Her chest tightened, emotion catching in her throat.“And thank you,” she whispered, her voice trembling with the truth of it, “for recognizing it when you saw it.”
Chapter 36
“Excuse me,” a soft, hesitant voice interrupted Natalie’s packing.
Startled, Natalie looked up from the box she was carefully organizing.Standing in her office doorway was Henrietta, her former client and Mark’s wife.The woman was impeccably dressed—tailored black slacks, a pale pink sweater set, and a string of pearls that gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights.She looked like the epitome of suburban perfection…until Natalie noticed the tightness in her shoulders and the way her mouth was drawn into a hard, brittle line.
“Henrietta!”Natalie greeted, stepping around her desk.Her gaze flicked down the hallway on instinct.“Is Mark with you?”Her voice cooled, each word clipped.“If he is, I’ll have to ask you both to leave.”
Henrietta offered a thin smile and shook her head.“No.My husband isn’t with me.”
Relieved, Natalie gestured toward the chairs across from her desk.“What can I do for you?”She hesitated, guilt tugging at her features.“I’m sorry I couldn’t help with your home design.But I just—” She glanced at the half-packed box on her desk and sighed.“Mark wasn’t a healthy relationship for me.I had to step away.”
Henrietta moved slowly into the office, as if each step took effort, and sank into one of the chairs.She smoothed her slacks, but the gesture was mechanical.Her lips were pale, her hazel eyes bruised with exhaustion.
“I know,” Henrietta whispered, clasping her hands tightly in her lap until her knuckles turned white.“How did you do it?”
Natalie stilled.“Do what?”
Henrietta’s gaze dropped to her designer handbag.In a sudden, almost violent motion, she shoved it away as though it burned her.When she looked up again, her expression was raw—anger and pain stripped bare.“How did you get away from him?How did you break free from Mark?”
Natalie’s breath caught.Before she could respond, Henrietta was on her feet, pacing the narrow space between stacks of moving boxes.Her movements were jerky, almost frantic, as if she was trying to outrun her own thoughts.
“He’s destroying me, Natalie,” Henrietta blurted, her voice trembling.“It’s not just arguments.It’s…everything.He calls me constantly—at work, at the grocery store—demanding I drop what I’m doing to help him with something.Always something.I’m about to be fired because I’ve taken so much time off to deal with him.He used up all of my personal leave months ago, and now I’m on unpaid time off because he needs me to be ‘present’ for his career.”Her tone dripped bitterness at the last two words.
Natalie’s chest tightened.She didn’t interrupt.
Henrietta’s pacing grew sharper, her steps punctuating every word.“He’s trying to make me quit my job.I can feel it.If I quit, I’ll be completely dependent on him—and that’s when the real abuse will start.I know it.”She dragged a trembling hand through her perfectly styled hair, making it fall out of place for the first time.“He made me put my paycheck into our joint account.Said it was ‘our future.’Then he empties the account.He says it’s going into retirement investments, but I’ve never seen a statement.Not one!And when I ask?He makes me feel like I’m crazy for even questioning him.”
Natalie’s fingers curled against the edge of her desk.She knew this playbook.Too well.
Henrietta stopped pacing abruptly and turned toward her, hazel eyes bright with unshed tears and simmering rage.“How did you leave him, Natalie?He must have done this to you too.Tell me—how did you find the strength to walk away?”
Natalie pulled her chair around the desk, closing the distance between them, and gestured for Henrietta to sit.When she did, some of the rigidity in her posture loosened and she even retrieved her purse from the floor.There was a flicker—just a flicker—of hope in her eyes, and it softened her exhaustion, making her look years younger.
“I ignored everything he said,” Natalie began, her tone gentle but anchored with conviction.“And I walked out of Mark’s life.But it wasn’t easy.It’s not going to be easy for you either.The very first thing you have to do is take back control of your finances.”She leaned forward, lowering her voice.“Go to your HR office and change your direct deposit to a new account at a completely different bank—one he can’t touch.Then start gathering any financial documents you can get your hands on.If you can’t get the originals, write down everything you know—dates, amounts, what he claimed it was for.Keep it factual.Keep it clinical.It’s not just for your own clarity—it’ll be evidence in court if you need it.”
Henrietta nodded, her grip tightening around her purse like it was her last lifeline.“I can do that.What else?”
“Document every single thing he says to you,” Natalie said firmly.“Don’t record him—it’s illegal in Pennsylvania without dual consent.But write it down.Every insult.Every threat.Every comment that is meant to chip away at your self-confidence.Log the date, the time, and the exact words.Over time, you’ll see the pattern—so will anyone who needs to help you.”
Henrietta’s brow furrowed and she looked down at her fingernails, nervously picking at a hangnail.“But…he knows when I’ve reached my breaking point.That’s when he changes.He tells me he loves me, that he can’t live without me.He brings me sweet gifts.And I start convincing myself I overreacted.That I imagined the bad parts because he’s suddenly being sweet again.”
Natalie’s hand found her arm, squeezing in understanding.“Document even that part.What he’s doing is called love-bombing.It’s deliberate and manipulative.It’s part of the cycle that keeps you under his control.Write those moments down too—because they’re not kindness, Henrietta.They’re control wrapped in flowers and jewelry.”
Henrietta swallowed hard, her eyes glistening.
“The most important thing,” Natalie continued, “is getting your financial and physical independence back.Once you have that, the rest—the emotional part—will get easier.”
Henrietta stared at her hands for a long moment, her jaw tightening.When she looked up again, there was something new in her eyes.Not just hope—resolve.“I’m going to do it,” she said, her voice steady.“I’m going to get away from him.”
Pride swelled in Natalie’s chest.“You’re stronger than you think,” she told her softly.
Henrietta rose, retrieving her bag and holding it like a shield.“Thank you, Natalie.For everything.”
As she walked out, Natalie’s throat tightened.It had taken her four separate attempts to break free from Mark’s grip—each time thinking she was strong enough, only to be pulled back in.She prayed Henrietta wouldn’t have to endure the same exhausting cycle.
But watching her leave with her chin lifted, Natalie felt a spark of hope.
