SARAH What a life I ended up with! I had always dreamed of a happy and peaceful marriage, but instead, I got stuck with a man who brings nothing but trouble. I sat in front of my dresser, looking at myself in the mirror. The reflection staring back at me was of a sad and struggling woman. I couldn't believe how my life had turned upside down in just a year. I wondered if things would ever get better. Suddenly, I heard a noise at the door. Someone was trying to get in, but I had locked it. "It's Leo, please open the door," his voice came through. "I don't want to talk to you right now, please go away," I replied calmly. Leo kept trying to get me to open up, but I refused. I went to bed without eating dinner and spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The next day, my father-in-law and Lilian's mother were going to the hospital to sign some papers before Lilian's surgery. I had prayed all night, hoping that everything would go well. ********* I went back to

SARAH "I can't leave, Mom. I still have some things to take care of. Leo's place is close by anyways, so it's convenient for me to stay there," Lilian tried to explain to her mother, but her words fell on deaf ears."I refuse to believe that you've become so foolish ever since you started hanging out with that foolish brother of yours! You are not going back to that house, and that's final," her mother's words were authoritative.How did it come to this?Just moments after I arrived to visit Lilian, her mother barged in. Upon seeing me with her daughter, she flew into a rage and accused me again of poisoning Lilian. Insisting that Lilian must go home with her, she became increasingly aggressive.Lilian attempted to get up from her bed, but the pain from her recent surgery held her down."I am not a child anymore, Mom! I am a young woman with my own life to live. You cannot tell me what to do in this situation," Lilian opposed."Do you see what you've caused? As i

LEO I was really tired after the day's work and needed to rest. But my dear wife was all worked up over her cousin, Emma. I opened the door and without uttering a word, Emma, rushed past me and headed straight to her room. Ignoring her, I threw myself on the couch and turned on the news. Moments later, Sarah soon joined me. "Just stay calm." She said to me. As if on cue, Emma came down the stairs like a raging lion. "Something is missing from my room!" she shouted, accusingly eyeing both of us. "Emma, it's past 9 p.m. Why are you yelling like a lunatic? What's gotten into you?" I fired back, annoyed. Sarah intervened, trying to dig deeper into the matter. "What exactly are you looking for, Emma?" "It's, uh...it's just..." Emma stammered, failing to provide a clear answer. "It doesn't have a name? Nothing specific?" I pressed further. "Forget it, it's not important anyway," Emma snapped, attempting to walk away. But Sarah's words stopped her in her tracks. "Could it be the

SARAHI was lying in the hospital bed, taking a rest after almost fainting at the police station. I stared up at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts about what the test results would reveal.Suddenly, the door swung open and Leo entered my ward. I could see a faint smile on his face and I wondered what would have made him smile after I had almost passed out at the police station."My love," he called and sat on my bed"How are you doing today?" He asked as he held my hands into his."I'm feeling better now," I replied softly.I noticed his smile growing bigger as he looked into my eyes."You've been smiling since you got here. What's the news?"He continued to hold on to one of my hands while reaching for the other and squeezing them both."It's not just news. It's big news" he emphasized the word "big"Wanting to know, I sat up so I could hear the full gist."I'm just coming from the doctor's office and he said… that… " he paused and winded his smiling face.I

LEO. As time went by, Sarah's cravings grew more intense. She would wake me up in the dead of night, longing for things that were simply impossible to find at that hour.Amid my peaceful slumber, she would shake me violently, causing me to jolt awake as if I had been stung by a bee."I'm dying for boiled eggs," she declared one night. Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed and prepared a perfectly boiled egg just for her. But as soon as I handed it to her, she frowned."No, I want it fried," she demanded."Sarah, come on! Boiled eggs one minute, fried eggs the next? What's the deal?" I blurted out in frustration. But her response was anything but calm; she broke down and started sobbing like a little kid."Why are you yelling at me and using my real name instead of the cute nicknames you always use?" She questioned, her tone suggesting some serious emotional shifting.Hoping to smooth things over, I quickly backtracked. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry for losing my c