I drove back to the house Jason and I shared. Jason had been away for a long time. In the past six months, my health had deteriorated, leaving me too weak to clean. The house was covered in dust.

The effort of hitting Melissa had drained all my strength. I staggered into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, where our wedding photo album lay open. The pictures showed us smiling sweetly, just like any other loving couple. Those moments had been the happiest of my life.

I gently caressed Jason’s suited figure in the photos, my heart aching unbearably. How could it have changed so quickly? Just three years,...