Chapter 2

My voice stayed steady. "I never told you, but I had a miscarriage a month ago."

It happened on our eighth anniversary.

I had spent the day cooking, setting out a feast, waiting for him. From sunrise to sunset, he never came.

All I got was a photo from Laurel: Kamari slumped against her shoulder.

Laurel texted, saying he was wasted and wouldn't be coming home.

Then came the dog.

The moment I saw it, shock hit me, and cramps tore through my abdomen.

I forced myself to call for help.

By the time I reached the hospital, my clothes were soaked in blood. Emergency surgery was necessary.

A nurse called Kamari for consent. He didn't answer.

I used the last of my strength to sign the form myself. Then, everything went black.

When I woke, my stomach was flat.

Strangely, relief outweighed pain. The baby was gone, and with it, the last thread tying me to that marriage.

I knew then that my marriage with Kamari was truly over.

Kamari's knuckles whitened as he gripped his glass.

He didn't even ask why I hadn't reached out.

He could see for himself the next day how many times I'd called.

And he knew exactly what he'd been doing that night.

Kamari said, "It's gone, so what? Better this way: if the kid was born, you'd just screw up raising it. You and your own child would've ended up like total strangers."

With that, he turned and walked upstairs.

But he seemed to forget. I'd never even spent a whole day with Robert since he was born. How could he ever feel close to me as his mom?

Besides, wasn't this exactly what the Larsons wanted all along?

After seven years of marriage, I knew Kamari like the back of my hand.

I could tell he was waiting for me to cave and make peace. Before, I'd always give in, making soup, bringing it to his door, knocking as my way of saying sorry.

Now, I was done.

Once I packed the last of my things, I pulled my suitcase and left without a glance back.

Back in those first few years after I met Kamari, things between us were honestly pretty sweet.

Our meeting, straight out of a romance cliché, felt like love at first sight.

Kamari chased me like his life depended on it.

I'd grown up in a broken home: my mom left my alcoholic father, leaving me to pay my own way.

So I knew Kamari's family was nothing like mine. I figured I was just a passing fancy to him, so I never really responded to his advances.

But it was this guy I thought was just a player, only looking for a fling, who ended up being the only light I had when things got really bad.

The day my father, drunk and confused, stumbled toward me, I panicked, screaming and calling the police.

I was freaking out, yelling his name, hoping he'd snap out of it, and grabbed my phone to call the police.

But he snatched my phone and smashed it to the floor, never even slowing down.

Just as he was about to reach me, my childhood dog leapt forward and bit him.

My dad, in pain and furious, threw the dog to the ground and smashed its head over and over with a beer bottle.

I watched my dog die right in front of me.

I completely broke down, grabbed a knife, and wanted to take him down with me.

At that moment, Kamari burst in, called the police, and saved me.

I collapsed into his arms, crying like a child.

I'd never forget the dog bleeding out. Its death haunted me forever.

The shadow of its brutal death haunted me. After that, I never got another dog, and even being close to one would trigger a panic attack.

When Kamari was twenty, he put his arm around me and made a promise,

"From now on, I'll be the one standing in front of you, protecting you," he said.

I really thought I'd found someone I could lean on, so I gave him everything I had.

But promises didn't last forever.

Ten years later, that promise was long expired.

Now, that painful past was just something Kamari would laugh about with Laurel, turning my misery into their private joke.

He even let it become a weapon, driving it deep into my heart without a second thought.

After we got together, we were head over heels for each other, just like any other couple in love.

To win over the Larsons, I picked up every side gig I could, never letting Kamari pay for anything.

And Kamari was happy to cram into that tiny apartment with me, just to be by my side.

No matter how tired we were during the day, seeing each other made it all worth it.

We always had something to say, always cheering each other on.