The next morning, I woke up before dawn.
The house was quiet. My parents were still asleep. The air smelled like rain, even though the sky was clear. I sat up slowly, feeling the familiar tremor in my hands. But instead of giving in to it, I reached for my phone.
I opened the notes app and wrote a single sentence:
I will not let him control me again.
I stared at the words for a long time. Then I added another.
I will live.
It was simple, but it felt like a prayer.
That day, I went to the local market with my mother. The sunlight felt strange on my skin, like I had forgotten how to be normal. People smiled at me. Some looked at me with pity. Some looked away like I was contagious.
I didn't care.
I walked with my head held high.
When we returned home, my mother asked if I wanted to rest. I shook my head.
"I want to see Dave," I said.
My mother's eyebrows lifted. "Are you sure? After everything…"
"I need to see him," I replied. "Not because I want to marry him. Not because I want to escape. I need to see someone who isn't Jon."
She studied me for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right."
That afternoon, Dave arrived.
He didn't come with grand gestures. No flowers. No dramatic declarations. He simply stood at the gate, looking calm and composed, like a man who had been waiting patiently for years.
When he saw me, his expression softened. He didn't say anything at first. He just looked at me like he was trying to make sure I was real.
"Meenah," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"
I didn't answer immediately. I didn't want to lie. I didn't want to pretend I was fine when I wasn't. But I also didn't want to fall apart in front of him.
"I'm not okay," I admitted. "But I'm alive. And I'm choosing to live."
Dave's eyes filled with something like relief.
"That's all I wanted to hear," he said.
He didn't reach for my hand right away. He waited until I was ready. He didn't push me. He simply stood there, giving me space and respect two things I had never received from Jon.
In that moment, I realized something else.
I didn't need a hero.
I needed someone who would walk beside me.
Someone who wouldn't use my pain to control me.
Someone who would let me heal at my own pace.
And maybe, just maybe…
I could learn to love again.