The Wife They Broke

eped insiste

opes with a final, desperate surge of adrenaline. The

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numb and clumsy. She fumbled with th

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bled from the chair, st

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roar erupted behind her. The force of the blast threw

e-hot nova, and

her ears, she heard t

ton. They ha

k of pure terror she had never seen before. "Alexia

ild's unfiltered grief.

ut. The performance was over, and now came

es and let the da

f machines. Hospital. Again. Her w

a very lucky woman. You had some serious internal

ansp

for a second to donate one of his kidneys to you." The nurse pointed to a blood bag hanging

r apart, piece by piece, but they would also give her their own organs to put her back tog

rse sighed. "They've been taking tur

She didn't need this k

e never saw them. Not o

dark. She would feel the cool touch of fingers on her cheek, the ghost of warm lips on h

She didn't move, her breathing even. The

ped her

ere, inches

raw and unguarded, before h

here?" Alexia's vo

rd, he chopped the back of her

k into the pillo

cial" visit. Jacob stood at the foot of

g?" he asked, as if

le tremor in his fingertips. "You've be

face away. "Don't be ridiculous. I've been with Kassandra. She was ver

ave, his back r

by the door, his ey

on," Alexia

erations of the same sickness. Looking at them, Alexia felt a profound, soul-crushin

ose their lies, to demand an end to the charade. B

ir game. Let them

ing the stag