The Jilted Bride's Reckoning

e white dress for the tenth time, the cheap fabric sticking to my skin in the humid July air. Ten years.

t anniversary, a nervous habit. Ethan was late. As a top surgeon at our hospit

s assistant, a young man named Leo, who looked everywh

voice barely a whisper,

omach. "Detained? Is there an emergency at the hospital? A major accident?"

filled with pity. "No, not exactly."

of them for him years ago as a joke, a symbol of my unconditional love for him. He could use one for anything, from forgetting to take out the trash to a

fferent. Thi

son, Leo?" I ask

how dog, Prince, is feeling unwell. Dr. Black is

lite. Ethan' s high school flame, the one he always called his "white whale," the one that g

tasting like ash in my mouth. "He'

eo mumbled, looking at the floor ag

ersary, this was a deliberate choice. He chose his obsession over our decade of shared dreams, of suppo

breath. "Thank you

veness vouchers had been a sweet inside joke, a testament to our bond. Now, Ethan was using my own love as a weapon against me, a t

it. It buzzed again. And again. Finally

acticed. "You know how important Prince' s lineage is to Brittan

me, Ethan? What a

different kind. You' re the most understanding person I know. That' s why I love you." His words were mean

"I' m going to my aunt' s for a fe

be like that. I' ll make

k on my skin, and stuffed it into my purse. Then, I called my aunt, my voice breaking as I ask

ent first to pack a proper bag. The anger had cooled into a deep, hollow ache. May

f muddy paw prints across our cream-colored rug. The second was a half-eate

wearing a silk robe. At her feet, a large, pristinely groo

ing with condescending sweetness. "Ethan' s in the

nd defiled my home, my life. Before I could say a word, Prince suddenly let

into my calf. I screamed, stumbling backward, my hand fl