Chapter 3: Trapped Between Hope and Obligation

Maria sat at the kitchen table, staring at the screen of her laptop. A job listing was open in front of her, one that she had bookmarked earlier in the day. She should have been excited or motivated, even to apply, to move forward, to fix the mess her life had become.

But she wasn't.

Because she knew exactly what would happen.

She'd get another job, work herself to exhaustion, and Daniel would stay exactly the same. No job. No motivation. No effort.

Nothing would change.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she shut the laptop with a sigh. She had spent the last two days avoiding Daniel as much as possible. Since she had lost her job, she had been waiting and waiting for him to show some sign that he cared, that he understood what she was going through.

But Daniel hadn't changed. He still spent hours playing games and scrolling through his phone, acting like nothing had happened.

Tonight, she had decided she would give him one last chance.

She had spent all afternoon preparing herself, thinking of the right words, begging herself to believe that this could still work.

And now, as he sat across from her at the table, lazily eating dinner while half-watching something on his phone, she knew.

This wasn't going to work.

"Daniel," she started, keeping her voice even, "we need to talk."

He didn't even look up. "About what?"

Maria inhaled sharply, forcing patience into her voice. "About us. About this marriage."

That made him glance at her, raising an eyebrow. "What about it?"

She hesitated for only a second. "I want a divorce."

The words left her lips, feeling heavier than she expected.

Daniel stared at her for a moment, and then he laughed.

It wasn't loud. It wasn't cruel. But it was dismissive. Like what she had just said was some silly little joke.

"Maria, come on," he said, shaking his head. "Don't be dramatic , I love you ."

Dramatic.

Maria gritted her teeth, gripping the edge of the table. "I'm serious, Daniel. This isn't working. You don't try. You don't help. You don't care , and how you see that love ."

His expression shifted slightly, a flicker of something unreadable passing over his face. "I do care."

Maria let out a humorless laugh. "Really? Then prove it. Get a job. Be a partner. Show me that you actually want this to work."

Daniel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I told you, I'm trying."

"No," Maria snapped. "You're not. You've been saying that for months , and nothing has changed."

Silence filled the space between them.

For a moment, she thought maybe….maybe he would finally understand. That maybe he would finally get up and fight for this marriage the way she had been fighting for it alone.

But then he just shrugged.

"If that's how you feel, then go."

Maria's heart clenched.

She had expected anger. Begging. Some kind of reaction. But this?

This was worse.

She nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Fine. I will."

And she meant it.

She stood up, feeling shaky but certain. She walked away from the table, toward the bedroom, toward the suitcase she had shoved into the back of the closet just in case.

She was doing this.

She was leaving.

But then…her phone rang.

She hesitated, glancing at the screen. Mom.

Maria sucked in a breath before answering. "Hello?"

Her mother's voice was firm, already knowing. "Maria. Sit down."

Maria didn't move. "How did you…"

"Daniel called us," her mother interrupted. "He told us what you said."

Maria's stomach twisted. Of course he did.

Her father's voice came through the phone next. "We need to talk. You're not leaving your husband."

Maria's grip on the phone tightened. "Dad, you don't understand. He doesn't try. He doesn't care. I can't do this anymore."

"You can," he corrected. "And you will….remember how you fight against your family just to marry him?."

Maria felt something crack inside her.

Her father sighed. "Marriage is about commitment. You knew that when you made your vows."

"But…..I was young "

"No 'but,' Maria, you're a woman now " her mother cut in. "Daniel is your husband. It's your job to fix this, not throw it away."

Maria's hands trembled. She had always known her parents had traditional views on marriage. But she had hoped and prayed that they would understand.

That they would choose her.

But they hadn't.

She could hear it in their voices. They weren't on her side.

"I can't fix him," she whispered.

Her mother's voice softened, just slightly. "You haven't tried hard enough."

Tears burned in Maria's eyes. Hadn't tried hard enough?

She had sacrificed everything for this marriage. Her time. Her energy. Her happiness.

And it still wasn't enough.

"Maria," her father said firmly, "you're staying with your husband. That's final."

Final.

Maria swallowed back the sob rising in her throat. She had no one. No support. No way out.

She was trapped.

Her hands clenched into fists. "Fine," she murmured.

And she hung up.

When she walked back into the living room, Daniel was still sitting at the table, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened.

Like her whole world hadn't just collapsed.

Maria sank into a chair, feeling the weight of defeat settle over her.

Daniel glanced at her. "So, you're staying?"

She didn't answer.

Because it wasn't a choice.

It never had been.