His Cruel Betrayal, My Dying Wish

whine that seemed to vibrate inside my skull. For a moment, I was diso

persistent ache had settled deep in my bones. I glanced at the digita

marking off the days. I reached out a tremb

day

day until my s

t, and walked to the window. In the hallway, two workmen were taking down the paintings I had carefully sel

appening. They were eras

e professional life. Piled near the door was a stack of trash bags. I peered inside one. It was filled with my personal belongings. My favorite cashm

eared-out shelf, buzzed

g in our bed. Liam was asleep, his arm draped protectively over her pregnant belly. Chloe was

oney. Everything you thought was yours. He says he hasn' t been this happy in

trange and profound calm. It was like watching a storm rage from behind a thick pane

money. They were all just things. Temporary possession

rom the back of the closet. Methodically, I began to clear out my remaining things. The few c

ng away the last traces of Ava Miller from this h

taken on the day we moved into this house. We were young, laughing, covered in paint splatters. We had just planted a magnolia sapling

as now, but for the man he used to be. For the love we had lost. For the fut

cent now, its branches thick and strong, its waxy leaves shimmering in

t had

back door. The workmen were on

ly steady. "I need you to do something f

e, then at the m

of my emergency cash from my pocket. "Double

oots exposed to the air like severed nerves. The s

and branches into smaller pieces

o. I went back inside and returned with the trash bags filled with my memories. I empti

memories. I stood there, watching the smoke curl into the twilight sky, the

God's name a

n the patio, his face a mask of disbelief as he star

d calmly, not turning to look a

laced with an irony so thick he could

ion and concern. "Are you... are you alright? First the figh

s worried I had finally snapped, that my instab

be silly, Liam. I' m just cleaning up. Making room for the new. Chloe w

some sign, some clue to my behavior.

ake, placating tone. "It's getting cold. You've done enough. You've been

destroying our tree-were all part of my final,

said. "Anything

gured me out. He turned and walked back int

violent, racking cough seized me, and I doubled over, clutching my stomach. A torrent of blo

then tilted, t