Escaping Blackwood's Gilded Cage

Synopsis

I stood in our bedroom, Manhattan's evening lights casting long shadows across the polished hardwood floor. The wish jar sat on my palm, its glass cool against my skin. Inside, dozens of colorful paper stars Alexander had folded for me over our five years of marriage caught the light, each containing a promise he'd made. "I promise to always put you first," I read aloud, my voice barely a whisper as I unfolded the blue star. My fingers trembled slightly as I dropped it into the wastebasket beside me. My other hand instinctively moved