Too Late for Apologies

, all glass and steel, much l

icitous, a performance

you, Sarah," he said, gesturing t

igner bags, the

credit card. "No limit,

eassurances.

s could smooth over th

king at them, just

shield I had built over year

ys, his fierce attention,

ffair, the hushed apo

second. T

chipped away at so

er time, replaced by a

oul Pact, but because this life, the stabili

replaced by a ne

e was di

, this willing to disrupt our

new level of disr

s stronger, more cons

he pen. "Wher

as steady

a flicker of something, ma

throat. "Righ

as I signed the papers that woul

luctance was unconvin

or a few days, of course," he sa

l, she' s eager

limsy. He wanted

space

ing the signed documents in

lo

dress clinging to her young fram

to Ethan, looped h

e cooed, loud enough f

f open disdain. "So, Mrs. Hamilton

s a fresh sting, d

flustered. "C

angry, protectiv

ppearances, about the pro

en back to Chloe, a silen

erhaps it' s best if you move ou

that quickly. Appea

deepened. This

se, I started packi

ched me,

he asked, gesturing to a bo

otos from a ski trip to Aspen when we were stil

arah. It' s old. We need

smissive. Our shared hist

ox, its weight fa

elevator, then to the bu

I dropped the box

He was discarding me, and

eave the apartment,

out, as i

oodbye. It' s just...

n' t, Ethan. Chloe

f flash of guilt, or

he door clickin

chanical voice sounded in m

Marital dissolution initiate

ounded. It

ears, 11 months, 23 days. Mission failure immin

was devoid

ul entity destabilization. Return to origin point timel

Just like the one t

"Countdown initiated

d absolute, se

accident, the screech of

life that wasn' t mine, with Etha

a rare temporal displacement, a

marriage to E

nue this life, perhaps even

ack, to die as I was

made it. Se

reless pursuit of fleetin

tter pill. I was trapped,