Meri Brown is, at last, outta there.

According to a bunch of hopeful people on the Internet, that is.

For many months now, speculation has run rampant that Meri may finally be ready to leave her emotionally abusve husband, Kody.

This, despite Meri herself stating on more than one occasion that she'll never do so.

Why would Brown say this (over and over and over again) if it weren't true?

There actually is a reasonable answer:

Because her livelihood depends on it.

Meri needs to appear totally committed to Kody in order to remain a cast member on Sister Wives, which is still the main way in which she earns a living.

While she's saying this for public consumption, however, many observers believe Meri is making moves in private that prove she either plans to dump Kody...

... or has already done so.

CLUE #1: Meri is spending a lot of time these days in Utah.

She's seemingly doing so for business purposes, yes, as Meri announced a few days ago that she was reopening her bed and breakfast, Lizzie's Heritage Inn.

"It takes a village!" Meri wrote on Instagram on June 1, giving thanks to alll who have helped this operation, adding:

"As much as I want to be independent and strong, I don't always feel like I am. I have my people to lean on, and lean on them I do! So grateful, so blessed!"

So, yes, Meri has a professional reason to returning to her native state.

However, plenty of folks out there think she's either seeing a secret boyfriend there -- or is simply getting her life there lined up so that she can settle down in Utah once again after she moves out of Arizona.

CLUE #2: Meri just got a makeover!

"Just a little on the shorter side.... I don't hate it...." Brown wrote as a caption to the following snapshot this week.

Now, granted, it's sort of sexist (and perhaps idiotic) to presume that a woman would only get a sleek haircut because she has a lover or because she's ready to go back out into the dating universe.

But facts are facts, and this sometimes is the case.

CLUE #3: Meri's mother died this spring at age 76.

By no means do we want to make light of this tragedy or to cast it in the light of anything romantic.

However, Meri has clearly been greatly and understandably affected by her mom's sudden passing.

She has written multiple moving tributes in which she mourns her beloved parent and in which she wonders how she'll go on without her.

Any time a loved one dies, meanwhile, those who remain often realize that time is short.

It may be a cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason: One must live life to the fullest, you know? Because you never know which day will be your last.

With that in mind, why would one stick it out in a loveless marriage?

A marriage that, by the admission of one participants, has no spark and is long dead and over?

Kody said on this past season of Sister Wives that he's stopped trying to make things work with his first wife, almost daring Meri to divorce him.

But here's the thing:

These two are already divorced.

They ended their 24-year marriage in 2014 so that Kody could tie the knot with Robyn Brown and legally adopt her children.

Therefore, we may be waiting for Meri to make an announcement that she doesn't really need to make.

Her and Kody can just live separate lives without making anything legal or official -- because they did so already seven years ago.

According to Meri, however, this is not what's happening.

Nor will it ever be.

"Let's just clarify something here. I love this man," Meri wrote back win December.

"My relationship with him is MY relationship with him... I love him. I love my family.

"I'm committed... I'm here. I'm committed. I'm not going anywhere.

"Don't get your hopes up."