28October2025
A week of solitude can smooth a woman out like silk, but when I saw what had happened during that time, I froze the moment I crossed the front door.
Emily has not been herself lately. Cracks have begun to appear in her marriage to me, and she is lost in this painful place. It all started with the little things, as it always does.
After work I began to drop venomous remarks. My jokes turned sharp, every word cutting deeper than a blow. Day by day my behaviour grew worse, even during my holidays I gave her no respite.
Look at you, you look like an old hag, Id say, phone glued to my ear. Other lads wives are proper ladies, and mine is a shriveled prune!
It was true that Emily seemed older than her years. Her job is demanding and left lines on her face. Hearing such words from her own husband was especially cruel. She worked for the family, earning twice what I earned, so she had no right to complain.
I spent my money however I pleased, never consulting anyone: Where I want, I spend! No children to set aside for the future.
Emily endured that too. We managed to get by. We werent officially married, but we lived as a couple and werent in any rush to tie the knot. Still, my mother has long called Emily my daughterinlaw, and Emily treated her as a motherinlaw.
My mother was meddlesome and never satisfied. She constantly stuck her nose into our affairs, and most of her criticisms fell on Emily.
We lived in a semidetached house on the outskirts of Manchester. Though the town was close, the garden needed constant care. Emily often asked me for help:
I simply cant keep up Im at work from dawn till dusk!
And whats it to me? Id snap. This is your house, youre the lady of the home, why should I bother?
In winter the garden was buried under snow until Emily took the shovel herself. In summer the grass grew up to the windows. We hired gardeners to tidy up, then Emily would finish the chores after a long shift. Meanwhile I lounged on the sofa, checking in only occasionally to see if any work was being done.
She forgave many things, but the final straw came when she returned home after a grueling day. Exhausted, she barely dragged her feet and stopped at the corner shop for a bag of groceries, her hand aching from the heavy tote.
She hoped I would meet her at the door she even called, but I didnt answer. Panting and wiping sweat from her brow, she heard music drifting from the back garden.
She set the bag down by the gate and hurried inside, where a lively party was in full swing. Inside the room, resentment boiled; tonight she intended to let everything out.
The house was a proper bash: loud music rattled the windows, the table was laden with snacks and the meal Emily had prepared earlier so she wouldnt have to fuss in the evening. I, oblivious to her, was dancing with a woman who had clearly had too many drinks and was dressed rather provocatively.
Without a word, Emily crossed the room and switched the music off.
My gaze, still hazy, met hers. What are you doing? I slurred, swaying.
I was about to ask you that! Whats going on? Whos that woman?
My partner kept moving as if nothing had happened.
Whats it to you? I muttered. Just an old schoolmate, thats all. Cant I relax in my own house?
If you remember, you once said this is my home and you have no right to interfere. So clear this lady out now, and then well talk.
I wont! I tried to stand, but my legs gave way.
By now I had become a source of disgust to her. He had stopped being a man at all in her eyes just a burden. Living with me out of fear of being alone? No thank you.
Grabbing the intruder by the arm, Emily ushered her out the gate. Youre on your way out!
She turned back to me. Do you want me to see you out, or are you leaving on your own?
I shrugged, snatched a salad and a bottle from the table, and staggered toward the door.
Youll survive without me, you melodramatic fool! I shouted as I left.
Oi, oi, oi! my mother wailed, clutching her head. My brain is splitting!
Mother, dont shout! Emily chased me out because I didnt meet her at the door, I lied, knowing she would side with me.
Whats that about meeting? she asked, puzzled.
Who knows! Shes always nagging me: this, that! Im exhausted from work too, you think its easy? Why should I help in a house that isnt mine?
Exactly! my mother encouraged. Let her sort out the ownership first, then she can ask. Shes being too important, expecting me to greet her! She should manage on her own!
See? I told her, and she got angry!
Let her be angry! Dont give in! No point conceding! If she wants marriage, shell endure. Shes not a child any more to throw tantrums!
What now? I asked, head down.
Hang on, son! Shell crawl back, sweet as a kitten, begging you to take her back. Shell spend a week alone and realise what shes done. Dont cave when she returns, demand her registration. Otherwise shell be left without you!
My mothers advice rang in my ears as I listened, nodding in time with her words.
Youre right, Mum! I wont put up with her whims! Who does she think she is, ordering me around? Im not a slave, Im a grown man, my own master!
Following my mothers plan, I disappeared. I didnt show up at home, didnt call Emily, and waited a full week.
Meanwhile my mother kept pressing me: do this, do that. When I tried to push back, she reminded me of oldfashioned discipline a swift swat on the back with a sturdy branch.
Youre not at your wifes place, youre at your mothers! No work, no lunch! she warned, blunt and without honey.
At last, after seven long days, I mustered the courage to return. Im coming back, Mum, to see how shes coping without me. Shell be crawling on her knees, begging for me!
Go, go! Dont give up! Speak clearly youll return on your own terms!
I left the house feeling like a victor, chin up, shoulders back, stride confident, as if I were about to prove who was really in charge.
I reached the gate, stepped onto the lawn and froze.
Something was off. The garden was immaculate, the grass clipped perfectly, windows sparkling, flowerbeds neat, pathways clear of any overgrowth. The gate itself was brand new not the squeaky, rusted one wed known.
I pulled out my key, but it no longer fit. I paused, then knocked firmly on the door.
Inside, footsteps halted, the door opened, and standing there was not the Emily I remembered. She was fresh, smiling, eyes bright.
I thought youd be alone, suffering At least give me a call!
Why would I? she replied, tilting her head playfully.
What why? Husband gone a week, and you?
I have no husband, she said calmly.
And where would he come from? she laughed. Just one visitor, but it was a dud. No point dwelling on it.
I turned a shade of crimson. Are you talking about me?! Youll get a slap and youll change your tune! I should have raised you better!
I took a step forward, but she didnt move.
From the doorway a tall man placed a hand on her shoulder and said firmly, Hey, mate, off you go. And do it peacefully.
Whats that? A lover? I blustered. If you get him out, Ill forgive you and come back, I promise not to hit!
Then something bizarre happened. Time seemed to hiccup; my legs surged forward as if chased by devils, and someone from behind seemed to push me to run faster.
Emily stood on the porch laughing until tears rolled, watching her older brother chase me away from the garden. He hurled me toward the gate, giving me a couple of wellaimed kicks.
As soon as I was beyond the threshold, her brother slammed the gate shut and turned to his sister:
Emily, dont you even think about taking that fool back! Honestly, I dont understand how you ever put up with him!
I sighed deeply. I was a fool, thats why I stayed. I kept hoping hed change.
You cant change a person, you can only cut them off! If you need help around the house, call me, Ill come over. Let him know hes not welcome here again.
What if he doesnt get the message?
Hell get it twice over, he winked, and together they entered the house.
Inside, guests were already watching the scene through the windows, glasses raised.
Heres to the birthday girl!
To the namesake! they shouted, and the clink of china rang out.
Emily smiled. How wonderful it is to have a caring, strong older brother always ready to stand by you.
**Lesson:** I learned that dominance built on intimidation only fuels resentment; true partnership demands respect, listening, and the humility to share the load. Without those, even the strongest walls crumble, and the only thing left is the echo of our own emptiness.
