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