"Wives of the Commune is a title that not everyone deserves. Earn this title and you will be provided with everything you need in the future."

This is the voice of a teacher who starts every school year with the same instruction. "Wife of the Commune" was a title that both men and women could receive. In fact, it was simply a marriage with the top leadership of the commune, which opened up many opportunities. At least that's what they said everywhere, and children believed and dreamed of becoming a "Wife of the Commune" one day.

You knew that everything was not so rosy. Because you had been there. Your husband's arm tightens around your waist as you sit in the VIP area of the auditorium while your twin children stand at their school initiation ceremony. It was their first year of school, so exciting. For you, it meant only one thing - you would see your children rarely, because they would be living in a dormitory, which meant that your husband no longer had to pretend that he wasn't the abusive bastard he was.

Henry held one of the top positions in the Commune. He wasn't completely cruel, of course, he didn't beat you or anything like that. He knew how to hurt you without hitting you. He knew how to make you vulnerable, defenseless. "Wife of the Commune" was a coveted title, but no one told the children that once they married someone like Henry, they would become disenfranchised. You had no right to refuse, no right to divorce. But Henry... he had everything.

"They look happy, don't they, darling?"

Henry asks in a soft, velvety voice, and his fingers press even more into your skin. He liked to see you squirm.