He Drowned Me, I Burned His World.

elves in my brain. The warmth of a moment ago vanished, replaced by a chilling c

Tears streamed down my face, hot and silent. He wasn' t just cheating on me. He had been with her for months.

keeping me weak. Dependent. A prisoner in m

he room, at the custom-installed grab bars along the walls, the lowered light switches, the wheelchair ramp leadi

never have to struggle, Elsa,"

. This wasn't a world built of love;

ack into my bedroom, the soft whir of the motor the only sound

ing like a brand against my skin. "Dahlia' s taking a personal day, so I' ve

face, was a physical force inside me. But I swallow

into the bathroom and scrubbed at my forehead, the spot w

e he' d given me on our first anniversary, inscribed with the coordinates of the cliffside where he' d propos

the corner of the room where the Aethelgard Chronicles VR pod sat, gleaming and fu

ungs. As the system booted up, my consciousness syncing with the virtual world, I remembere

atched. My virtual body was strong, fast, and whole. The haptic suit responded to my neural impulses, translating thought into action. H

r. My reaction time was better, my senses sharper. The game was healing me in ways Dah

e. There was a national esports championship for Aethelgard in two weeks. An in-person event. It was my chan

aining, pushing my limits, my fingers flyin

It was a picture of her and Anthony, their heads close together, smiling at a fancy restaurant. His arm

the second notification. It wa

aress. "Just checking in. Did you remember to

ed with the phone, my fingers clumsy, stabbing at the s

t night. A text message

e. And please, remember what I said. Don' t overdo it with y

could love two women at once. He could lie w

had never lov