A week had passed. The corona cases had increased – and so had the cases of domestic violence.

“Thanks for letting me stay with you, Meg,” Candice said, sipping her tea.

“Anytime my love. I am so proud of you for standing up to your father, and doing the right thing,” she said.

“I just had enough. So when I heard how he beat my mother, in her already weak and hurt state… I almost killed him, Meg,” she said.

“I know baby girl, I know, but thank God you didn’t,” she said.

Megan had taken Candice in after her mother was rushed to hospital that night. She was badly beaten and had severe injuries due to the kicks. She could have died from internal bleeding if not rescued in time.

She had a lot of thinking to do in the hospital bed. She thought about whether or not it was worth it to stay with her husband. She wondered how long she had yet to live if she did stay with him. She considered the cost of being without him. She would have to be a single mother; she would have to get government funds for her child; she would have to bear the shame of explaining to her family and friends that her husband was an abuser.

For years she had kept silent and hoped he would change. She blamed it on the alcohol, but the truth was, it was never the alcohol. It was his own choice to hit his wife and his daughter. Whether he drank or not, he was an abuser, and she had finally had enough.

Jeffrey was locked up for attempted murder of his wife, and domestic violence, as well as for going to a shebeen, which was strictly banned due to lockdown restrictions. He would have to serve time in prison.

Riena was not the only one who finally had had enough of abuse: Megan had too. She realised it was not worth holding on to a man who could lift his hand to her. His emotional abuse had now manifested as physical abuse. He promised he would never do it again, but she had heard that story many times before, from men in her own family.

She filed for divorce and Owen moved out. Although the pain of a failed marriage was there, and it would take time to heal, she was still happier without him. She had learnt to love herself more.

“You sure you’ll be okay, without Owen?” Candice asked.

“You don’t need to wait til he does it again. When a man lays his hands on you the first time, you walk away baby girl. As much as you love him, you walk away,” she said, smiling.

It would be alright. They would be fine.

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