The Name Dilemma

Lisa had moved on. After a messy divorce, she had rebuilt her life, her career, and her identity. She had no intention of looking back—until one day, an unexpected message popped up from her ex-husband, Daniel

“I’m getting married, and I want you to take back your maiden name.”

Lisa stared at the screen in disbelief. Was this a joke? His fiancée apparently believed that Lisa keeping his last name meant she still “belonged” to him. The audacity! She typed back a firm response: “No.” Then, she blocked him. She thought that would be the end of it.  What she didn’t expect was the storm that followed.

Messages poured in from mutual friends, some siding with him, some amused, and a few outraged on her behalf. Then came an email from his fiancée herself—pleading, demanding, even threatening. It wasn’t about a name anymore. It was about control. Lisa knew one thing: she had fought too hard for her freedom to let anyone dictate her choices now. Her name, her rules.