A woman opened a handbag she bought from the flea market and saw a piece of paper inside it. “What is this?” she said and pulled it out. Little did she know that the message written on it would lead her to something unexpected.
“Look, Nick. This bag is as good as new!” Jane pointed towards a cart full of bags in the flea market.
Jane and Nick were visiting the flea market a week before their second wedding anniversary. During their last visit, they bought designer coats at a fraction of their original prices, and now, Jane had her eyes on a vintage handbag.
“Yeah, it looks good. But you already have so many handbags in your closet,” Nick said.
“I found this note inside the handbag my wife bought from Brad’s cart,” Nick told them.
A few police officers went inside the trailer and assured Brad’s wife she was safe. “Please come with us to the police station. You need to file a complaint against your husband,” they told her.
Nick accompanied the woman to the police station, where she filed a complaint against Brad. Over there, Nick learned that her name was Anna.
Once the complaint was filed, Anna left the police station and planned to go home. “Hey, Anna! Why don’t you come to my place? I want you to meet my wife, Jane,” Nick said.
Nick brought Anna home and called his wife. “Jane! See who’s here to meet you!” he said and asked Anna to sit in the living room.
Once Jane arrived, he introduced her to Anna. “This is Anna. Remember we met her earlier this morning at the flea market? She left that note for us,” Nick explained.
Jane hugged Anna and felt sad when the mute woman cried hysterically with her head on Jane’s shoulder. “Hey, hey. It’s okay, Anna,” Jane rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.
When she was young, she married a rich man who loved and cared for her.
“We’re here for you, Anna,” Nick said. “That man won’t hurt you again. The police will teach him a lesson.”
When Anna stopped crying, she moved her lips to say something but couldn’t speak. “Should I bring you a pen and a piece of paper?” Nick asked.
When Anna nodded, he quickly fetched a pen and gave it to her with a piece of paper. Then, Anna wrote her story down for Jane and Nick.
She told them she wasn’t mute by birth. When she was young, she married a rich man who loved and cared for her. Unfortunately, he died five years later.
Then, Anna met Brad and fell in love with him. At first, he seemed like a good man. She thought she would live happily with him, but the truth about his personality unfolded before her a few weeks after they tied the knot.
“He spent all my money in a casino and forced me to sell all my branded clothes, shoes, and bags,” Jane read. “He often lost his temper and had a drinking problem. I always felt scared living with him.”
One day, Brad lost all his money at the casino and came home angry. When he fought with Anna, she became too stressed and lost her speaking ability.
“Since that day, I haven’t spoken a word,” Jane read. “Brad always told people that I was dumb by birth. He made my life miserable.”
After learning about Anna’s heartbreaking story, Nick and Jane decided to help her. They paid for her treatment and allowed her to live with them until she could find a job.
Meanwhile, Nick apologized to Jane for yelling at her and promised her he would never raise his voice again. “I love you, Jane,” he held her hand.
“I’m sorry for quarreling with you.”
A few weeks later, Anna landed a job and found a safe place to stay. She moved out of Jane and Nick’s house but promised to keep in touch with them.
Six months later, Anna and Jane set up a support group for women who faced domestic violence. They raised funds for such women and helped them live in a safe space, away from the men who made their lives miserable.
What can we learn from this story?
Raise your voice against domestic violence. Keeping quiet about domestic violence is equivalent to supporting the oppressor. People should speak against it like Nick and Jane.
Always help others. Nick and Jane could have ignored the message on the paper inside the handbag, but they didn’t. They located Brad and rescued his wife.
Share this story with your friends and family. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
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