When Forever Crumbles: Love's Harsh Reality

s, was perfect. For two years, he adored me, an

red, holding the hand of a pale,

m. After an accident at the hospital, his son had a seizure. In

carrying his son, and lef

at day, alone. He

, he was wearing a different suit. He begged for forgiveness

. A dark hick

her while I was

parents married. He begged me to agree to a t

, selfish face, and a str

said. "I

pte

on the edge of an examination table, watching a nurse neatly ban

ly, but Jackson insi

and he rushed in, his expen

r, are y

ooms, were wide with worry. He hurried over,

fine. It' s ju

the fresh bandage as if it were a major

his voice low and full of a familiar, posses

woman with a kind

woman. He must lov

eeling spreading throug

rmer mixologist who gave up her career for the tech billionaire who ado

ugh the quiet clinic. It was a sound of pure pain

m the room next do

on turning sad. "Poor little

ed, my own small

uietly. "Only four year

couldn' t imagine the pain that chi

errible,"

issive. "It' s sad, but it has nothing

en it came to things outside our perfect world. H

woman with tired eyes and cheap clothes walke

ined. The woman looked desperate, her eyes s

sted with a mix of shock and

ward, pulling the l

, her voice trembling

ff beside me. He didn' t

ep. "It' s me. Karly. Fr

art starting to beat a little too fast

, pale face, I saw it. The same sharp line of his jaw. The

is face a mask of disbeli

was quick

ning strength. "You were there for a tech co

drunken mistake in Vegas before he met me. He' d said it was a me

k to the boy, Le

simple. The m

n didn' t just pop. It shattered

my voice barely a whi

n't meet

s feeling foreign in my mouth. My own voice so

holding her son, her expression calm, almost victorious. Jackson paced the

rying to hold myself together. I felt numb, like

eet of paper. She didn't have to say a

nfirmed it. 99

Jackso

looked at me, his mouth opening and closing, but

calculated, pitiful soun

tors say he needs a bone marrow transplant. Yo

ck little boy, at the tears on his face, and something in my husband shifted. Th

nt. It was like he was already in anoth

ained. "Go home. I' ll... I' ll ha

h

away. In the first real crisis of our marriag

erdict. And in that mo

hollowing sadness. This was the man who had promised to love and

cret who was now dying. And I couldn't

tly. I walked out of the clinic, leaving him there with his

edding portrait in the foyer seemed to mock me. Our

ss hit me, and th

d. Our housekeeper, Maria, was loo

ou fainted. I cal

ed man, was packing hi

, Mrs. Watkins. Y

gna

flickered inside me, immediately followed by a

on even want

ed Maria, my voice wea

home, ma' am. He

at the hospit

ach, the other clutching my phone, a

al all night. He never

the huge dining table trying to fo

rom an unkn

ing for your family

My family. The family I couldn' t remember.

k a single,

is t