“Get out of my way!” shouted Mark as he swung his arm, threatening to hit his wife.

Emma gasped and raised her arm to shield herself, but Mark couldn’t even touch her—their son, Jake, appeared at his side, grabbing his father’s wrist.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on Mum!”

Mark shot a harsh glare at his son and swore. He once would have struck Jake as well, but that time had long passed. Now, in front of him stood not a small child, but a strong sixteen-year-old young man.

“Brat!” Mark spat out nonetheless.

“Just get lost!” Jake shot back defiantly.

Mark slammed his fist against the doorframe and stormed out. Emma sobbed and buried her face in her hands. Jake awkwardly shuffled beside her; he had never known how to handle a crying mother, but eventually he wrapped his arms around her.

“Oh, Jake, how are we supposed to go on living like this?”

Jake understood that his mother was asking how to deal with his father. Mark had been drinking for a long time, and no matter how much Emma tried to reason with him or pleaded with tears, he consistently chose the bottle over his family.

“Mum, why don’t you just leave him?” Jake asked gloomily.

“Are you mad? How could I abandon Mark? He’d be lost without me!”

Emma waved her hand dismissively, wiped her tear-streaked face, and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She was aware that Mark would come home late and be starving in the morning, so she wanted to make something nice for him.

Jake couldn’t understand why his mother fussed over his father. Just moments ago, Mark had nearly attacked her, yet she continued to care for him. Why? For what reason? Unable to hold back any longer, Jake entered the kitchen with a grim question.

“Mum, do you have any self-respect at all?”

“What do you mean? Darling, he’s my husband! How could I leave him alone? Plus, dinner needs to be made. I promised Mark that I would be a loyal wife, no matter what, and I intend to keep my word.”

“But that’s just foolish! He doesn’t keep his promises! He swore to love you and never hurt you at our wedding! And what has come of that now?”

Jake stubbornly referred to Mark as “he” or by his first name, unwilling to call him ‘father.’ He had long decided that parents shouldn’t behave like this.

“Jake, don’t judge your dad so harshly. He has his own problems, and he’s struggling. It happens.”

“That’s just excuses! Everyone has problems in life! That doesn’t mean he should hit you or me and drink.”

Emma leaned against the stove, her hands hanging by her sides. She knew Jake was right and understood everything he was saying. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to walk away, to file for divorce… Emma still believed that with just a bit more time, her husband would change. He would stop drinking and start to love her and Jake. But she had been living with this hope for nearly a decade. And what changed?

“Jake, I need to think,” Emma said quietly.

Jake felt there was nothing to think about, but he refrained from arguing once he saw her deep in thought.

He went off to do his own things. He knew his father wouldn’t be back for a while, so he didn’t worry about his mum. Jake had long since gotten used to protecting her, and while it felt like a routine, he understood it shouldn’t be this way. Mark was dangerous only when he needed a drink, and when he was drunk, he became harmless and didn’t bother Emma or Jake.

Jake spent the day hanging out with friends and exercising. He didn’t want to go home, even though it was dark and chilly. It had been warm enough to wear a t-shirt earlier, but evening brought a biting cold.

In his thin jumper, Jake quickly grew cold and finally decided to head home, already knowing what awaited him. A drunken father snoring on the sofa and an upset mother in the kitchen.

He dashed up the steps and stopped in shock. The door was ajar. He didn’t like that; his mother always locked the door after Mark left. Had something happened? Jake clenched his fists and stepped into the hallway, quietly shutting the door behind him.

“Mum, where are you? Is everything alright?”

Jake turned on the light in the living room, not thinking he might wake his father, but he wasn’t there. Mark wasn’t in the bedroom either, which made Jake even more anxious. He hurried to the kitchen, hoping to find Emma.

“Mum, are you here?” he asked, flicking the switch and cursing quietly.

Emma lay on the floor, apparently having knocked her head against the countertop. She was unconscious, and Jake breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was still breathing.

“Hello, ambulance? Please come quickly; something’s wrong with my mother,” Jake barely managed to think through his panic.

“What happened? Who’s unwell?” came a rather indifferent voice on the line.

“My mother was beaten… She’s unconscious. Please hurry…”

Jake gave their address and then called the police. He was resolved not to let Mark go unpunished. How could someone who raised a hand against the weak—against those they should protect—live peacefully?

Soon Jake was giving his statement; Emma regained consciousness and sat quietly on the sofa, trying to comprehend what had happened. Jake occasionally glanced at her and finally asked,

“Mum, what happened?”

The police officer also scrutinized her. Until now, he hadn’t questioned Emma, seeing she was not in a condition to respond, but now it would be appropriate to speak with her.

Emma slowly turned to her son and said softly, “Jake, please don’t be angry at your dad.”

“What? Mum, what are you talking about? Let him try to come back here! What did he do to you? He shouldn’t have returned so soon!”

“Mark forgot his money, and when he came back for it, I tried talking to him one more time. It didn’t go well, and Mark just got angrier.”

“Mark!” Jake exclaimed, grimacing. He couldn’t understand how his mother could still refer to the monster who had harmed her by such an affectionate name.

“Jake, your father is a tragic man; he deserves pity.”

“No, Mum, he only deserves hatred! I have no feelings for him.”

The police officer was growing tired of listening to this family quarrel. He was a frequent witness to such situations and guessed that the wife wouldn’t be placing blame on the husband.

“Are you going to file a report?” he asked.

“No!” Emma shot her head up immediately, prompting the officer to smirk. He had anticipated nothing less. But he didn’t take into account that Jake had already devised a plan and now looked coldly at his mother.

“If you don’t file a report against him, he’ll come back here, and I will beat him up. Then I’ll be taken away, and he will be injured. Is that what you want? Do you want me to go to jail while he’s left crippled?”

Silence fell as Emma weighed her son’s words, feeling he was telling the truth. Mark had gone too far. Jake interpreted her silence correctly and pressed on,

“Mum, you’re tired of this! You’re a young, beautiful woman! Why are you suffering with that drunkard? Divorce him, kick him out of the house, and let’s live normally!”

Emma looked closely at Jake and suddenly realized that he had grown up long ago and was exhausted from saving her from his drunken father. Furthermore, Jake was right—if Mark failed to keep his promises, why should she suffer trying to be a good wife?

The days when Mark would at least apologize for his behavior were long gone. Now, he considered drunk rants and insults as the norm.

“I will file a report,” Emma declared firmly, and Jake smiled with satisfaction, glad that he had reached his mother.

The police officer raised an eyebrow in surprise. It wasn’t often that battered wives filed reports against their husbands.

“Is there any way to keep him away from us?” Emma then asked. “I wouldn’t want him interfering with our lives.”

“We’ll put him in jail for assault. This is a threat to life; you nearly died, and your husband won’t get off easily.”

“That’s perfect! I can get the divorce while he’s in there?”

“You might even get remarried again,” the police officer smirked.

Jake smiled, listening to his mother. He hadn’t seen her this determined and competent in a long time. Finally, she had cast off Mark’s burden and returned to herself!

“Why are you smiling?” Emma lightly smacked Jake on the back of the head when they were alone. “And I’ll have a word with you too! You’re always out and about at night.”

Jake laughed, not the least bit afraid of her threats. Emma also smiled at her son.

“Son, thank you for making me do this. I wouldn’t have been able to summon the courage on my own…”

Jake said nothing, only shyly embraced his mother and hurried to his room. He didn’t like displays of emotion but felt a quiet happiness within.

Everything was bound to improve now. Jake even promised himself that he would study harder and help his mother more. With Mark out of their lives, he found he wanted to be home more often than before.

Emma blossomed as she realized there was no one left to fear. Mark was taken into custody that same evening, and now he was sitting in a remand center. Emma visited him only once, to say goodbye and inform him of the divorce. Naturally, Mark cried and begged for forgiveness.

“I forgave you that night,” Emma said. “But I no longer love you. Don’t come back to us. We now have a different life.”

Emma left the prison and took a long walk home, choosing a longer route to be alone with her thoughts. The future seemed light and carefree, and life burst with vibrant colors. The only regret Emma had was not leaving Mark sooner.