Chapter 2 - SIX MONTHS WITHOUT A HUSBAND
Serena's transformation didn't begin with a dramatic confrontation.
It began with a notebook.
On the first page, she wrote:
Things I wanted before I became Mrs. Duca.
She filled three pages.
Community learning centers.
Scholarships for children in underserved neighborhoods.
A literacy program for immigrant families.
A graduate research project she'd abandoned.
A small office with sunlight.
Friends who didn't need Roman's permission to visit.
A life.
She stared at the list.
Then cried.
Not because the dreams were impossible.
Because she'd forgotten they belonged to her.
The following Monday, she reopened the educational foundation she'd established before marrying Roman.
She hired two program coordinators.
Contacted former professors.
Visited libraries.
And began developing a proposal for a new children's learning center on Chicago's West Side.
Roman barely noticed.
He returned home after midnight.
Left before breakfast.
And continued treating their marriage like an arrangement that required no maintenance.
Once, Serena placed a project proposal beside his coffee.
“I'd love your opinion.”
Roman glanced at it.
“Send it to my office.”
She stared.
“I'm asking my husband.”
He checked his watch.
“I have a meeting.”
She quietly took the proposal back.
That evening, she sent it to a nonprofit director named Alexander Hayes.
He replied within two hours.
This is an excellent concept. I'd be happy to discuss it.
Serena read the message three times.
It was the first time in years someone had taken her work seriously.
By the sixth month, Serena had secured preliminary funding, hired staff, and identified a suitable building.
She also had a separate bank account, legal counsel, and an apartment she'd rented under her own name.
She hadn't decided whether to divorce Roman.
May you like
But she had decided something equally important.
If she left, she would not be helpless.
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