Together We Rise From Ashes

Carpent

nfolded. Inside, time had stopped, frozen in a tableau of grief and antiseptic white. Three day

zed. A video mess

mbled as I p

opped up on a mountain of pillows in what was clearly Kade' s bed. Kade himself was sitting on the edge, patiently spoon-feeding her soup, h

er. She placed a hand on her still-flat stomach. "Thank you for taking suc

friends and family gathered in the room, all looking

d, "Where' s Gloria? S

out by a chorus of praise for h

ideo

was a victory lap. A de

her own phone, her face a rigid mask of f

e dangerously calm. "I' m done fe

in my chest. I took a deep breath, the pain in

portal on my phone. My fingers flew across the screen, filling out the forms. Name: Gl

. The divorce was filed. The first official shot in our war had been fired. I forwarded

all. No flicker of acknowledgment through our now-severed bond. It was

er. He answered o

Gloria?" His voice

u get my

lucky I' m talking to you at all. Do you have any idea how much

. Get. Th

signing anything. You want to act like a child, fine. But you' re still my wife.

this was a game. A tantrum. He thought I was trying to get his attent

ground, syrupy sweet. "Kade, hone

before I heard him mur

care of Florence, I see. Is she feeling better

. "She' s not feeling well. She' s pregnant, for Christ

daggers to my heart. My vision swam.

raw wound, torn from the deepest part of my soul.

ce was a

e, are you still upset about that? I' m so, so sorry for your loss. Truly. But maybe... m

eam building inside me. The room started to spin. I couldn' t breathe. Physical pain, shar

let her say it. He let her call th

d and distant. "You' re hysterical. Fl

would never care. To him, our child was an inconvenience. My pain was a

he was severing my very soul. The connection shriveled an

the phone and doubled over, a raw,

own tears wetting my hair. "He' s not worth it, Glo," she whispered

g. "We' re not waiting for their permi

cil. We' ll get a mandatory dissolu