The Wife He Threw Away, Rebuilt

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a desperate flutter in my chest. This was it. The moment he'd recognize me, just like in all my feve

e. Then he reached into his wallet. He pulled out a

id of any warmth. "Go get yourself a

ered between us. Not a hug. Not a word of recognition. A handout. For a

him. To prove I was real. To make him feel my presence

contorted in disgust. "Don't touch me!" he snarle

ttering to the ground, a green leaf in the dirt. It l

ind him. She walked up, slipping her arm through his. Her eyes, however, met mine

She absolu

Carla closer. He turned his back on me, shielding her and

ast time. His eyes held a strange, sad curiosity. Then, Carla squeezed his hand, and he turned away, disappear

my skin. My soul felt hollowed out, scooped clean. The hundred-dollar bill sti

s, Mr. Sharpe is getting engaged to Miss Watkins next month. He says she helped him move on after his w

it. He won't want his new fiancée seeing you

ision swim. It wasn't just my heart breaking; my old wounds, the

g the breath from my lungs. The force tore at my ragged clothes, washing away the dirt, but leaving my skin ra

ng driveway, clinging to the shadows. Each movement was agony, but I push

w of trash cans, the cold concrete a poor

ished. My eyes fluttered open. A half-eaten cake, tossed carelessly into a bin, beckoned.

a piece of glass, blood blooming on my tongue. A d

ks. Red, gold, and green. They bloomed over the city, f

her. On a night when I was eating discarded cake from a dumpster, bleeding

n my heart died. Not just

hand. It was dirty, crumpled, but it was money. Enough to b

ing a number I hadn't used in four years. It ran

ice barely human. "I'm back. I

sigh. "Nightingale? Amanda, you know what that e

rength. "I have nothing left to lose. Burn it all

oul. It meant giving up everything, even my identity. My life as Amanda Park. My memories, my emotions. A complete

d, "that Amanda Park is officially dead. He got his wish. Tell

severing the last nerve endings connectin