Ashes of a Golden Anniversary

built on love, or at least on a foundation of shared history, was going up in flames around me. It was o

threatening to collapse. Sarah, my wife of five dec

David, o

am on the other side of the room. Panic seized me. I started to move

!" she yelled, her e

t directly toward it. Toward a wall of fire that separated us from David. It

e body. As the fire enveloped me, I saw her, my wife, scramble pa

saw David, pinned and calling for help. They ran right past me. They ignored my

survived, but my body was a testament to the fi

om, Sarah came to see me. She didn't ho

ve I had seen glimpses of over the

voice flat. "I want to spend whatever time I

They were just confirmation of a tr

at the foot of my bed, their face

... they deserve to be happy. They've loved each ot

ing my own dreams aside, of raising them and

lt nothing but a profound emptiness. I agreed to eve

y our children and splashed across the media. The headlines mocked me, the burned

dn't. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would never,

I closed

replaced the beeping of hospital machines. I opened my eyes. I was standing in a grand ball

Reynolds, her eyes shining with excitemen

, I heard Sarah' s voice, but it was different. It

ing right at me. "I can't do this. Et

ng me to be humiliated, heartbroken. But all I felt was the weight of fifty misera

ng David Chen. I found her standing near the orchestra, a guest who barely knew us. Dr. Olivia Hayes

voice clear and steady,

ng with hers. "I only want to m

Ethan Miller! What kind of game are

wed to the surprised, beautiful face of the woman wh

ened. She looked c

whispered, her vo

up to her. I ignored Sarah's furious screams and her parents' attemp

voice full of a certainty that came