Beyond Betrayal: A Heart's Escape

suburban neighborhood looked alien, like a set from a movie

I walked into the house we' d bought with the advance on her first major funding round. Every object screamed her name, our life toge

h the pain. It' s better this way. She gets her company, her s

escape hatch, a door opening just as

elf against the kitchen island. I had to

heir home and their hearts. They were more my parents than my own had ever had the chance to be. Chloe' s success was their success.

preserving her victory, and repaying her parents for their kindness. That' s wh

. Blood type. Special skills. I typed meticulously, my fingers moving with a precision

when I heard her car

ock was unnaturally loud. My

ped inside, humming softly. "

s full of the easy grace I' d always loved. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders from behind, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. H

mach c

ed into my hair. "Almost there. Tomorro

parody of the promises we' d wh

d walked to the kitchen, a robot performing its programmin

l, intimate ritual. And I

a sip, her eyes closing in cont

, looking at the milk with a slight fr

t taste the difference in the milk. But she hadn'