When my partner threw me out, I was utterly broken. With time, I realised it was a blessing in disguise. The day my husband kicked me out, I saw no reason to go on. Years later, I understood it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I had married for love, never imagining the trials ahead. After my daughter was born, I gained two stone, and my life turned upside down. My husband began belittling me, calling me «cow» or «pig,» refusing to see me as a woman. He constantly compared me to his colleagues wives, claiming they were elegant while I had become, in his words, an animal.
His words shattered me. Later, I discovered he had a mistressa young woman he no longer bothered to hide. He called her in front of me, sent her messages, while my daughter and I meant nothing. At night, I cried silently, with no one to confide in. An orphan with no family, my friends had drifted away after my marriage. Sensing his power, he started raising his hand to me. My daughters cries infuriated him; hed shout, demanding I silence her, threatening to throw us out.
Ill never forget that day. He came home from work and ordered me to leave immediately. Outside, snow was falling, night closing in. With just one suitcase and my daughter in my arms, I stood in the yard, lost. He didnt even let us gather our things. As I struggled to make sense of it, a taxi pulled up. His mistress stepped out, suitcase in hand, and walked into our flat. All I had left in my pocket was a few pounds.
My only lifeline was the hospital where Id once worked. By chance, a nurse I knew was on duty. She took us in, and we stayed the night. The next day, I went to a pawnshop, selling a small gold chain with a crossthe only keepsake from my motheralong with the earrings my husband gave me before we married and my wedding ring. I found an ad for a room in the suburbs, rented by an elderly woman, Granny Margaret. She became like family. With her looking after my daughter, I found work.
Without qualifications, I took jobs in a slaughterhouse, then as a nighttime cleaner. Later, a client whose home I cleaned offered me an assistant role at her company, with decent pay. Thanks to her, I got into university, earned my degree, and became a solicitor.
Now, my daughter studies at Oxford. We have a three-bed flat in London, a car, and travel several times a year. My law practice thrives, and I thank fate for casting me out that day. Without it, Id never have succeeded.
Recently, my daughter and I were looking for land for a country house. We found a place near the Cotswolds. Imagine my shock when the door opened to reveal my ex-husband, his mistressnow quite plumpbehind him. I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought, but I just stared in silence. Before me stood a drunk, pot-bellied man drowning in debt. Thats why they were selling. After an awkward pause, I called my daughter, and we left.
I still visit Granny Margaret often, bringing cakes and helping where I can. Ill never forget her kindness. And neither will I forget Eleanor, my former employerthe woman who restored my confidence and set me on this path.
