She Rose from the Ashes

I loved Blake Vanderbilt with everything I had.

He was my world, and when he told me about his rare, career-ending nerve condition, my heart truly shattered.

The experimental treatment was $80,000, a fortune for a struggling songwriter like me, but I would do anything.

So, I sold my father's most treasured possession, a vintage 1959 Gibson Les Paul, the last piece I had of him.

Handing over that guitar felt like losing a piece of my soul, but it was for Blake, for us, for our music.

Days later, bringing him cookies at his upscale clinic, I overheard voices from a half-open door.

"Can you believe she actually sold it?" Chloe Astor's mocking laugh cut through me.

Then Blake's voice, clear and strong, "Eighty grand, straight into my account. Paid for this lovely clinic visit, and Chloe's new demo."