she dresses.” But when Daisy dressed nicely, he laughed. “Why are you acting young? Stay simple. You don’t need to show off.” Daisy felt invisible. She thought, “He can see beauty in others, but never in me. I am nothing to him.”

Money was another wound. George kept all control. He spent freely on himself. He bought new shoes, ate with friends, and gave gifts outside. But when Daisy asked for money, he said, “Why do you need it? You don’t earn. I earn. I decide.” Daisy’s eyes filled with tears. She whispered in her heart, “I gave him my life. Why does he treat me like a beggar in my own house?”

There were days when Daisy wanted to share her feelings. She longed for one conversation, one moment of kindness. But George shut the door of his heart. When she asked, “Can we talk?” he said, “Talk about what? I don’t have time for nonsense.” His words killed her hope. She thought, “If a husband will not listen, where can a wife go with her pain?”

Her children noticed from far away. Anna once said, “Mom, I feel like you’re not happy.” Daisy forced a smile. “I’m fine, dear.” Michael too asked, “Mom, do you need anything?” Daisy shook her head. She thought, “What can I tell them? That their father never gave me love? That I am alone in my own house?” So she stayed silent. Silence became her shield, but also her wound.

Daisy’s health began to suffer. Her hands shook when George shouted. Her sleep broke at night. She often woke up with tears on her face. Still, she told herself, “I must go on. This is my duty. A wife must keep her marriage.” But her heart whispered louder each day, “What about your peace, Daisy? What about your dignity?”

The pain grew when George insulted her in front of others. Once, when a guest was at their house, Daisy forgot to bring water quickly. George said, “See how slow she is? She can’t do anything on time.” The guest looked down in silence. Daisy’s face burned with shame. That night she said to herself, “He has broken me in front of others. I am not his wife. I am his target.”

Still, Daisy did not leave. She prayed every night. She whispered, “God, please change him. Please make him see my love.” But nothing changed. George grew colder. Daisy grew weaker. The wounds were too many now.

One night Daisy sat alone after another fight. George had shouted, “You are good for nothing.” She put her hand on her heart and whispered, “I am not nothing. I am a woman. I am a mother. I am Daisy. But why does my husband not see me? Why does he kill me with his words?” Her tears fell like rivers.

These silent wounds told Daisy the truth. Love cannot live without respect. Marriage cannot stand without care. She was living with a man who gave her no love, no respect, no voice. She carried these wounds quietly, but they were breaking her from inside.

She still did not know how her story would change. But deep in her heart, a small voice began to grow stronger. It said, “You deserve peace, Daisy. You deserve freedom.”