Love After The Lie

e ye

re ate Mark, my Mark, and spat out

, a little boy who only knew his firefighter da

fee and fried food clinging to me, just to keep our

ere kind, always there with a plat

constant plea, "Olivia

life, his memory was all

the scent of him long gone, replaced by the fai

anniversary,

s felt heavier on thi

op by the Henderso

idn't need to see his gra

riveway, the familiar oak tree in th

ajar, I could hear voices fr

er, "It was David who had the gamblin

the doorknob. D

er, strained, a voice I

d to do! For Sar

wasn't David's voice. David

was

Mark, to escape those loan sharks and 'protect' Sarah, but what about

a

iv

M

d to vanish, the world til

efighter, didn't die. He

own son bel

rieve, for

e strugg

mourned, had orchestrated

yself on the doorframe, my b

ro. My

s a f

y, my sacrifice, al

e memory I cherished, it wa

sea hit me, b

from the door,

ing, I just ran, away from t

ucted world I lived

mbling for my phone, my hands sha

. I needed

g, her voice calm, "Olivia, hone

down my face,

know Captain Miller? The one

dear. Captain J

asting like ash and newfound, bitter free

alty, my unwavering d

s all

rah, and her unborn child. He chose

hem over m

us mourn a ghost, while he lived a n

hing, a vise around my ch

ain, a cold, hard

hero. He was a c

d three years o