It's finally come. It's finally here. The day that I've been waiting to come for some long is finally here. Today, I can officially say that I'm Nicole Wilson once again. I'm no longer married to that monster anymore. I'm part of my family again. I'm shed of one more aspect of that monster. I don't have to live with his name burdening mine. I'm officially my own person again.

But, that may be only one problem that I'm rid of. It's only one grain of sand in my beach of personal issues. Like a dog chewing on a toy, my PTSD is still gnawing at me. I know that it's not going to go away anytime soon, but man, knowing that it's still chewing on me is just so unsettling. I'm so tired of it lingering onto me.

I'm staring at the wall, thinking about everything that's engulfing me. Sleep has not been my friend these past couple of nights. It's just stood behind me, so close, but whenever I try to turn around and grab at it, it slips away and runs to another position. Each one is harder than the last. I blame him. I may have shed his name, but his mark is still very present.

One of the most brutal times that he dominated over me replays in my mind. The way that he pinned me down to the bed as he let his true nature ravish me emotionally. The feeling of the cold sheets against my skin. The pain that engulfed me from all parts as he let his cruelty consume the room.

The pain in my legs, neck, hands, and stomach is unforgettable. It's like I can feel it right now, as I lay in bed, staring at the wall. I turn over, in an attempt to distract myself from that night, but it's useless. The memory is still present, like an obstacle that seems only inches away, but when you try to push it away, you find it too heavy to be pushed to the side.

You eventually give up, and try to overcome it as best as you can. Unfortunately, this obstacle is too big to be overcome. I don't know if I can overcome it within the next twenty four hours, but I can surely try.

I sit up and look at the little clock on the side of my bed so that I have a good idea of how long I've been sitting in bed, thinking about everything that's been happening. The time reads, "7:03." I let out a silent groan, and flop back onto my bed. I don't know if anyone is up yet, because I just want to talk to someone. Dom doesn't get up for another 30 minutes, and I don't know if Ash is up yet.

I really want to talk to someone, so without thinking, I take my phone and send a text to Ash. "Are you up?" I ask, as I set my phone down. I turn a little bit more, in an attempt to get a little bit more sleep, but I feel like someone's giving me a supply of caffeine through my veins, with the world's thinnest needle, making it impossible for me to pinpoint it.

After staring at the wall for a little bit more, my phone buzzes. "Couldn't sleep. You?" the text reads.

"Neither could I. Had flashbacks."

"Oh no. You sure you'll be okay? Take the day off if you want. Mental health day. Candice will 1000% understand."

I think about that for a little bit. That sounds like an okay idea, but I have some things that I really need to get done. Taking the day off completely maybe isn't the best idea. "Can I text Candice and say that I'm working from home?"

"Yeah, of course. She doesn't mind if you work from home. She just cares about the work getting done. If you are working from home, then take care, Nicole."

I give him a slight smile, and text back, "Thank you, Ash." I put my phone back down on the desk, and then get out of bed so I can see if Dom is up yet. I stop outside Dom's room to check on him. Surely enough, when I get close to the room, I hear light snoring coming from Dom. Lara, however, is sitting on the edge of the bed, fixing her gown and hair.

"Lara? Doing okay?"

Lara looks over at me, and whispers, "I'm fine. Had a hard time sleeping. Pregnancy is super uncomfortable."

She gets up, and walks over to the door frame. "Yikes, you don't look good, Nicole. Did you get any sleep last night?" she asks.

I shake my head. "If I'm being totally honest, no. I'm taking a mental health day from work today. I'll do the work in the house itself. I don't feel up to going to work today," I admit, as Lara walks into the bathroom.

"Damn. Okay, that's fine. Tell you what? I'll make some congee today, and after that, try to get some more sleep. You look really tired." I nod a little bit. Congee does sound pretty good. Especially on any day like this.

******

I'm eating the stew, as Lara sips her cup of coffee. She leans on the counter, as she eats her congee peacefully. "I hate the fact that us pregnant women are only allowed 1 cup of coffee per day. We all know that most people can't survive with at least 3 cups each day."

I chuckle, as I sip a cup of hot milk just in case I want to take a nap in the middle of the day. Lara comes over, with her cup of coffee, and sits down next to me. "Nicole, are you okay? You look kinda shaken up. Were you not able to sleep because of Colin?"

I gulp a little bit at the sound of his name. It feels like sandpaper against my ears, yet I grit my teeth and deal with it. "Yeah, one of the worst nights of our marriage came back to me. I just couldn't stop thinking about it at all. It was just so awful thinking about it." Lara gave me a slightly pitiful look, and rubs my knee a little bit.

Not long after that, Dom comes walking in, with sleepy eyes and messy hair. "Morning, ladies," he greets, while planting a kiss on Lara's cheek. He makes a beeline for the coffee machine, and grabs his mug.

"Dom?" I ask.

He looks over at me. "Yeah, Nicole?" he asks.

I get up to put the dishes in the sink. "Can you let Candice know that I'm not coming to work today? Mental health day," I tell him.

Dom goes to the fridge to get some milk for his coffee. "Is it that prick again?" Dom asks, in a slightly dangerous tone. I see, in the corner of my eye, Lara raise her eyebrow at Dom, and not for a good thing.

"Dom, watch it. Don't be so threatening. He's in jail now anyways."

Dom lets out a sigh, and then puts the milk back into the fridge. "Sure thing. I'll let Candice know. In the mean time, get some rest. I know you weren't able to sleep. I heard all the tossing and turning."

I gulp a little bit, and then get back into the room so that I can work on my financial things.

********

Dom was right. I probably should get some sleep. My body is not going to forgive me in the next 10 hours when I feel like I've been run over by a dump truck. I'm probably going to fall asleep while writing one of my statements. As I'm sitting in bed, writing the financial statements, the doorbell rings. Wondering who it is, I get up and go to the door to check out who's there.

I open the door, and to my surprise, Emily is standing right there. She's holding a grocery bag in one hand. When she sees me, the first thing she says is, "Yikes, you look awful. Did you not get any sleep last night?"

I shake my head, as I move aside to let her into the room. "Nope. Colin was haunting me all night. But, I finally got my marriage annulled. I'm Nicole Wilson again."

Emily gives me a bright smile. "That's great, Nicole! I'm really happy! But what if you become a Mitchell again through my other brother?" she asks, while wiggling her slender eyebrows.

I give her a slight sigh, as she sits down on Dom's couch. "Emily, I've only been close with him for a couple of months. I don't think that we're going to be getting married anytime soon."

Emily raises an eyebrow at me, with a suspicious look on her face. Even though I'm sure it's the truth, I feel like it's kind of a lie. Even Emily seems to sense it. "Nicole, that's a lie. You guys have been close for like the past two years. You've been each other's emotional support for those two years. I'd say you both are pretty close if Ash confided in you THAT much, and you were confiding in him that much as well."

I nod my head. To be fair, Emily has a pretty strong point. Stronger than I definitely expected. After all, she is Ash's sister. I probably shouldn't have underestimated her ability to sniff out emotions like a bloodhound. "Fine, that's fair. But anyways, in the nicest way possible, what are you doing here?" I ask.

Emily chuckles a little bit, and opens the grocery bag. "Ash asked me to bring some soup over to you. It's one of his favorite recipes. I don't know what exactly he puts in it, but it's so good. I think he just wanted a reason for you to be happy."

I smile, thinking about the fact that Ash actually made soup for me just so that I could be happy about having good food. What would I do without him? "Thanks, Emily. That means a lot."

I say, as she takes out a little container with a little spoon. "Hey, no problem. What are friends for?" she asks, as I half run to the kitchen so I can get some bowls for the soup.

"Do you want some bread with that?"

"No, it's better on its own. Trust me."

I walk back out so that Emily and I can enjoy the soup together, while enjoying time with each other. Even though I may have gotten my marriage annulled, I consider Emily, Ash, and Isa nothing less than my family. And the fact that I get to spend time with them is another thing that makes me even more happy.

Emily opens the soup container, and immediately, the smell of it wafts throughout the room. It wafts into my nostrils, and the spices that Ash added into it make me want to curl up and take a nap. Emily notices my almost immediate comfort when it comes to the soup, and starts to chuckle as a result. "See? Ash's soup is magical. I'm telling you. Let me ladle you some so that you can taste the goodness and get some sleep. That thing puts you to sleep like anything. Trust me, you'll be snoring within a half hour."

Emily hands me the bowl, and almost immediately, I tuck in. I spoon a large amount into my mouth, and the subtle spices and flavors melt on my tongue like snow after a large storm. Immediately, I do feel warm and cozy, and I sit back to enjoy it.

"It's delicious, Emily. Tell Ash 'thank you,' because it really is so good."

Emily chuckles a little bit, as she eats the small amount that she ladled. "Definitely. He'll be happy that you think that. But, after I finish this up, I actually have to go. I have to go do some grocery shopping, and everything. Ash is making me go, and he's bribing me with a lot of things. The soup is yours, and if you need anything else, let me know."

Emily gets up, and goes to place the bowl into the sink. I sulk a little bit at her sudden departure, as she confidently strides out of the kitchen. She notices my slightly upset behavior, and she just gives me a slightly reassuring smile. "You know that I can absolutely drop by any day you want? 'I'm only one call away. I'll be there to save the day! Superman got nothing on me!' "

I roll my eyes at her joking ability, and get up to give her a hug goodbye. She spreads her arms out a little bit in anticipation, and I give her a hug. "Get some sleep, okay? You need it way more than I do."

I nod a little bit, and say, "I'll try to." After that, she lets go, with a smile on her face, and leaves the house. After she leaves, I feel like wanting to take a nap in a really comfortable bed. Ash's soup did not disappoint me in that aspect.

****

Surely enough, a good nap is definitely what I both need and what's given to me. I'm lying in bed, droning off, letting sleep overcome me, as it was standing in a corner, not wanting to try to come to me. Sleep was trying to find a stick to lightly poke at me in an attempt to annoy me during that night.

It finally comes to me, right in the middle of the day, but at least it drops by. But, one thing never leaves my mind. Ash was actually caring enough to send Emily to bring me soup so that I could relax and take care. How much more sweet could he get? Deep down, I know that this is just the first level of many layers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I love how Ash and Emily are there to take care of Nicole when she's feeling awful. I find that so sweet. And Nicole's finally shed of her reminders of Colin! At least when it comes to her name. Do you think that an annulment was necessary? Let me know. 

Hello everyone! How are you all? Life's good? Also, Daylight Savings is ending! Who's ready? I wanna see some sun! 

Also, I want your guys' opinion. If you guys stalk my profile, you know I'm working on a slow burn prequel. I'm almost done with it! Should I wait until I've started on its sequel to release it, or should I release it a little bit after I'm done with it? Let me know!

That's all I got. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you guys next Saturday with a new chapter of Phoenix! Have a great week!

Love you guys, 

Shree