Battered soul.

He was everything she had ever dreamt for in a man. He had more money that she could ever spend. He was a delight to look at and was just the right height. He lived in the right side of town and had a car. Truth be told, she was tired of walking around and jostling for public transport with commoners. He had taken her to places that she had only encountered in books and television. She just had to have him; he had too much going for him. No man had ever been able to resist her. All it took was a feel of her silky skin, a taste of her delicious lips and a handful of her spacious behind. She was a trophy and she knew how to play it to her advantage.
He had met her a few years back, then he hadn't quite noticed her. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t made a move on her earlier but he was certain he would stop at nothing to have her now. She was quite the catch, a rare find in today's world of 'independent women’. She could not only cook and clean but she submitted to him. She was also a trophy piece; he couldn't pass up an opportunity to display her on his 'mantle'. All he had to do was give her the life she always wanted but never had.
Today they are married and she has two adorable boys. He’s never home and when he is, he’s exercising his punching skills on her. Make up has become her best friend, helping her cover the bruises and scars. Once adored and dotted upon, she has now become the worst decision he ever made. He never loses an opportunity to let her know that the only reason he hasn’t left her is because she bore his sons.
At times he is away for weeks despite not knowing where he is and going sick with worry, she dares not call. It would only earn his wrath, her ribs are still sore from the stool he crashed into her side.
She has no more tears left in her, they ran out years ago. She wishes she could share her burden with someone, anyone, maybe then the burden would be lighter. But what would her friends think of her? They would probably think less of the man she loves. She knows that what he’s going through is just a stage, a phase that will pass. Then they will be happy, they will go back to the way they were at the beginning. Or maybe her friends would think she doesn’t know how to make a man happy leave alone how to keep one. No, she cannot share any of it with them. If she told her mother or any her siblings and her father found out, he might disown her. She would be bringing shame upon him and he would never forgive her for it.
There were also other factors to consider. If she left him, it meant giving up the grand lifestyle he had set up for himself of which she was a beneficiary. Although he no longer gave her money for her personal use, she still appreciated what he had afforded for her and the boys in terms of living standards.
Tears choked her soul. Death was her only way out. Everyday she would pray to God to take her away from all the misery and pain, and then she would remember the boys. “Wait a little bit longer, I think I have some days left in me,” she would whisper. She could not bear the thought of another woman raising her precious boys.