Sam woke up staring at a light fitting on the ceiling in a corridor. He was waiting assessment. Covid meant the hospital was nearly overrun. As his eyes focused he saw Suzi. He tried to sit up, but his head throbbed and he collapsed back onto the trolley.

"Suzi! Michelle?"

Suzi shook her head.

"No, no, god no please. "

"Sam please calm down. They are doing all they can, but she's in a coma."

Suzi and Michelle had immediately started looking a dresses. After an hour of searching they narrowed it down to a choice of three styles. Michelle trusted Suzi's sense of fashion. The whole thing to her was a dream come true. She was going to have her day as a bride. She wanted everything to be perfect.

Suzi had screamed when Michelle asked her to be her bridesmaid. She was a professional woman, but a woman above all. Most women loved weddings. They discussed Sam at length while they were planning what they would want for the wedding.

Michelle spent most of the week online, looking at things she would need for her wedding. She hadn't even set a date yet. She had called Suzi, and told her the news. Sam could hear Suzi screaming over the phone. Typical women he thought, he smiled at the idea that Michelle was just a "typical women". She really was getting there now.

When the rapid chat and laughs had ended, Michelle put her phone down and helped Sam put on his coat. She kissed him before he left for work, and stared lovingly into his eyes.

"I love you Sam, I'm going to be the best wife ever!"

Melody Davis had grown up like all other girls in the Queendom. She was a little disappointed when they were separated from the boys
in her early teens. She understood that her teachers told her boys brains could not handle much more than an elementary level of education.

Michelle was beaming when Sam arrived home.

"Good news love?"

"Yes, the clinic have approved me to start hormones. They emailed me the letter today."

"I told you it would be ok Michelle. Are you going to see your G.P. about getting a prescription?"

"Yes my appointment is Thursday. I still feel bad about jumping the queue like that Sam. I know you pulled a few strings, still it's not fair."

After a few weeks the transfer of the ownership of the house was confirmed. Michelle wrote to Tommy to let him know they were going to look over the place and tidy it up so it could be sold. Michelle wanted to sell it as it held too many painful memories.

Michelle arose before Sam. She went down into the kitchen in her kimono and slippers to get them both some tea and to start breakfast. Sam had offered to cook, but Michelle insisted. It gave her a warm feeling cooking for her man. She had just got the eggs and bacon out ready to cook when Sam sat down freshly showered holding the letter.

"You open it Sam, I don't want anything to do with that monster."

Sam saw Michelle sitting at the kitchen table her head down looking upset. Fiona was grinning like a Cheshire cat. She was dressed as she always did throughout their marriage, dowdy. She was wearing jeans a baggy sweater and minimal makeup.

"What do want Fiona?"

"Is that any way to greet you wife Sammy?"

"You're not my wife for much longer, what have you come for?"

The sound of a car horn woke the couple. Michelle stretched.

"Owww my face hurts."

She slowly got out of bed and went over to the full length mirror. Her nose was swollen and her eyes were puffy. She had a purple swelling around her left eye.

"Oh no, my face what has he done!"

The tears started to flow.

"Come on now Michelle, it will be fine in a day or two."

She doubled over sobbing. Sam knew it was delayed shock from nearly being killed by her stepfather. He bent down and pulled her to her feet.

"Shush now , you're still beautiful."

Sam rushed through the front door and saw Michelle waiting. She choked on her words.

"I'm so sorry Sam. You treated me better than I have ever deserved, and I threw it back at you. I'll go if you want."

Sam wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. He kissed her forehead, and said.

Michelle sobbed herself to sleep. Anger, sadness and fear made a tight ball in her chest that prevented her from breathing easily. Eventually she dropped off. When she woke she had that brief feeling of amnesia, then the full reality of what had happened the night before came rushing back.

They talked into the early hours of the morning. Sam told her that he had been involved with an on off relationship with his room mate in medical school. He said the sex was very infrequent as he never felt fully comfortable with being with another man. The only time they had sex he used to insist his room mate wore a pair of knickers that one his old girlfriends had left behind. His room mate soon tired of this.

There was a chill in the air by the time they walked through the front door. Sam went into the kitchen to get glasses and a cork screw. Michelle lit the old log effect gas fire and turned on the old radio gram. It took a few seconds to warm up as it was the pre-transistor valve type. Michelle loved it as it had a deep rich sound.

"If you want we can go to court and fight this out. You know being the poor put upon wife I will probably win and you'll pay costs."

"But how is that fair? You get the London penthouse flat and I get left with the fixer upper in Hertfordshire. We haven't even started on it yet, it was meant to be your project. There's still a sitting tenant to get rid off."

"You should have thought of that before fucking your secretary shouldn't you."

The story continues with the dreaded Guardianship Inspector calling on Mary and Mike. The cracks are starting to show in the new regime.
This Story is set in a country where the Order of Eve, an ultra feminist party have taken power..

Men have no rights and need to have female guardians to stay out of "state guardianship", which means being sent to forced labor camps.

This Story is set in a country where the Order of Eve, an ultra feminist party have taken power..

Men have no rights and need to have female guardians to stay out of "state guardianship", which means being sent to forced labor camps.

This Story is set in a country where the Order of Eve, an ultra feminist party have taken power..

Men have no rights and need to have female guardians to stay out of "state guardianship", which means being sent to forced labor camps.

I have re-written this story and removed the suicide, as it was too "dark".

Men have no rights and need to have female guardians to stay out of "state guardianship", which means being sent to forced labor camps.

Women are encouraged by the Order of Eve, to punish and humiliate their men. If the men fight back or refuse orders they are arrested and sent to the camps.

This is set several years into the Order of Eve's government. It 's a dark little story.