The Bride He Bought

the station was horrible. This has to enter my list of top ten stupid things I've done in

to work. Why did I let

get humiliated and disregard by everyone in his circle. I

hold it down for so lo

ck home, the apartment

curtains, soft and golden. The air is warm, and the scent of old fabric and co

up from the couch

he says weakly, his vo

the sleeve of my hoodie. "Yeah. I'

self up, grunting. "D

t cramps. I'll be

"Oh sweetheart... go lie down, re

be the one

n't reach his eyes. "You know I

n a threadbare couch. This is who he's always been, my caregiver. Now, he barely has the strength to eve

scape, I simply nod

s give out. I fall onto the bed like

I reach for my phon

ost

to br

n my pho

s.

omach

ans

ou have got to be the most ungrateful, unreliab

ightens. "Mr

You didn't even show up today, no heads-up. You shelved the horror novels under s

mer was yell

you talked back. Don't bothe

. Lane, p

ine go

Stare at t

like

t used to how quickly thing

e degrees and certificates I've amassed couldn't put food on ou

on

ry my face in my hands and

e hell d

ng for a reason to get rid of me. I could feel it in the way she sighed wh

I handed her

the bed, fists clench

thing

my heart a

humiliation. If only I co

s on my palm from carrying too many boxes at once.

They used to wear Tiffany bracel

rice off cheap pots. Folding Dad's laundry on Sunday

grees, honors

connections, money or at least

e incense, and it gradual

t Dante. The misogyni

gry at

didn't he teach me how to hustle? How to survive

g a pillow to my chest

lly tells Dante I reported him, and then he ruins my l

b, I go

omething i

... q

tural

e couch as he shifts, flipping TV chan

t up

" I ca

get a r

tumble to my feet,

im because the ki

o the main

l not

the cou

not in

ill on the floor. On

when I

oot of th

bent awkwardly and the other l

motio

is tangled

add