That night, as she lay on Emma’s couch, Laura’s phone buzzed with dozens of missed calls and texts from Mark. He’d realized she hadn’t come home. “I didn’t mean it,” one text read. But Laura knew words couldn’t erase humiliation or neglect. Somewhere between that rainy road and her sister’s warm apartment, something inside her shifted. She wasn’t just a wife anymore—she was a mother-to-be who needed to protect her child from a man who valued his car more than their safety.

The next morning, Laura woke up to the smell of pancakes and the sound of Emma’s children laughing. For the first time in months, she felt peace. Mark, however, had been calling nonstop. He left voicemails filled with apologies, excuses, and pleas for her to come home. “I just lost control,” he said. “You know I’ve been stressed. The car, the baby—it’s all a lot.”