No Longer His Wife, His Mother

nd us, my husband, a paramedi

sweetheart, not to me, his wif

o stop being dramatic and left me to die, taking our son with h

er her "anxiety attack" across the hall. They had chosen her, l

ogize, but to demand I stop my "games." So I gav

mly. "And you can have Jax. I n

pte

sa

as the building around us crumbled. The dust choked me, burning my lungs with every shallow breath. I wat

d a small party at home, just us. Jonas, my h

aid, his voice flat. "Jax insis

d when Bria' s name entered our

to keep my voice even, but a tremor escaped. My heart condition f

like an unreasonable burden. "Alisa, don' t start. Jax l

e way she subtly undermined my authority as a mother, and how Jonas always,

y best efforts. "She' s your ex-girlfriend who decided to suddenly

wall. The building groaned, a tortured sound of metal and concrete tearing apart. A gas explosion. The thought flashed through my mind j

ied out, my breath catching. The dust was a physical weight, pressing

stinct took over. I threw my body over his, shielding him from the falling debris,

sent a jolt of pain through me, radiating from my chest. I could feel th

y paramedic husband. He was here. Hope, sharp and desperate, pierced

n beam, Jax squirming free beside me. But then his gaze shifted, locking onto Bria, who w

he!" Bria wailed, her voice surp

is feet. He pointed a small, trembling finger

The only one. My eyes pleaded with him, my mouth open

oment, I saw a flicker of something, perhaps guilt, perhaps recognition o

k. He pressed it gently to her face, his hands steady, his ga

e twisting my lips. Bria, the perpetual vi

sness was a flickering candle in a hurricane. I was losing air. My oxygen was running out. And if Jona

y a whisper, swallowed by the groan

elping Bria to her feet. He didn't t

r, his voice dismissive, already moving away. "Br

s' s uniform. "Daddy, is Aunt Bria okay? Mommy always gets strong

abandoning me. My husband, the man who vowed to protect me,

ding as he herded Bria and Jax towards a presumably safer exit. Jax kept asking, "Is Aunt Bria okay? Is she hurt?" H

ain, the burning lungs, the failing heart. It was the crushing weight of bet

thold, replayed the morning' s argument, the on

had yelled, stomping his foot. "Yours are

explain that I loved baking for h

ace scrunched in a mask of pure fury. "I wish you weren' t my mom! I wish

he familiar ache in my chest intensifying. Jonas, of course, had been silent, m

ring Jax sweets I forbade, buying him toys I deemed inappropriate, always the "fun" one. Jonas had never intervened,

outburst, when the building shook, my first, only thought was to protect

ughed, my voice thick with dus

unt Bria!" he' d cried, ignoring me completely. His s

oing his words. "Bria

nancy. None of it mattered. Bria, th

breath hitched. My world was shrinking,

e betrayal was absolute, a cold, hard stone in my chest, weighi

stant now, but clear: "Bria, are you feeling better? Just hold on, we' re almost out

ving me alone in the rubble, a casual