Twenty-Seven Days of Deceit

ven days, this had been my world. For twenty-seven days, I had sat by my mother' s bedside, watchin

the world, it was simple. She just wanted to see me settled do

per, her voice thin as paper.

or the last six yea

up at her office with coffee. Each time, th

just so swamped wi

andon' s father is a key investor, and

not a good ti

sonable hurdle. I was a designer, I unders

ifted. Maybe it was the exhaustion in m

er voice softening. "Okay. Tomorrow. Let'

intensely I almost buckle

promised. "I' ll

e out the door. I stood outside the courthouse, clutching the two simple gold bands

ock came

ten-t

es. I called her phone. It went straight to voice

in my best suit, when my phone buzzed with a

mbled as I t

ding up a marriage certificate. Standing beside her, his arm wrapp

eerful. "The start of our forever! So

urring. The date was printed in stark, black

admitted to the hospital. Th

in my ears. He had posted it today, the very day she was suppose

ted again. A t

ng came up with Brandon, he' s not feeling well. We ca

w, after the public announcement, she was still tr

vast, hollow emptiness. I typed back a

kay

m the courthouse, leaving th

et me at the door, her face grim. Mom had pa

wish, unf

I spent the rest of the day in a fog, making ar

t apartment, staring at the urn that now

as O

d for her contact grating on my raw nerves. I

Finally, I answered, holdin

was so worried!" Her voice w

d not

o one of placating sweetness. "Brandon was just being so dramatic, you know how he

ied him. My mind replayed the image of the

thing was wrong. "We' ll go next we

ped my lips. It was

ia," I said, my voice flat and dea

ceit, a promise she never intended to keep. It was a weapon she

ved me unconditionally was gone, and her

livia," I said

let myself break. I would not forgi