ache. My mother, for al

he woman I could never forgive, but a

ed a lawyer. A good

walked back into J

d the divorce papers.

arried a simple,

a's a

as quiet, b

ounging by the pool, wear

younger, blonde

a dark mood clinging to h

. His eye

neered. "Couldn't ha

to a small table, plac

tering over, the blonde trailing h

er," I said,

a cruel amusem

alf-empty glass of ch

agne "accidentally" sloshed ov

onde g

nough, the blonde, holdin

he urn, scattering some of t

led champagne, a disgust

ched thin by grief and years of ab

adulterated rage t

d myself

hink. I ju

d her hair. I

d, a shrill

fist connected

hrieked and

his feet, sh

hing, but I was fueled by a

lt her nail

g, anything, that represente

security guards he summ

t makeup ruined, a trickle of b

shrieked at Julian. "L

me, his face a

he said softly. It was more

ndace tak

my knuckles raw, ashes and

mother was gone. M

e, her face bruised, d

but she was opport

Stan Kowalski, was. The top-tie

ent t

staff, saying she was a "family friend" ch

und hi

ventilator hissing

at the machine.

ade a small adjustmen

she

the facility. He said he was there to

in Stan's ro

distress. His oxygen levels ar

my father, stru

at the fra

me," Julian said, his voice devoid of a

d and wa

the bills essentially give up, did

ki died an

ility c

distant, like I was watchi

ther.

n Julian had

tterly

ely, terrif

him to take. Nothing left f

d up my

d was

rcus Hollow