Shattered Illusions, Reclaimed Life

pink lines on the pregnancy test finally gave me a desperate surge

ecretly having an affair with a twenty-year-old named Alexis

Alexis a non-refundable ticket to a remote wellness

tling my parents' beloved diner chain, a Midwest institution built from n

ng my parents, forcing my proud father to kneel in the to

ed his hand around my throat, slamming me against the wall,

d dismissed me as too old and 'not vibrant,' I knew the fragile l

ver use a baby to forever bind me to him, I made the

ft my wedding ring, and with my parents, disappeared to a small t

gly offering to buy me back, to restore my parents'

that stripped him of everything: 'There was a baby

eaving him broken and lost, finally giving me the first taste