The signature at the foot of the rental agreement

Dear Delyara, When I left the corporate marriage that had hollowed out my self-worth for a decade, I didn't even have my own bank account. Everything belonged to "us," which really meant it belonged to him. Today, at 5:00 PM, I signed a lease on a tiny, top-floor apartment overlooking the railway tracks. For the first time in ten years, the only name on the legal document is my maiden name. The signature didn't shake. I don't have a sofa yet, and the trains rattle the window panes every twenty minutes, but the absolute inner peace I feel standing on this wooden floor is priceless. I am filled with gratitude for the quiet. I exist again.