Eighty-Eight Betrayals, One Escape

y P

on. Three days of an endless, silent rotation of nurses and IV drips. Arthur never came back. Wh

nto our bedroom

ngs we

m the armchair. The closet stood half-empty, all of my clothes vanished. In their

g for so

the frame, dressed in a silk nightgown that was practically tran

s?" I asked, my voi

w it out. It was cluttering up the place. Besides," she added, taking a de

omeone who almost died from an allergic reaction, you have a surprising amount

She had done it on purpose. She had tried to kill me, or at the ver

lled with all the pain and confusion

at, Jody? I' m just taking care of my brothe

ymore. I turned away from her and walked stiffly

but directed his words to Claudia. "The movers are here. They' l

ving her in. Into ou

e guest room and closed the door, the click of the l

ke a cage. The beautiful furniture, the expen

ife in this house. A few changes of clothes, my laptop, my research papers. As I packed, my hands brushed

ppy. On the other, a tiny, intricately engraved star. He sai

ticed something else. The painting on the wall was one Claudia had admired. The vase on the dresser was a gift she had pick

e. I had been living in a world curated by Claudia,

ocket and tossed it into the suitcase. N

orway, a frown on his fac

gs I don' t need anymore,"

"I' ll buy you new things. We can go shopping t

' t get it. H

ce flat. I didn' t even

around his waist. "Let' s go pick out my thi

t," he laughed,

, a triumphant smirk on her face.

n' t mind at all. You two go on ahead.

inued packing, a single, silent t

the shift in the air, the coldness where there used to be warmth. But he couldn

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