It ends today.

There he was again. Back in his chair. Remote in one hand, a can of beer in the other.

As she was closing the door, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a large mirror in the hallway. For the first time after sixteen years, the feeling of fear and shame did not reflect back. She was almost scared of herself, of this new person looking back at her. Her eyes were empty, but just for a second. One look at a scar above her left eyebrow brought a storm of emotions, and even though she thought that the years of feeling afraid, cornered and small completely destroyed her ability to feel anything else but low of herself, there it all was – staring at her.

It was agonizing for a moment, but she accepted the change and let this strong, confident woman take over her body, and enjoyed it , because now, everything, every memory that before brought on so much pain and misery to her soul was being transformed into a powerful fuel to her self-assurance; it fueled her anger, her desire make him suffer.

She entered the kitchen passing the living-room without him even noticing and placed two bags of groceries on the counter. A quick glance at him made her both sick and sorry and her mind started yet one more time to wonder about what happened with the man she first fell in love with. A bruise on her arm stopped all her thoughts.

Tonight will not be one of the nights of endless fighting. Tonight she will not get hurt. No, tonight is the night when everything changes. When it all ends.

She reached into the paper bag on the counter and started to look for something. With every breath she took she felt more anxious, and at one point while rummaging through the loafs of bread and some apples ripped the bag. She focused on the other bag, it cannot be she’d lost it. When finally the cold metal brushed against her fingers it was as though the time has stopped.

A forty-two-year old blonde news editor, with shaky hands and tears in her eyes entered the living-room of her apartment and pointed the gun at husband’s chest.

“I’m leaving,” she sobbed, “and there is nothing you can do about it.”