The Woman He Couldn't Break

worn inhaler in my h

it later that day, his

being with your parents? He' ll b

lding it up. "He needed it. He couldn' t breathe, Mark. H

, the image of Leo' s strugg

ddling him. You sai

nhaler from my hand

eo threw a tantrum because Ethan had a newer toy. He faked being sick

cross the room. It cla

rom you. You' re jealous, aren' t you? Jealous that I care about Lau

giggling boy who only ever wa

tered into a

ing; he was actively rewriting it, p

s narrative. All t

e constant neglect. Leo, who would draw pictures of t

e be so bli

university, a sp

ice cream later. He' d mentioned it

t been there for weeks. An

ed Laura' s flimsy excuses

s a chasm I could

ening with a small,

t out, he announce

oking a bit down. Thought

ish orange. A color I hated

He didn' t know I was allergic to t

he knew nothing about me that

gift wasn' t for me; it was another of Laura' s

im, my face c

He' s not with my p

ing, for one insane second, th

running a hand t

Laura said he' ll be back before the end o

te. He didn' t want to hea

, already absorbed

found regret

dn' t I protected Leo from this c

Mark would change, would see the

y own desperate hop

g fire, but the anger at myse

r, dragged Leo to that clinic the moment he

e backyard, laughing as he pushed Ethan o

months. Mark had always said it was

nse was spared, no

sneakers, the latest video g

me-downs or p

bitter pill I' d swa

umphant smirk playing on her lips a

atching from the

ark, said something in his ear, and the

twisted it!" she cried, her vo

by her side, all co

g her on the sofa, fetching her an ic

ten, started to wail. Mar

had e

room, my voice calm but c

ted, Mark. He buys Ethan shoes Leo needed. No

t you show some compassion? And stop br

broken sound. "You want compassion

reply. I turned and wal

way. I was walking

my car. It wasn' t much, an

e knew. She' d seen the bruises Mark sometimes left, the o

ight dim in my ey

igned the papers, her q

e right thing, Sar

w. This was jus

start. Far away from Oakhaven,

ost of my son in eve