Her Lies, His Unbreakable Spirit

anvases, glasses of champagne in hand, their faces lit by the soft track lighting. Tonight was a celebration, ten ye

, her blonde hair pulled back in a sleek knot. She laughed at something a critic said, her smile bright a

s our friend, David. "Ten years, Liam. Ca

smile. "Yeah. I

ad to do was paint, and love her. It felt like a fair trade. I watched her move through the crowd, h

ust a second, a tiny crack in the perfect surface. She turned away from the person she was talking to and w

ago. I made my way through the crowd, my own smile feeling stiff now. I stood near her

hispered. "Yes, I have the money... No, I

fe, a mistake from her past she had moved on from. We had been together

ened again. It wasn't a late guest. It was him. Mark Davis stood there, looking pale and thin. He leaned on

ncern. "Everyone, this is my dear friend, Mark," she announced, her voice ful

whispering, their eyes flicking between me, Chloe, and the sick man she was fussing over. The warmth of the party was gone, replaced by

e into her office and shut the door. "Mark's band has a gig tonight, a huge one. A

confused. "What does t

know what it has to do with you. I need

t of me. You know what it does." Using my ability, my real talent that no one else knew about, wasn't li

nds on it. You can't be selfish right now." Her voice was sharp, cutting. Ther

ew, to help the man she told me she had forgotten. The m

n. Mark was already on the small stage, tuning his guitar, looking much healthier than he had at the gallery. Chloe stood

e. "Don't mess

ide me. A faint, blue light started to glow from my palms. I pushed it out, shaping it into thin, shimmering threads that snaked through the ai

and swirled around Mark. He was the center of it all, bathed in the glow that was draining the life from me. My vision started to blur at the edges, and a

k, her face shining with adoration. She didn't even look at me.

hter and more frantic. I felt myself getting colder, the ache in my bones turning into a sharp, grinding pain. I stu

d. The last of my strength went with it. I collapsed onto the floor

e threw her arms around Mark, kissing him. "You were incre

. He didn't even glance down at me, the

m, get up. People are staring. Don't make a scene." Her voice was a harsh wh

Mark, her arm around his waist again. She left me there,

bit of naive hope dying. The last ten years had been a lie. Our love, our life, all of it. A lie. And in the cold, empty s