ManyWriters

In Lorne five-year flying career, the total direct distance covered was about 1.5 million miles.
Yet I, suffering from heart disease, secretly accompanied him for nearly a million miles during days he knew nothing about.
He hates me for causing the death of his parents.
Five years of marriage brought me endless torment.
Finally, I'm diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
As my life enters its countdown, I create a bucket list.
He, however, brings his mistress and has me suspended in mid-air, leaving me disabled.
Later, I turn to leave.
He kneels, begging me to start over.
But it's all too late now.

Until This Year, Only Regrets Remain

No...I frantically tried to plug them back in, but it was useless.


Scarlett walked over wrapped in a towel, seeing me sobbing uncontrollably.


"Sister, it's my fault you lost your legs. I'll make amends. Look, I specially raised your son's ashes into baby's breath flowers to give to you."


"Lorne even approved of this, you know."


"Mom, when I die, could you split my ashes in two - bury half in the cemetery and put half in a flowerpot? That way Brianna can always be with you and Dad."


I laughed and said surely Mom and Dad would go first.


"Isn't it putting this little beast's ashes to good use?"


Pain engulfed me like a giant monster. I retched repeatedly.


Looking up, there was only unstoppable hatred.


"You really think you can kill me in your crippled state? When Lorne and I were intimate in the hospital bed, I knew you were awake. You heard everything, didn't you? Does it hurt?"


"But what can you do when Lorne hates you?Scarlett caught a glimpse of Lorne out of the corner of her eye, pitifully collapsed on the floor, biting the back of her own hand.


As I approached, Lorne grabbed my clothes and hurled me against the wall.


The immense force caused me to smash my head, blood trickling into my eyes and forming a crimson mist.


At that moment, the flower pot shattered, scattering pieces across the floor.


I crawled on all fours, cradling the soil in my hands on the ground.


The pain was so intense I could barely breathe.


"Oh, I know you're upset, but I honestly had no idea this was grown from your son's ashes! Still, you shouldn't bite me," Scarlett whined in a coquettish tone.


"I think you're losing your mind more and more. The flower can grow back, why are you being so aggressive? If you're having an episode, I'll send you straight to the psych ward for treatment."


I staggered to my feet, pressing my face against the scattered dirt.


Don't be afraid, Brianna. Mommy's here.


The day Brianna left, I was unconscious with a high fever that wouldn't break.


That tiny boy, seeking Lorne's help, had run out of the house all alone.


I had promised him we would go see a movie that day.


But now he would never see one again.My child will forever lie in that small, square compartment.


I reach out and grab the empty vase nearby, filling it with ashes and soil.


Lorne sees me moving like a walking corpse, still without a shred of pity.


"Dashiell, when you've done wrong, you need to apologize."


My tears fall one by one into the soil, my voice low and hoarse.


Sorry for marrying Lorne, for falling in love with him.


I force a bitter smile and crawl out of the room.


Today is my child's birthday, and also the anniversary of their death.


Yet Lorne, the biological father, knows nothing of this. Instead, he's making love to his mistress, indulging her in destroying his own flesh and blood.


Ignoring the pain, I make my way to the movie theater, only to be told that all showings have just been bought out.


Given away to every moviegoer, except for the woman named Dashiell.


I try several theaters in the area, all with the same result.


It's my husband, the father of my child - Lorne.


He's doing this on purpose.Lorne is the father of the child.


Even if I have a thousand faults, he is innocent.


I hold that bunch of baby's breath and smile bitterly.


"Brianna, mommy broke her promise again."


In a daze, I take "Brianna" to the cemetery.


His smiling face on the tombstone remains unchanged.


He doesn't blame me for being useless, nor does he call me mom.


I tidy up his gravestone, clearing away the weeds for him.


The moment I open it, my pupils quake in shock.


Chapter 3