My name is Catherine, and I never thought I’d be the sort of woman who’d consider locking her own fridge. But here I am, standing in a crowded homeware shop in Manchester, staring at a heavy-duty padlock, wondering if this is what my marriage has come to. It’s not about the food, not really—it’s about feeling invisible, unheard, and slowly replaced by a man’s endless appetite.
My mother, Victoria, has always been a force of nature—unyielding, cold, and impossible to please. Now, as she grows older and frailer, she demands my help as if the past never happened. I am left torn between duty and the ache of a childhood spent yearning for her love.
I’m Stephanie, and my marriage is unravelling before my eyes. My husband, Kevin, is never home—he’s either at his mum’s or lost in his job, and I’m left to raise our newborn alone. I’m desperate for connection, but he doesn’t see the problem, and I’m terrified I’m losing everything.
