Love's True Reckoning

he thin blankets and the worn linoleum floor. It was the smell of our life now. I checked the catheter bag attache

," I said, trying to

he same eyes he' d had before the accident, a deep, vibrant blue, but the light in them had dim

rmured. His voice was

n counter was a testament to our daily struggle, a colorful, bitter rainbow of prescriptions we could barely afford. My job as a w

obably another debt collector. They were relentless, their calls a constant reminder of how close we w

ng crunch of metal, the world turning upside-down. I had escaped with a few broken bones and a lifetime of guilt. My parents wer

er called again. This time, I answered, rea

as smooth and confident, a voice that didn't

?" I asked,

k. Mark T

friend since they were kids, practically a second brother. But we ha

e thick with disbelief.

orry, Lily. I was a coward. I couldn't face you or Alex after... after e

a dangerous and unfamiliar feeling, began to flicker inside me. We were

d," I said, my voi

nner tonight," he said. "Please

g. He was just as I remembered, handsome and charming, with an easy smile that could disarm anyone. He trea

ways known but never really considered. He spoke of specialized physical therapy for Alex, the best doctors, a new apartment that

his eyes fixed on mine. "I let you

s, he was true to his word. He moved us into a beautiful, spacious apartment. He hired a full-time nurse

ng I needed, everything I thought I wanted. When he asked me to marry him, it felt like the fin

n with cold eyes and a permanent sneer, looked at me as if I were something she had scraped

been Mark's high school girlfriend. I ran into them having lunch one day, and the way M

d explained later, his voice smooth and rea

m. I wanted t

e, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking into a trap. As I stood in front of the mirror, lo

ppy. You took eve

heart pounding. I showed i

just some jealous ex-girlfriend.

the reception, I overheard a conversation that made my blood run cold. Tw

eve he married her,

t was the only way to keep her qui

words didn't make sense. But then, a horrifying thought began to fo

pinning. I found Mark standing on a balco

ans to an end. Once everything is settled, I'll get rid of her. You and I can finally be tog

king glasses-it all faded into a deafening roar in m

't an a

was

rt to, was the monster who had destroyed my famil