Brandon was trapped in a dream.
In that dream, there was no phone call. No paralyzed mother. No divorce papers. And no Vanessa.
In the dream, he and Evelyn still lived in their sunlit apartment, just the two of them.
He saw himself coming home from work. Evelyn was curled up on the balcony, sketching out a new design. When she looked up and saw him, she smiled. “You’re home early.”
He walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I
missed you.”
She chuckled, gently nudging him away. “Yeah, yeah. Go wash up, dinner’s ready.”
On the dining table were all his favorites–barbecue ribs done just the way he liked. Her cooking was still
exactly the same.
“Your mom called today,” Evelyn said as she ladled soup into his bowl. “She wants us over for dinner this
weekend.”
Brandon nodded. “Alright. I’ll go with you.”
Everything in the dream was warm, vivid, perfect.
Beep… beep… beep…
The relentless beeping of the monitor dragged him–cruelly–back to reality.
Brandon opened his eyes.
The sterile glare of the hospital ceiling made him wince.
Pain shot through every inch of his body. The ache reminded him–this was the real world.
And in this world, there was no cozy apartment. No dinner table. No Evelyn curled up in the sun, waiting for
him.
He blinked quickly, forcing the tears back.
The door creaked open.
Evelyn walked in.
Brandon jerked upright, a spark of life lighting up his eyes. “Evelyn! You’re here! Does this mean… you’ve forgiven me?”
She set down a bag of fruit on the nightstand, her face calm and composed. “No.”
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“King or Clown. Move aside! I’ll show you my crown!
The smile froze on his face.
“I’m grateful you saved me,” she said evenly. “So I’ll stay until you’re discharged. I’ll help where I can.”
Brandon stared at her, desperately searching for a flicker of warmth, some hint of the woman who used to love him–but her gaze was distant. Detached.
That light he once basked in was gone.
“… You don’t have to,” he said after a pause, his smile bitter. “I owe you that much.”
She said nothing. Instead, she poured him a glass of water and held it out.
He didn’t take it.
Instead, his voice dropped to a whisper. “If I hadn’t lied to get your signature on those divorce papers… if things had gone differently…”
“There is no if,” Evelyn cut in, her tone like ice. “The moment you said the word ‘regret‘–while lying next to Vanessa on your wedding night–you severed every last thread between us.”
Brandon’s breath caught in his throat.
It felt like something inside him had shattered, irreparably.
“Get some rest,” she said as she turned to leave. “Since you don’t need me here, then let’s not see each other again.”
The door clicked shut behind her.
Brandon broke.
He tore the pillow from beneath him and hurled it at the wall. Then he yanked the IV from his arm, blood instantly welling up. But he didn’t flinch.
He couldn’t feel anything anymore.
“AHHHH-!”
His scream ripped through the sterile quiet of the room–raw, guttural, endless.
He hated himself–his cowardice, his pride, his pathetic lies.
But most of all, he hated knowing he had driven away the one woman he ever truly loved.
And now it was too late.
God, how he wished it was all just a nightmare—that he’d wake up to find her still lying beside him, her hair a mess on the pillow, her breathing soft and even.
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“King or Clown Move aside! I’ll show you my crown!
But no.
That warm embrace was gone.
Just like the dream–it had never been real.
C
