Married to a Stranger, Loved by a Ghost

ns into

screech. A car swerve

oesn'

r name-not angrily, not wil

na!

ement, lungs on fire. Her injured ribs feel like the

e crackles in her ear

ll cut

e

eart

searching

gressively, ignoring traffic.

fur

A driver sla

ts into t

ck and rot. Trash bins line

lse ex

d e

No

tu

the mouth

esn't

wal

. Ce

ere to go," h

ck hit

but something ins

confused

reme

ill him," she s

aw ti

d to sa

mmed ou

hrowing you

omach

e demands. "Or

estion

five st

all-light at fir

y. "He filled your head with fantasies a

re mar

e marrie

y in his voi

nulment," he conti

ember signin

yes f

edy of memory, E

ees i

hearse

tive he's

he says softly. "Da

oited it afte

n inten

eps c

says. "Do you know what it did

oo

ve were

heart were

love me," s

on cracks-ju

re wr

steadily. "Yo

ark flashes

you?" Caleb asks quietly.

eath s

d you do

he didn't

er is to

ne buzz

wn nu

b no

drops to

," he

swers

d, urgent. "There's a fire exit ha

es fli

behind sta

add

the shift i

ace h

le

ru

lun

er the force. She stumbles but doesn't fall. She

her ribs as she

rabs he

this worse

t time, the

icks

nects with h

grip for

eno

cl

k. Her hands burn. Her br

circles lik

this," he calls up

oftop and drags he

es before her-gr

in her ear. "There's another b

e as she runs

er, meta

is cli

urse

ches th

wo feet at most-but

pounds v

," she w

insists. "He's fas

ladder rat

esn't

ju

crashes onto her shoulder, pa

scre

pound be

he gap with te

na,

d runs again, tear

thing is unev

o stop," he says.

aircase leading down i

o steps at a time, n

ottom bursts open

Noise.

umbles

head

nds later-but he s

ic s

nes

ths his

sm

, voice perfectl

ft is d

scaring

s away,

ill my husband

s ri

sighs

ad injury," he tells the ro

é owner

ything a

e rammed our car. Three years

rm

closer-but n

he says evenly. "There

eath c

e is s

ion rising. "Check the reco

aze locks

t want to

eat is

ri

re

s voice

a woman at the back table. Blue

eart

ha

s wat

cans th

cor

e c

oll on her phone-but her

curi

ess

ices Elen

ression

r of irr

an expected," Caleb says qui

he w

in blue st

stomac

el says urgently. "I wasn't supp

ve washes

ped," she

es

hear

yes s

e involved her," h

Dan

ization

never jus

organ

tro

na

ing me," she says slowly

oesn't

in blue st

ently. "You need me

who needs supervi

voice gro

tracking

art fr

where a

pa

the

ne goe

she

ps forwar

le

he café exit befor

oves through the door

know where t

now how much

e thing with ter

l is

aped f

't just a jea

ing far mor

oesn't reach

finish what

n pours

the river, heart pou