Point Of No Return
She was busy waiting for her pizza, but her husband started bombarding her with questions. He was getting too close for comfort, and she began to feel uncomfortable. Her heart was pounding in her chest - where was her pizza?
Her husband's suspicions grew and things were about to explode. She knew that they have reached the point of no return.
She Had A Difficult Life
Chloe Barker was a mother to a beautiful daughter, which she raised independently. Despite many hardships, she remained strong for her daughter at all times. Her marriage was loveless, and her fear of leaving it kept her stuck.
However, her salvation would soon come in the form of a pizza.
Opposites Attract
Chloe met her husband in high school. She was a sweet girl who loved to read, and Mark was an excellent athlete. It was an odd pairing, but opposites do attract! They had strong feelings for each other and started dating in their senior year.
They were ecstatic to begin their lives together.
Not So Great
They got married a year after graduating high school and moved into a beautiful home. However, everything was not sunshine and roses for them. Mark struggled to keep a job, and Chloe did not make enough money to support them both.
But things were about to get a lot more challenging because Chloe was about to get some unexpected, bittersweet news.
The News
Chloe was going to have a baby! If they were any other couple, it would have been great news, but not for them. Chloe was happy that she was expecting a child, but she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to provide for them.
But she was determined to do everything in her power to make sure that the baby had the best life possible. She wasn't going to let them down.
Hard Life
The birth was successful and Chloe was lucky enough to get maternity leave, but once her leave was over, Chloe had to work extremely hard to make sure her family stayed afloat. She worked two different jobs while her husband struggled to keep one. Life was difficult, but she had one thing to live for, and that was her daughter.
Mark was smitten by their newborn but despite his support, he was not able to financially sustain them.
Boiling Point
Three years passed and with every passing year, Chloe's marriage only got worse. They were drifting apart and there was extreme tension when it came to their finances. Their daughter, Wendy, was three years old and she was still the light of her mother's life.
But sadly, the tension would reach a boiling point and things would get far worse than before.
She Wanted Out
Mark and Chloe were now in a loveless marriage and they were only staying together for Wendy. Chloe wanted out of her marriage but she didn't want her daughter to grow up without a father.
But she knew that she had to do this, for her own sake. But how on earth would she gather the courage to leave him?
It Got Worse
In recent weeks, Mark had gotten worse. He had once again lost his job while Chloe worked herself sick. When Chloe tried to speak to Mark about it, tensions rose. But she would not regret it once she saw the way he reacted.
He grew agitated when she brought it up. As things escalated, she could no longer recognize the man before her. That was when she reached for the phone. Mark was surprised when he heard her say, "I’d like to order a pizza.”
Special "Pizza"
She knew her daughter was safe in the house and decided to step outside while waiting for her "pizza". She knew Mark, she knew he would come outside after her, but that was exactly what she wanted. Her pizza had something special, just for her husband.
Once it showed up, it would be clear what Chloe had done.
Boiling Over
As she waited for her pizza, her husband was now asking her what she was doing. He was getting close to her. He was clearly getting hot-headed, which made her fear for her safety - her pulse started racing - where was her order?
Things were boiling over as her husband grew suspicious now. But just then, they arrived, and Chloe knew there was no going back from this.
A “Special” Delivery
Her husband was surprised when her delivery arrived. But instead of a pizza guy, it was a police officer. Chloe had cleverly disguised her phone call as a pizza order. Mark knew he couldn’t defend himself now and had to accept the inevitable.
His “pizza guy” came with a pair of handcuffs and took him away.
Taken Away
Chloe was relieved when her husband was taken into custody. She couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter getting hurt. She decided that this was the best option. She just wanted her daughter to be safe.
But what about others that are in similar situations to Chloe but never thought to use a code word?
6,000 Centers
Across the USA, there are 6,000 911 centers. With so many operators, there can’t be a universal code word. Otherwise, everyone would know what it was, even the people committing the crime.
So operators recommend that people convey their tone to show the operator that they are in distress. As long as they can get their message across with their address, it’s good enough.
Chloe And Wendy
Chloe ended up getting a divorce from her husband now that she didn’t have to be scared of his reaction. It ended up being easier to support Chloe without having to support her husband as well.
And what Chloe feared the most was Wendy growing up without a father figure. But she ended up meeting an amazing man just two years after her divorce.