Advocate Marlone

The acrid smell of antiseptic and fear hit me first, a phantom scent from a life I' d already lost.

I was back, standing under the buzzing fluorescent lights of the 24/7 animal emergency hospital, on the same exhaustion-laden shift I' d worked before.

My phone buzzed with a text from Molly, my best friend: "Thanks again for covering, Gabs! You' re a lifesaver. Brian and I owe you one!"

Brian. My husband. Molly. My best friend.

The names twisted in my gut, bringing back the crushing weight of their betrayal, the public shame, the cold click of a bathroom door.