The Ballerina's Second Act

burned int

d Jess.

t cabi

hair. Her arms

lov

lt cold, like ice was sp

d the bi

me, her face p

peak. I could

ed out of the

tics were not made for

onto the gravel, scrap

n was n

ared to the infe

e up, her arm

go home

word was

ide back

ck, suffocating

d he l

e' d neve

e was mar

ss was bei

All

kissed me, told me he loved m

ght made

e first thing I did

se. An

lt. That I' m the one he truly connects with. He said the wedding is a sh

ds cle

clicked i

y matters." The

over his trys

rain. A torren

, watching the stor

ast, emp

s pa

opped. The

ting there when

, shivering, stari

what happened? Y

e, his face a

d to to

nched

whispered, m

as a physical thing,

d confus

' s wrong?

The words w

him, at the man

ho had de

world we

in the hos

is face haggard, h

my hand, murm

houldn' t have left you a

psed from the cold, f

d no

d streaming

rollab

I knew he did. In his

the cruel

e. And he

ldn' t exist toget

d my ha

alone," I

ricken. "Mi

t ou

as if I' d

again, the black cloud that had

derstand this

him. About Jess

eft, looking ut

sistant, fou

from exhaustion in t

ice tight with accusation. "He hasn' t slept, hasn' t eaten. Al

sed m

g. Always hi

about