Broken Vows, Unbreakable Spirit Emerges

Hodg

hat did you say?" he repeated, his voice barely

ble a solid brick in the wall I was building b

tic little art projects? You're nothing without me, Eliza! You couldn't survive a day outside my shadow! You're an ar

arp enough to pierce my heart, now merely brushed against a hardened surface. The

e," he snarled, desperation creeping into his tone. "T

"No, Camden," I said, my voice soft, almost pitying. "The

pers. I'll be out of the house by the end of the week." My eyes flickered to Kai, who was now watching us with a mix of fear

g back. I didn't care about their bewildered expressions,

years, and watched the smoke curl into the night. My past choices, my sacrifices, my unwavering loyalty-they all seemed

almost forgotten about it, buried under the weight of my crumbling marriage. I reread it, the word

ivorce," I told her, my voice firm. "And I want it cl

ife. My tools, my canvases, my half-finished glass pieces. Clothes that felt like me, not the woman he wanted me to be. Old photographs, gifts that hel

ed Camden. I needed to tell him I was leaving. The phone ra

tone saccharine sweet, la

" I asked, a tight kno

could practically hear his smirk. "He's out, c

o Camden," I insis

ave him alone? He's finally happy. You're just a bitter, jealous ex-wife who can't

, a notification popped up on my phone: 'Kai Hoffman has

was a medical report. I picked it up, curiosity piqued. The diagnosis hit me like a cold wave: a sexually transmitted infec

he bedroom door behind me, a final click echoing through the silent house. It felt like

part. My consc

s a few days later. Camden's fur

ridiculous! What kind of game are you playing now?" His voice

lmost detached. "It's a divorce. You wanted it, rem

a fling, Eliza. A silly mistake. I'll fire him! I'll break up with him! Just

d. My finger brushed against the edge, and a thin line of red welled up, a tiny sting. It was a phy

check your pillow. There's a medical report th

und, then Kai' s voice, sweet and conce

. I looked at the small cut on my finger, a red bead slowly forming. Our marriag