e slipped from my numb fingers, clattering onto the rain-soaked pavement. My brain struggled to process what had just

. Every molecule in my body screamed betrayal. Thirteen years. Thirteen years of my life, my savings, m

owering edifice of glass and steel, its lights a harsh glare in the night. His aunt isn't here, a small, rational part of my brain insis

burning skin. My torn jeans, muddy and wet, felt heavy and ridiculous. I ignored the c

ge

g area, far from the chaos of urgent care. He was laughing, a low, intimate sound I hadn't heard f

hair, impossibly flawless skin, and an outfit that screamed 'designer' even

whisper that somehow carried to me. "You are just too good to

kle. Not a stroke. Not his aunt.

eaned in, his voice dropping conspiratorially, "it was a necessary distraction. Hayleigh was getting too c

e? With her? Angel, you told me you were never going to

ment, darling. And commitment means... limits. Our arrangement is much more... flexible, wouldn't you

of pouring my soul into him, into our future. Every late night, every missed meal, every aching musc

hered, working myself to the bone, while he lived a secret life of luxury and deceit. He h

e," every tearful story he' d spun about his bad luck. It was all a perform

Angel's lips. "My knight in shining armor," she

nally got the hint. And if she didn't, well, that public humiliation I o

y hands clenched, nails digging into my palms. The shame, the anger, the profound betrayal threatened to drown me. But

ager savings account, the one I' d started in high school, into our joint account, believing it was for our future. I remembered dreaming of a little hous

oid marriage, to prolong his "bachelor lifestyle," as he' d so coldly put it. And I, in my

missed my concerns with a condescending pat on the head, or a dramatic sigh about my "lack of faith" in his genius. He' d piled up debt from his extravagant lifestyle, debt he then e

re, lavishing gifts and attention on Britney. The irony was a bitter taste in my mouth. We were supposed to be b

of reach. My dreams didn't just shatter; they imploded, leaving behind only dust and despair. A profound sadness, so h

! My ankle is still a little swollen. Carry me, darling? I can

his, her soft blonde hair brushing his cheek. My bruised, aching self stood rigid, unseen. Just hours ago, I had fallen, I had been in pain, and he had hung up on me. No

e was dead. I limped back out into the rain, pulling my jacket tighter around me. My injured ankl

. My ankle is really bad. I think it might be broken. I'm stu

seriously? Right now? Britney just had a little accident, an

, my voice cracking. "I can'

he said, his tone impatient now. "You have money. Call a cab. Or an am

out, the words escaping before I could stop t

you're being hysterical. I don't know what you'r

l, pl

t get a cab. I'm not coming. I have to look after Britney now. We'll talk later." He hung up

ing with the fresh tears that finally began to fall. The pain in my ankle was excruciating, but it was

tened my shoulders, and began to hobble towards the nearest emergency entrance. I would get myself fixed. I would survive this. And then, I would start over. For the first t