I turned on the king-sized mattress for the umpteenth time before finally checking the bedside clock

5:40am.

I still felt terrified about the nightmare.

In it, I stood as a spectator in a wedding hall, drowning in jeers and mockery from Matthew, Natasha, and the Wellington family. They were glamorously dressed, and there I was, clothed like a commoner and being made an object of gossip. Everyone in the hall seemed to be pointing and laughing at me. The voice grew louder and harsher till my eyes tore open.

A cold bead of sweat slid down my temple as I gasped for breath. My heart felt like it was about to be ejected from my chest. I knew this was a symbolic dream, and that terrified me.

I forced myself out of bed to attend to my doting wifely duties for the day. Prepare Matthew’s breakfast, engage in mindless chatter with him at the dining table, pack his lunch, and then commence my daily yoga routine.

I feigned a smile as he lifted the buttered toast to his lips and chatted about the meetings he had lined up for the day and conversations that bored the living daylightsout of me now, even though they were exciting to me a few weeks ago. Time does change a lot of things. I stayed silent and kept sipping a cup of espresso while I wished I could drench him with it and strangle the life out of him with the maroon tie that was fitted on his neck.

He hit my bum fiercely as he headed out the door with a wink. The look of a man who was sexually satisfied.

We had several rounds last night after the family dinner. I expected him to reach for me last night, and when he did, I had to succumb… even though I wished I had the strength to deny him.

I had completed my morning yoga routine and was on my way to the bathroom when my phone beeped.

It was Maria.

“Hey Stranger. Feels like I haven’t heard from you in weeks.” I teased as I plugged my airpods into my ears

“I apologize, my darling. Work has been insane and of course I’ve been digging into those files like you asked me to.”

“And?” My pulse quickened

“It’s really bad, Sierra. We need to talk.”

My heart dropped. It felt like life was hitting me in different directions with bad news, all in the space of a few weeks.

“Alright. Brunch?”

“Yes. Let’s meet at our usual spot.”

*********

I sat at the corner booth of our favorite pastry shop, “Les Camrades.” It was a hidden spot that offered us the sanctity of dining away from public eyes and paparazzi. The soothing aroma of croissants and latte tempted my nostrils as I waited for Maria, but I could barely stomach anything all day. I lifted the cup of latte when I sighted Maria walking towards the table. We had met in college and stayed inseparable ever since, against Matthew’s will. He hated Maria’s guts and defiance for obvious reasons.

“Darling...” Maria said softly as she settled in after we had exchanged pleasantries

“Don’t tell me it’s that bad.” I leaned forward in anticipation as she pulled a thick brown envelope from her handbag and placed it on the table

“It’s worse. My guts were right all along. Matthew is such a bastard. I went through the corporate filings, trusts, property deeds, and the Wellington family business registry. Everything. Sierra, there’s not a cent in your name. Not stocks, not assets or properties. Absolutely nothing. Even the car gifts, your Pontiac. It’s all in his name.”

“Wait. That’s impossible. We... I signed agreements after we got married. He called them joint ownership agreements and said it was family protocol. But it wasn’t a pre-nup. So, how… I’m so confused. Something must be wrong.”

Maria’s voice was soft but firm, each word like a hammer blow “They were waivers, Sierra. He deceived you into signing waivers. A friend drew up the contracts, and I reviewed them. They were deceptively worded to make you sign off your rights. Recall you said he insisted you signed them hastily a few days after the wedding. I’m not sure I remember why.”

“He...said the family lawyer needed me to sign immediately to draft the contracts and include my name in the family trust. And I believed him...” For a moment the world around me blurred, and my chest constricted, as if invisible hands were squeezing air from my lungs.

“Not a penny in my name”

The sentence echoed in my head.

“You don’t deserve this, Sierra. I’m sorry.”

“I trusted him with everything. My life. My dreams. My ambition. My body. My loyalty. He promised to be a faithful husband. I was naïve enough to have believed him when he promised me security, said I’ll never have to lift a finger for money in my entire life, and said my family would be taken care of too.”

I buried my face in my trembling palms that were now whitened. The sobs came, raw and unfiltered, spilling into the quiet hum of the café. Maria reached across the table, her hand warm against mine, steady where I was crumbling.

“So…if I walk away now…” I struggled to ask the question that had been on my mind

“You walk away with nothing. Except your jewelry and designer wears. No financial claim. Marital claim. Settlement. Absolutely nothing. And knowing Matthew, any attempt to file a lawsuit will yield more undesirable outcomes. He’s friends with the high and mighty

My ears rang, and I gasped for breath. It felt like I was drowning in deep water. Gripping her shoulder, albeit more tightly, my eyes reddened. The humiliation from my nightmare seemed to be quietly unfolding into reality.

I wiped my face, sitting up straighter, gathering the fragments of myself that still knew how to fight. Maria’s eyes searched mine, wary, almost afraid of what she saw flickering there.

“Calm down, Sierra. You’ll get through this. You’re the strongest woman I know. You’ll be fine. I’m right by your side, and we both know this divorce has to happen soon. Men like Matthew are dangerous.”

“Yes. And women like me are even more lethal,” I responded as I clutched the coffee cup tightly in my hand

“And what’s the plan? We’re in this together, Sierra.”

“I’m still trying to get a grip on what my next step should be. Can I borrow your phone?”

She raised a brow. “For what?”

My lips curled into a sharp, bitter smile. “To call someone who hates Matthew as much as I do. The only person that can help me dismantle him piece by piece.”

Her silence stretched, her hesitation palpable.

I inhaled, steadying the storm rising inside me. “Carlos Maine.”