A Love Contract: Five Years

oom. A local clinic. My ankle was in a heavy cast, and an IV line was tape

e bedside table. It w

ice by 9 AM.

t how I was. No mention of

e. The contract wasn' t fulfilled just b

ught of freedom, of a life away from her, was the only thing that kept me g

r and got dressed, a clumsy, painful process. I paid the clinic with the last of my em

and stares followed me all the way to my small desk in the corner. I ignored them

over some blueprints on her desk. He had his arm around her, his fingers tracing

s I passed. Her smile

," Alex said. "I thought you

I said, not l

doorway, blocking my path. She looked down a

ugly access

out of your sight," I

turned back into her office. "Come

gainst the wall. Alex was still at her d

unced, not looking at me. She was addressing Alex. "I' m putting

ave my lungs. The

n a tiny rented office. It was a revolutionary piece of software, something I had poured thousands

fe, my old self, that I had clung to. I thought, foolishly, that if I could perfect it, if I could pr

nths ago. She had taken it without

as giving

t with excitement, looking at my initial sketches. "Liam, th

elieved i

" I said, my voice shaking s

ere devoid of any warmth. "Was. It' s

he core framework," I proteste

rd. "You' re broken, Campbell. Look at you. You can' t eve

ation growing. "Just let me be on the

on me. It was the look that always brok

low and dangerous. "Because he would never betray me. He would nev

ion. The lie I

"You are a leech. A coward who came crawling bac

was a phys

ort. "Don' t worry, Liam. I' ll be sure to send you an i

iled. It was a share

mense, I felt a strange sense of calm settle over me. This was it. Th

d thing that had kept me here for fi

contract. And the escape