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She sat there and stared at the mirror. She wasn't sure what to think about what had happened - about her life.

There was a smile slowly forming on her face as she developed an idea of what had been revealed.

She had not won tattslotto. She was not pregnant (thank God!).

It was simply that for the first time in her life there was no one that she had to answer to anymore.
Just that morning, she had accidently got a parking ticket. Had clocked up a $200 fine because she had mistakenly miscalculated the times by 5 minutes. Other women would have sworn or cried. She just stood there with it in her hand and then started laughing. People walking past would have thought she was insane.

Three days before things were different. In her house, if she broke something, or lost even 5 dollars. She would have been bashed. The budget was tight and she had to stick to the rules. "Why don't you think before you do something stupid woman?" These were some of the last words she heard from him.
She up and left at that moment - finally got the gumption to do so. By applying for protection, he couldn't contact her or hurt her anymore. So now if she got a fine - she simply paid it. There was no more bashing, no more shouting.

All she could think of, when she looked in the mirror, was "I am free!" A smile was formed radiating from her face.