She sent a message through Priya: All communication about the marriage and property must go through counsel. Do not come to my workplace or contact my friends.
Then she went to the bathroom, took off her wedding ring, and set it on the counter.
She expected relief. Instead she cried for the man who had once made her soup when she had the flu, who had danced with her in their first apartment when the power went out, who had promised her grandmother he would take care of her.
The good memories were real. So was the danger she had felt in her own kitchen. One truth did not erase the other.
The next morning, her employer arranged temporary remote work and helped her update payroll direct-deposit details. Morgan moved her savings into an account Julian couldn’t access, replaced compromised passwords, and checked her credit reports. Priya helped her find a family-law attorney experienced with financial coercion.
