My Husband's Treacherous Game

Fulle

the ghost of a love that had died so quietly, I hadn' t even noticed its passing. Now, its a

ly in the silent room. I opened drawers, pulling out the few clothes that

downstairs. Footsteps, heavy an

s tie loosened, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder. He saw the o

ts precise and mechanical. "Dollye wanted me to get rid of some

my raw nerves. "For Christ' s sake, Ansley. Can' t

lapsed onto the edge of the bed, running

But you' ve changed. You

from yesterday. The purple juice stain had dried into a dark

lden," I said, my voice dangerously

ing from the stain to the burn. For a second, a muscle in his jaw twit

of clothing?" He balled up the fabric and threw it violently ag

nstructed dam of two years of silent sufferin

at one of the top architectural firms in the country. I gave up my friends, my family, my entire lif

ng to his feet. "She' s paralyzed beca

It was his favorite weapon, the one he unsh

ate-night conference call, a deal that would secure a massive investment for his mother' s portfolio. I' d been crying, and he' d held

eek later, she had a "stress-induced psychosomatic paralysis." The doctors cou

guilt and grief,

t two years trying to make up for it. I have catered to her every whim, endured her every insult. I have let her strip

le to meet my eyes.

rying to manage me. "Look, Ansley. Things are going to be different now. Casey is comin

Bush. His high-school sweetheart. The woman Dollye never t

ng in?" I aske

he said quickly, not look

ace. The lie I had overheard in the sunroom was about to become

arted pulling more of my thin

r of panic in his eyes.

"For Casey. You' re right. It wi

o the dry cleaner' s today, Holden. I got a

is cheeks, leaving his skin a pasty, sickly c

d of all emotion. "The ones you had me sign. The ones

sley, I... I can explain. Mom... she made me do it. She threaten

his fault. It was always his mother, the mar

could have told me. You could have treated me like your wife, your partner. But yo

ce cracking. "You' re twisting things! Y

like years. I saw the weakness in his eyes, the petulant set of his mouth. The man I had married,

ed him promising to stand by me, to protect me. I remembered all the little moments, t

l from my lips before I could stop it. A desperate

n a hand through his hair again, a gesture of pure frustration. "But you have to un

ke this d

and died, leaving nothing but cold, gray as

ice a hollow echo. I tu

The crisis was averted. Ansl

ning its usual confident tone. He was already moving on, arranging

mattress dipping under my weight. My hand came to rest on a small, dusty picture frame on the nightstand. It was

duced to a stack of deceptive legal doc

essage to the number I had called

s. I' ll

nstantaneous. W

irs made me jump. It was followed by Dollye' s shrill,

asion h