Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter One

Katherine sat curled in a ball in the corner of their home office, crying, hoping her husband wouldn't find her. She didn't want to talk anymore. Didn't want to argue. She'd never win anyway, he'd never allow that. It didn't matter what they argued about, he was right and she was wrong. Always. Truthfully, she just wanted to be left alone to work through the latest blow to her self worth without her husbands critical voice resonating in her ears.
"Kate!" Scott barked as he entered the room she was cowering in, "Great... you're crying again."
"Can you just leave me alone?" She sighed.
"Fine, you want to be left alone? I'll leave." He huffed, storming out of the house.
Katherine flinched as the door slammed. When she heard the car start and tires squealing as he pulled out of the driveway, her whole body almost instantly relaxed. Deep down she knew this wasn't right. That you shouldn't be happier when the person you were married to left. Scott hadn't always been this way... a little stubborn maybe but not unyielding like he was now. It had happened slowly over time and seemed like one day she realize she couldn't disagree with him without it turning into a fight. They didn't fight everyday but it was becoming a more frequent occurrence. He was never physically abusive but Katherine was pretty sure he was emotionally abusive. Not that she dared talked to anyone about it so she was only going off what she had googled on the subject. All she knew is she no longer felt like the self assured woman she once was. That somehow over the last three years of marriage she had put on twenty pounds, something that didn't go without comment. Half the time she thought she was crazy and possibly overreacting, finding herself apologizing for arguments she knew she didn't start just to keep the peace.

Scott's alarm woke her early the next morning. She felt the bed shift, her first indication that he had actually come home at some point last night.
"You plan to be useless and sleep all day?" He muttered as he got dressed after his shower.
"I'm getting up." Katherine grumbled, shifting to get out of bed. She never slept all day during the summer, always up by nine. Today she just wanted to avoid another arguments so she complied. Scott was gone for work by the time she got out of the shower. Katherine looked around the living room, feeling out of place as she drank her first cup of coffee. By the second she was on the phone to her college roommate who she hadn't actually seen in years.
"Kate, hi." Amanda said as she answered.
"You know how you're always saying I should come visit?" Katherine asked.
"You finally convinced your husband to take a vacation." Amanda teased.
"Not exactly, but I was hoping that I might be able to crash on your couch for a few weeks while I figure some things out." Katherine sighed.
"Are you leaving Scott?" Amanda questioned, her tone more serious now.
"Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing, just that I need to get away." Katherine sighed.
"You're welcome for as long as you need." Amanda said.
"Thanks. I've got a few things to finalize but I'll let you know when I book a flight." Katherine replied.

She quickly got dressed and left to buy a few boxes. All the furniture in the house belong to Scott. Katherine taught elementary, he was the one with the well paying job, and she had basically moved in to his already furnished home. This had allowed her to save as he really didn't ask her to contribute towards most of the household expenses. She spent the morning packing up the books, movies, and other items she didn't want to leave behind, tossing all her clothes into garbage bags and her suitcase. It took her the better part of the afternoon to get the boxes and bags of clothes moved to her parents house. At four she did one last scan of the house, making sure she had taken everything she would miss if she didn't return. After grabbing a small grocery bag to put her toiletries in she wrote a note to Scott, leaving it on the kitchen counter where she knew he would find it. She took one last look at the place she had lived for the last four years and left, driving across town to her parents house.

Katherine honestly didn't know if she wanted a divorce, despite her drastic actions, all she knew was that she needed some space. That she needed to clear her head without worrying about what she had left behind. And most importantly, she needed time without Scott in her head, convincing her she was overreacting as usual. When she got to her parents house, she explained things as best she could. They had always liked Scott, and why wouldn't they... he was always so nice and pleasant in front of them and she had never let on to anyone that things weren't always so great. Talking to her parents made Katherine felt like a failure, like this was somehow her fault... maybe Scott was right and this was all in her head... maybe things weren't so bad... but then why was she so miserable. Of course they had never seen Scott the way he was when it was just the two of them. No one had. He could act like a completely different person if he wanted to. Her mother thought he was perfect and told her as much. "You're never going to find someone better if that's what you're thinking..." The last words her mother spoke before she couldn't take anymore and excused herself to her old bedroom that had been converted to a guest room years ago. Katherine booked a flight for the following day and packed before she went to bed, ignoring the multiple calls from Scott.