One More Game

The hot icicle of betrayal when she found out he'd been cheating (again) had never gone away. She'd just got used to it. Her insides had rearranged painfully around it.

He seemed to blame her. Acting like her very existence annoyed him. He'd made her life a burden-mould, and it was getting difficult to resist its insistent shape.

He was irritable, where he should have been begging forgiveness. Perhaps if she were younger. Thinner. Prettier.

She'd eye his thickening middle, his receding hairline... and marvel at his audacity. Banging the office junior must be good medicine. The crudeness of her own thought shocked her, and she squashed it, stirring her coffee.

The beautiful home they'd built together over the years felt like a cage. Does he feel the same?

Then there were the test results she was waiting for. He acted as if she was unwell on purpose. To trap him, or something. As if, were she hale and hearty, he'd have already left. I don't want his pity, she told herself. And then, in a flash of painful honesty, but maybe I do. If that's all that's keeping him here.

He was grumpy if she tried not to "make a fuss", and equally grumpy if she asked for even a crumb of support.

"I won't be able to drive after, Graham, you know that. Not with the painkillers they'll give me. Please."

It hurt to beg, but what choice did she have?

She sipped coffee, reflecting. But I do have a choice. There's always a choice. Every day is a choice.

She shook the thought away, like she had the day before, and the day before that. Every time, it was a heavier, clinging more tightly.

No. It's a sin!

There they were, the tablets, lined up in front of her. Why?

How hard could it be? If she loved him (did she?) then it'd be a gift. He'd be free.

A chirp from her phone interrupted her reverie. Her eldest daughter:

>How did you do?

She'd always a knack for word games, and got this one in three tries.

Send.

The reply pinged through straight away.

>I'll beat you tomorrow!😁

OK, then. Not today.

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Word count (excluding note): 366

Submitted on 23rd January at 16:24

*Quick Author's Note*

Thank you so much for reading! Your thoughtful engagement is very much valued. Please leave a comment so I can reciprocate the read. If you enjoyed it, the best compliment you can give is to share it, or read another.

Pay no attention to the writer behind the curtain: I wanted to do a sort of dark "Borrowers" angle with this one. I'm writing a story every day this year. This one makes a 23 day streak. You can find all of them in my Index post, which is pinned to the top of my profile. I'll also link to it at the bottom. If you've been following the Moira stories, she's still on a break for now. Maybe she will be back tomorrow.

My "story every day" project: if you're joining me on this "story every day" madne adventure, please leave a link in the comments. Whether you're on a creative bent, like me, and writing mostly microfiction/stories, or whether you have your own, self-imposed criteria, I'd love to see what you come up with for today. I'll try to come back and edit this to link to your piece.