When my partner kicked me out, I was devastated. With time, I realised it was a blessing in disguise.
The day my husband tossed me onto the street, I couldnt see any reason to go on. Years later, I understood it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Id married for love, never imagining the trials ahead. After my daughter was born, Id put on nearly three stone, and my life turned upside down.
My husband took to belittling me, calling me heifer or pig, refusing to see me as a woman anymore. He constantly compared me to his colleagues wives, claiming they were elegant while I, in his words, had become livestock.
His words shattered me. Later, I discovered he had a mistresssome young woman he didnt even bother hiding anymore. Hed call her in front of me, send her messages, while my daughter and I meant nothing.
At night, I wept silently, with no one to confide in. An orphan with no family, my friends had drifted away after the wedding. Sensing his impunity, my husband started raising his hand to me. Our daughters crying infuriated him; hed scream, demanding I silence her, threatening to throw us out.
Ill never forget that day. He came home from work and ordered me out of the flat immediately. Outside, snow was falling, and night was closing in. With one suitcase and my daughter in my arms, I stood in the courtyard, clueless where to go. He didnt even let us grab our things. As I stood there, stunned, a taxi pulled up. His mistress stepped out, suitcase in hand, and walked right into our home. All I had left in my pocket was a few quid.
My only lifeline was the hospital where Id once worked. Luckily, a nurse I knew was on duty. She took us in, and we spent the night there.
The next day, I went to a pawnshop and sold a thin gold chain with a crossthe only keepsake from my motheralong with the earrings my husband had given me before we married and my wedding ring. I found an ad for a room in the suburbs, rented by an elderly woman, Granny Edith. She became like family to us. Thanks to her babysitting, I managed to find work.
With no qualifications, I got hired at a slaughterhouse, then as a nighttime cleaner. Later, a client whose house I cleaned offered me an assistants job at her firm, with decent pay. Thanks to her, I got into university, earned my degree, and became a solicitor.
Today, my daughter studies at Oxford. Weve got a three-bed flat in London, a car, and take holidays several times a year. My law practice thrives, and I thank fate for throwing me out that day. Without it, Id never have made it.
Recently, my daughter and I were looking for land to build a countryside home. We found a spot near the Cotswolds. Imagine my surprise when the door swung open to reveal my ex-husband and his mistressnow pleasantly plumpbehind him. I nearly gave him a piece of my mind, but I just stared in silence. Before me stood a bloated, drunken man drowning in debt. Thats why they were selling. After an awkward pause, I called my daughter, and we left.
I still visit Granny Edith with cakes and a bit of help. Ill never forget her kindness. And neither will I forget Eleanor, my former employerthe one who rebuilt my confidence and gave me my chance.
