Beyond the Eyes: A Wife's Escape

“The phone rang, shattering the silence. It was the hospital. My husband, David, was in the ER. He'd been in a severe accident, his injuries particularly bad to his face and eyes. When the doctor told me his corneas were beyond repair, a strange sense of peace washed over me. The very reason I'd married him - the eyes that had once belonged to Alex, the love of my life - were now destroyed. I walked out of the hospital and called my lawyer. "Draw up the divorce papers," I said. "I'm done." My marriage wasn't real; it was a cage I'd built. For five years, I' d endured his insults, his coldness, his affairs, all to keep Alex's eyes in my life. He'd even taught our son, Leo, to despise me, to call me names, to see me with his father' s contempt. The day before his accident, I' d threatened divorce if he went on a reckless trip with his mistress. He' d scoffed, certain I' d crawl back. But now, the corneas were gone. The last piece of Alex was gone. My reason for staying, my obsession, my penance-it was all over. He wouldn't see me at the hospital, telling the nurse his fiancée, Emily, was his only family. That was fine. It made this cleaner. I was finally free.”