In the Night

14 • Stripped of My Dignity

S U N N I

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I awaken to the sound of the ocean, prominent and full in the early hours of the morning. The sun flared through the open blinds right into my eyes. Squinting, I sat up, my bones cracking from the sudden movement. I sighed, throwing a glance at the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand. It was early, too early. My body felt tired, my eyes heavy from lack of sleep. There was tension in the air around me, and I knew that once I left the comfort of this bed that it would get even worse.

Rolling over, I climbed out of the sheets and stood on the hard wood floor. I was still wearing the bathrobe that I had gone to sleep in, so I quickly replaced it with the thin slip dress I had worn last night and gingerly stepped out of the bedroom. The hallway was quiet, with the only sound being the steady hum of the sea breeze against the wooden shutters. I glanced towards the kitchen, and from my point of view, I found it empty. I walked down the hall and began searching in the cabinets for pots and pans. The man let me into his private space, the least I could do was make him breakfast.

I hummed a song under my breath and got to work, shuffling around in the cupboards for the fry pans and other cooking utensils. I wasn't the best cook, but I could forge a simple omelette decently. The smell of the meal drifted throughout the cabin and after a while, I grew concerned with the lack of noise coming from the other end of the house. Gathering all of the confidence that I could, I steadily tip toed down the hall and gently knocked on Emerson's bedroom door. No response.

Contemplating whether it was too intrusive to barge right in, I stood in the empty hall pondering. Throwing all caution to the wind I creamed open the door gently. Ahead of me was a large square bed, the satin sheets ruffled after a nights sleep. The instant smell of heavenly cologne hit my senses, and the sun pouring in from the open window to my left forced me to squint. Peering around the room, I found it surprisingly empty. Emerson was nowhere in sight.

Frowning, I walked back out to the kitchen and turned the stove off. Plating the food, I sat at the kitchen bench and dug in. By the time I had finished my breakfast, Emerson still hadn't made an appearance. I began to grow worried as an hour passed, with still no sight of him.

A quick second decision, I decided to leave. I needed to grab my things from my hotel room, and was in desperate need of a toothbrush. I pulled open the wooden door and was met with the smell of the ocean and the view of thousands of people enjoying the scorching hot day out on the sand. An array of coloured umbrellas shielded the beach goers faces from the sun, creating a marvellous splash of colour underneath the royal blue pigment of the ocean.

I trampled my way across the sand and over the road, heading straight into my motel. As I grew closer and closer to my room, my anxiety peaked. What if Simon was still inside? I wasn't sure how I'd react. Wiping my sweaty palms on my thighs I nervously placed the key card into the slot on the door. With a sharp click and a flash of green light, the room was unlocked. Nervously creaking the door open, my heart thumping loudly in my chest and my breath shaky and shallow, I stepped inside the room.

A cool breeze drafted along my skin, and I was met with the sound of silence. It was empty. Double checking the bathroom, I finally allowed myself to relax. Noticing my duffel sitting in the corner of the room, I quickly lunges for it and attempted to throw as much of my stuff that was scattered along the floor as quickly as possible. Shoving in my clothes and my toiletries, I haphazardly zipped up the heavy bag and left the room silently. Heading down the hallway towards the elevator, my thoughts began to cloud my vision.

Was this the right thing to do? I had been married to Simon for nearly three years, did I really want to just abandon our relationship? Despite everything he had done to me, the abuse and the harassment, I still cared for him deeply. He was the love of my life, I couldn't imagine my life without him in it.