Husband's Deception, Wife's Awakening

kill myself. Each time, my brother-in-l

nd, Evertt, who was presumed dead in a plane crash. The engraving on the bac

f my hospital room and heard voices from the waiting area. It was Kylee, Dustin' s p

ds out?" Kylee whispered. "What if she realizes you' re not Dustin?" "She won' t," Evertt sa

n-law, was my husband. My living, breathing husband. And he had watched m

ut then, a new thought, cold and sharp, cut through my p

pte

d time I had trie

cond, I slit my wrists. Each time, my brother

artin family villa, the wind whipping my h

a strong arm wrapped around

rough with exhaustio

oom of a hospital. The smell o

nd tired. Kylee Armstrong, his pregnant fiancée, follo

e was low, filled with a weariness that cut

g, silent. My throat w

re all grieving. But you have to think of us, too. Dustin is

ere just noise, fading into the

shoulder, then let his hand fall. H

some res

llowing close behind, her hand in his. The doo

me again, a physical weight

de, a grand oak tree stood against th

rtt, my husband, under that

me, making sure to get all the white

reds of gardenias, my favorite flower, just b

d silently do

love and happiness turn into

vate plane had crashed in th

brother, Dustin. Evertt, the celebrated

accept it.

world without color, without me

s point

I had to get out of th

my foot knocked something on the floor. It

avy in the pocket slid out and fell on

art s

ertt' s 30th birthday. It took me two years and a trip to a remote t

rembled as I

m engraving was unmist

did Dustin have Evertt' s watch? T

. I had to know. I had

d walked out of the r

coming from an empty waiting area

s so fragile." It was Kylee' s voice, but wi

k," a man' s voice replied. A

d. My body went

Evertt'

tin" was standing with his back

whispered, her head on his chest. "Wh

f is too deep. She sees what she wants to see. And this is what Dust

red, snuggling closer. "I c

my vision, s

m, my hand pressed agains

e man I thought was my brother-in-law, wa

in grief, believing me to be a fragile doll he cou

breaking free, raw and agonizing. My entire

uddenly rang. I stared at it, my tears

my voice a h

e you okay? I hea

just listened to

d cautiously, "but maybe... maybe it' s time

mind reeling fr

s dropping. "He' s been asking about you for months. He' s such a good man, H

rom here. Away

and sharp, cut throu

my voice surp

, ho

iel I' ll

silence for a moment. "Re

im I' m ready to start over. But he has to handle ev

efore she could qu

hand. The engraving glinted in

augh escap

er wa

t, my fingers tightening around the watch. F