had threatened to kill her several times and put her body in an oil drum to ship her home if she ever crossed him in any way. At one point she became pregnant, which was against Henry’s rules. Henry had vowed he would never father a child in this evil world. Ezra hid it from Henry for a month until he noticed she had not had a menstrual cycle in some time. He questioned her, and she finally admitted it to him. He beat her so badly that she miscarried that next day. When she healed, Henry told her if she got pregnant again, he would kill her.
Ezra began to hate Henry and vowed to herself that one day she would be free of this monstrous man, even if that meant killing him herself. Ezra slowly began to hide money whenever she could. She had gotten citizenship with the marriage, and with the right help, she could leave him. The United States had laws—her country did not—that protected women from evil men. Her upbringing kept her afraid though, and she stayed and tried to please Henry any way she could.
Henry often brought other women home and into their bed, forcing Ezra to have sex with him and these other women. She did what he told her and kept putting money away every chance she could. She found that after these sex sessions, Henry would feel just slightly guilty, and she learned that if she asked for money to go shopping, he would give her hundreds of dollars at a time. She would go buy a dress or two and put fifty or so in her hiding place. He also sent her to buy gifts and jewelry for his other women, and she easily would put away a few hundred for herself during those shopping trips. In all, Ezra had stashed away almost fifty thousand dollars over the course of a few years. She didn’t even have to ask Henry for the money after sex any longer. He had gotten used to giving her something every time, and the harsher it was, the more he gave. Ezra had become numb to the things he asked her to do, knowing the money would come the next day, and she would one day disappear, leaving him to never return.
Henry suspected Ezra of stashing money, but he really didn’t care. He already knew if she ever left, he would find her and kill her immediately. What Henry didn’t know was that his treatment of Ezra would hurt him one day beyond anything he could imagine.
The first time the NSA approached Ezra was 2012. A bombing had taken place in a church, and the Brotherhood of Freedom claimed responsibility. The FBI questioned Henry at the house since he had donated some years before. Henry explained in detail that he gave millions of dollars away every year to many organizations. His onetime donation was stopped immediately once he discovered that the group was not what he thought. Of course, there was no other record of a donation to the group because Henry had learned who they were.
The agents asked to question his wife, but Henry threatened lawyers at that point, and they backed off. Henry explained that she knew nothing of his finances and would not be of any help. The NSA picked up the lead and approached Ezra a few weeks later.
At first, she wouldn’t talk or even consider giving them any kind of information about her husband. The agent gave her a number that she could call day or night. They offered protection if she gave them credible information. She took the number and told them to leave her alone. The agent was an Iranian woman, and something about her stuck with Ezra. She wanted to have freedom like this woman. She wanted to be American like this woman was.
A week later, Henry left for a business trip to the Middle East. He told Ezra that he may be bringing a new wife home and that she should prepare. That night she called the number on the card. Ezra was smart enough to buy a burner phone at the store, knowing Henry would be watching every move she made.
She made arrangements to meet the same lady at a dress shop in the dressing room. She needed to make sure that no one saw her talking to anyone, ever. Ezra had been around for most of the meetings her husband had at home. Serving coffee and tea as the men requested. She never heard them speaking of any plans, but she knew their faces. She told the agent to bring pictures of all the men.
The agent agreed, and they set a time. She told Ezra she would be in a blue dress with a hat on. She would have pictures of all the men they were trying to verify had met with her husband. Ezra agreed and the next day went out shopping.
At two, she went into the dress shop, and sure enough, the lady in the blue dress and hat was shopping in the store. The lady grabbed a dress off the rack and headed to the dressing room. Ezra quickly picked something as well and also headed for the dressing rooms.
The store clerk unlocked one of the dressing rooms, and Ezra went in. She just stood there, not knowing what to do. In a minute she heard a voice. “Ezra?”
Ezra jumped and began to panic. “Yes.”
The lady slid under the panel and stood up beside Ezra. She stuck out her hand and shook Ezra’s. “I am Bahar. Thank you for trusting me. I will make sure whatever you tell me remains a secret from your husband.”
Ezra began to cry. “He will kill me if he finds out. He has threatened me many times.”
Bahar took her shaking hands into hers. “We will not let that happen. If at any point you feel in danger, you call me, and we will come get you. You are an American citizen and deserve protection. Don’t worry.”
Ezra wiped away the tears. “Show me the pictures.”
Bahar took out a stack of pictures, and Ezra began to go through them. The fourth one in she recognized and stopped. She looked up at Behar.
Bahar pointed. “Him? You recognize him?”
Bahar took the photo and motioned for her to continue. Ezra kept flipping through the stack and pulled two more before she got to the end. Bahar told her to go home and not to put herself in danger. Now that they knew Henry had met with these men in their home, they would begin looking further into his businesses and where his money went. Bahar made sure Ezra knew to act normal and keep shopping. They would contact her later in a safe way.
Ezra took the dress and left the dressing room. She spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and thinking about what she had done. Thinking about what Henry would do if he caught her. She knew he would kill her for sure, but what terrified her was what he would do to her before that. He would beat her unmercifully and make her tell him every detail. She was thankful it would be days before he returned so she could calm herself.
Ezra got home that afternoon, and Henry met her at the front door. She jumped and screamed as she opened the door to him standing there. She dropped her bags and grabbed her chest in panic.
Henry bent down and tipped the bag over, spilling everything onto the floor. “Where have you been?”
Ezra looked down at the pile and then back into Henry’s eyes. “Shopping. I didn’t want to be home alone today. I was not happy that you were bringing another woman home with you.”
As she said it, she looked past Henry, expecting to see another woman stare back at her. She didn’t see anyone though.
Henry took the toe of his shoe and spread the stuff on the floor around. Looking at everything she had bought. “My plans changed. Apparently, I am being watched by the FBI, NSA, or some other agency with three letters in their name. Do you know anything about that?”
Ezra bent and began to pick up the items on the floor. “No, why would I. You scared the crap out of me, Henry. You could have called me and told me you were home. I would have come right home.”
“No one has approached you and asked you questions?”
“No. Just the FBI when they were here. I told them the same thing that I would tell anyone that asked. I know nothing about your business or where you go. I just know you did business with my father in Iran at some point. What would I
