Your Regret, My Revenge

was useless. He'd have

sheard, that

ded p

my backup phone, the old one

o this long-deactivated number. Later, he said he needed a ne

e be somet

mbered username and password, using the

in succ

stly clean, just a few old p

spotted an encrypted album tucke

ered, fingers

y birthda

ng anniversary date, b

hry

advertently mentioned that his colleg

just a dumb par

the password field: Cathryn's spelli

bum un

it me the moment

ncent and

against him, s

tenderness in his eyes I'd never

was a precise stab into th

ate shots of th

re we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. The photo's

le room for my first agonizing chemo session

her from behind, his hands resting on her growing baby bump. His face he

printouts, carefully p

pe, with Vincent's scrawled handwriting

as half a

like drowning, wrapped in icy

n I thought I had was

was the gre

ackup phone to photograph every single picture,

clad proof of

my finger accidentally tapped

atements Vincent had

il from a real estat

ions, Mr. Jenkins, on your successful

That was my parents' legac

ntract. The buyer was Cathryn. The payme

to buy my home f

ur joint account wouldn't have cover

to another docume

detailed spread

friend, the neighbor uncle who watched me gr

s-each one hard-earned savings

was a glarin

matched the purchase price on th

my dying, squeezed dry the goodwill of everyone

just betraya

cking the b

y sham

y stomach lurching, bil

e hospital roo

s Vin

ox, his face wearing that s

feeling today? I made you some toni

under the pillow, and mustered every ounce of

owl of dark, bit

ely faint, yet distinct, medicinal smell m

nd foggy, I never

nt pierced my mem

ant, her mother-in-law made her a daily pr

hought explode

without hesitation,

k the empty bowl, then as usual, took out a damp

r meeting. I'll be back t

my forehea

d back. I rushed into the bathroom, collap

ing up stomach acid

smell was eve

tal t

I, his wife, was drinking the so-called

k layer by layer like an

k wasn't to

s of his mistre

first brew to his

oiled them again, and fed the

disgu

tterly r

gh

ching my guts out, I heard the

room door o

forgot my p

cent! He c

opped, my b

t let him

nd on the flush lever. The loud rush

old water on my face, forcing a smi

gain?" Vincent's voice came from

against the sink,

the usual, side effe

ive him a grateful,

The medicine toda

letely. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand, gave

left my body. I slid down the

me before I strug

d, almost against my will, open

crolled through, numb

p. My breath sto

master bedroom and

g my favorite silk nightgown,

s dotted with int

oto of them