The Termination Plot

tapped on the group ch

rse than anything I

erek's friends-men I had hosted in my home, men who

red. I felt a wave of dizziness, and I had to

e paternity bet, but for something else. I scr

top. Underneath were dates, times, and names. Edison. Mark. Steve

been se

us, they had been letting these m

't a wife. I wasn't even a person to them. I was a commodity

d up in the chat fr

ight? I'm willing to

y. "Sorry, Frank. She's off the market

hink of her like a high-end escort. You

escort. The disgust was so intense it

er of degradation. They joked about my body,

peared at the top of the scr

cked

back in two days. We're having a welcome home pa

was where Derek and I had our wedding receptio

get everyone excited for the bi

age l

ed. I felt a vio

sonogram picture. The one I

n child, Else had added a cap

OT OF

n, a certainty of what they planned for me at that party, began to form in my min

ast. I couldn'

otos, the schedule-everything-to a secure email address I had created yea

stairs. Derek was

the phone back on the table, exactly where it h

d, his eyes narrowing s

k," I lied, forcing a sha

ning into that familiar mask of fake conc

as just talking to Else. She's coming home! We're throwing a par

s. "The Pavilion? Derek, I don't

for Else. After everything you put her through, it's the l

lie. The foundation of t

l up to it," I said

oice was low, threatening. "You owe her this. You will be there, you will be

uddenly menacing. He grabbed my a

e?" he hissed, his f

but cold, empty darkness. No love. No

to work, I had to go. I had

, my voice trembli

ard the door. "Good. Now go get ready

tion. But he didn't know that I wa