ra's

the darkness of the kitchen, accompanied by the buzzin

sed and mentally unstable. He was afraid to break

uel blades. She said that the two thousand dollars in monthly support was

sage that made my bl

how I struggled agonizingly to cope with it in my youth, a

a as conversational fodder, handing it to his l

ecklace lying quietly on a pristine white card that r

and casually brushed it off with, "Being alive for another year

rns, pretending to kindly advise me to let Preston go, saying I was like

ing balcony. I stood in the biting wind until my breath

d replied briefly: "Th

f I was finally willing to pack u

me to reply, the fro

ed from a grueling business trip working for the underboss, and handed me a box of squashed

stained box of pastries

y been and told him I already knew he had spent

n his face. He stared at me, a delayed realization dawning

slumping, and without a shred of

d: "Mia is the woman I want to marry,"

years? Washing the blood from your collars, enduring the darkness for

h his hand, his movements ca

you is like drowning; it's nothin

aying the only reason he stayed with me

s light and easy, completely free of

rang, breaking the sil

ing across his face. "Don't open it!" he hissed, trying to block my

and saw Mia standi

expression that was a mix of disgust and pity. She didn't even glance

the cold brass handle, I said calmly

e time, only demanding a clean break an

agreed to the breakup, not leaking

ut the door together, th

egs could no longer support me, and I

ntire body, but even so, for that man who never tru