The bright chandelier shone down over the heavy wooden dining table in Dallas.
Plates full of fresh crab legs and butter filled the entire room with rich smells.
Brandon sat at the head of the dining table cracking crab legs with a smirk.
His mother sat right beside him smiling proudly at her spoiled adult son.
Charlotte stepped into the dining room after working twelve long hours at her company.
She stopped moving the exact moment her eyes landed on the cold hardwood floor.
Her six year old daughter Skyler sat near the wall holding a paper cup.
The little girl was eating cheap instant noodles with a tiny plastic fork.
Charlotte: Skyler! What are you eating down there on the floor?
Charlotte walked fast across the large dining room with panic in her voice.
She dropped her leather bag on the chair and kneeled beside her young daughter.
Skyler: Gramma said you and I are only allowed to eat this.
Skyler: She said the crab legs were only meant for the real family.
Charlotte felt her chest tighten up with pure anger as tears filled her eyes.
She took the paper cup from her daughter's shaking hands very gently.
Charlotte: Look at me sweetheart. You don't have to eat this garbage.
Charlotte: Put on your heavy jacket right now because we are leaving.
Brandon wiped his grease covered hands on a silk napkin and laughed loudly.
Brandon: Don't make such a dramatic scene in front of my mother, Charlotte.
Brandon: Pass me more crab legs, Mom! Charlotte is paying the bill anyway!
Evelyn: You should learn your place in this house, Charlotte.
Evelyn: My son deserves the best food because he carries our family name.
Charlotte stood up slowly while holding her daughter tightly against her side.
She looked straight into her mother in law's greedy eyes without blinking once.
Charlotte: I bought this home with my own money before I met your son.
Charlotte: Every single bite of seafood on this table came from my bank account.
Brandon waved his hand dismissively while reaching for another large crab claw.
Brandon: What is yours belongs to me because we are legally married, Charlotte.
Brandon: Now stop crying and go wash the dirty dishes in the kitchen.
Charlotte did not answer him with anger or yell at his cruel words.
She grabbed her daughter's tiny hand and walked toward the heavy front door.
Charlotte: You enjoy that meal Brandon, because it is your very last one.
The heavy oak door slammed shut behind them with a loud echoing sound.
Brandon ignored the sound and kept eating his expensive dinner with his mother.
He believed his wife would return home in an hour like she always did.
He did not know that Charlotte was already driving toward her lawyer's home.
The quiet cold night air felt clean as Charlotte drove her car down the highway.
Skyler fell asleep in the backseat holding her favorite stuffed animal tightly.
Charlotte wiped a single tear from her cheek and focused on the dark road.
She had given seven years of her life to a man who never respected her.
She had tolerated his mother's mean comments for the sake of peace.
But watching her daughter eat instant noodles on the floor changed everything instantly.
Her soft heart turned completely into cold stone during that short drive downtown.
She picked up her phone and dialed her personal attorney's private phone number.
Charlotte: Marcus, I need you to freeze every shared account right now.
Marcus: Are you sure about this decision, Charlotte?
Charlotte: I have never been more certain about anything in my entire life.