After her divorce, Alice expected tension—but not her ex-husband Mike’s pettiness. He took everything he claimed to have paid for, from beanbags
to door handles, trying to erase their shared past. Alice stayed silent, focusing on stability for their kids. Days later, Mike, having locked
himself in a room with those same door handles, called Alice for help. She calmly declined. The next day, the beanbags reappeared, followed by
Mike with an apology and new door handles. “Is Dad moving back?” one child asked. Alice replied, “No, he’s just returning
what didn’t belong to him.” Letting go, she realized, wasn’t loss—it was freedom.
