Retribution Chapter 2

Winter in the Midwest is unforgivably cold.

I stood by the railing of the downtown bridge, the wind stinging my face like a slap.

I used to think that Ethan and I would get married, have kids, and live a quiet, happy life just like any other loving couple.

After all, no other man had ever treated me as well as he did.

He would clumsily cook my favorite dishes. Even though he hated the smell of spicy crawfish, he still took me to a shack on the Gulf just to get the authentic stuff.

He even went to a simulation class to experience the pain of childbirth, crying as he told me we shouldn't have kids because he didn't want me to suffer.

I thought he loved me to his core.

But it turns out, he never once considered marrying me, let alone having a family with me.

The wind howled past, and the black water rushed furiously beneath the bridge.

I lifted my foot to step onto the bottom railing, intending to just feel the wind, but someone suddenly grabbed me from behind in a tight bear hug.

It was an older woman, her face filled with panic, gripping my arm tightly.

"Oh dear, I’ve been watching you for a while. It’s not worth it, sweetie, it really isn't."

"If something happened to you, it would break your parents' hearts."

"Life is long. There’s nothing you can’t get through."

She practically forced her own gloves, scarf, and beanie onto me.

Finally, she pulled a warm, foil-wrapped breakfast burrito from her coat pocket and shoved it into my hand.

I had been holding back tears for so long, but at that moment, they completely exploded. I sobbed uncontrollably.

I wasn't trying to jump. I just wanted to freeze myself into feeling rational again.

I wanted to accept the brutal reality that Ethan Cross did not love me.

But facing this stranger's warmth, I suddenly felt so aggrieved, so full of resentment.