AnnaMaria
The Last Straw
“How dare you speak to me like that, insolent!” Carmen Morales shouted, her face twisted in fury.
Before Laura could even react, Carmen’s hand shot up — the slap echoed through the kitchen. A spoon clattered to the floor.
Laura’s heart sank — not from fear, but from rage. For months, she had endured her mother-in-law’s contempt: too quiet, too “know-it-all,” too different.
Since Laura and her husband Javier moved in with Carmen after he lost his job, every day had been a struggle. Laura endured in silence, hoping Javier would defend her — but instead, he laughed more and more at his mother’s cruel remarks.
That night, everything finally broke.
Javier spilled his soup on his pants. Exhausted, Laura sighed:
“Well, now you clean it up.”
Carmen jumped up, wild with fury, and slapped her again.
“Don’t ever talk to my son like that!”
Javier laughed.
“Mom, look at her face! She looks like a wet hen!”
Tears filled Laura’s eyes. That was the moment she realized: nothing would change here.
The Silent Decision
She grabbed her coat and ran out. Javier barely looked up.
“She’ll be back,” he muttered.
“Of course she’ll be back,” Carmen said smugly. “A woman should know her place.”
But Laura had made up her mind.
A New Beginning
An hour later, she returned — silently. She cleared the table, cleaned the floor, and sat in a corner with a book, looking calm. But inside, everything had shifted.
The next morning, Carmen woke to a sight that froze her blood. The cupboards were bare. Laura’s coat was gone.
On the table lay a note, written in firm, elegant handwriting:
“Thanks for the lesson. Now I know who I am. You can keep everything — except my dignity.”
Laura
Javier read the note in trembling disbelief. Carmen snorted.
“She’s making a scene. She’ll be back.”
Days turned into weeks. Laura never returned.
Finding Herself
In Madrid, Laura’s friend Isabel welcomed her into a small apartment in Lavapiés. Laura began working in a bookstore, slowly learning to breathe again.
Over time, she opened her own artisan workshop — “Luz de Lavanda.” She crafted scented candles with dried flowers and natural oils. Her creations became beloved in the neighborhood.
“When you light one of Laura’s candles, the house smells peaceful,” neighbors said.
One night, she received a message from Javier:
“Laura, Mom is sick. I miss you. Please come back.”
Laura stared at the screen for a long moment, then typed slowly:
“You don’t miss the woman you loved.
You missed the one you could dominate.
But that woman no longer exists.”
She left her phone on the table, opened the window, and breathed in the fresh Madrid air. The sky was painted in shades of pink.
For the first time in years, Laura smiled. She had lost everything false — but she had regained what truly mattered: herself.
