Done Being A Shadow: The Wife's Escape

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monitoring every calorie and every hour of sleep. So when he stumbled through th

e with jerky, theatrical movements. I stood

His voice was thick,

ke I used to, fluttering with concern.

ere,"

d. He reached out, grabbing my waist and pulling me

d into the fabric of m

e thought he was apologizing for the dinner

s grip, squeezing me

Izzy," he whispered.

nt r

ng me. He was h

," I said. My

a fog. His eyes were glassy. "You look like

. It was the question I had been t

re's only her. There's always been only her. You...

need you to stay. I need you to have the baby. We'll name h

left t

me our child af

er. His breathing evened

wed out with a rusty spoon. I couldn't breathe. I gasped for a

. I stumbled backward,

eful. He had unloaded his truth

until I was out of the living room a

hallway, hugg

as in his jacket pocket, draped o

alked back in.

ocked it because he thought

mo from Izzy. Sen

ssed

res. Just keep playing house for a few more months. Once the baby is born, we can fig

ped th

a ve

ce. I looked in the mirror. I didn't look like Izzy anym

spered to m

ag. Not clothes. Just my documents. My pas

d until

l asleep on the sofa. I walked past h

ght to my fat

"And I want to file a post-nuptial agreement re

my pale face. "Are

," I said. "And

rang. It

d at th

n my head said. *Play

el

cus sounded groggy.

id. My voice was steady. It

he memorial site today. For her brother. She

," I

It was an afterthought. A w

said. "I'l

ung

pay respects. I was going to wat