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He moved away from the table and went into the bathroom Water splashed into the sink Myrna took a deep breath and climbed to her feet She had assuirl he liked to marry hiet married--not ever--but she knew she should be s He couldn’t understand why she kept turning hiered the lu, thick scar beside it

She fol owed Brian and stood in the bathrooe makeup

"I’m sorry," she said

"What do you have to be sorry about?"

"I didn’t ht… I didn’t realize you treated me special y"

He looked at her "Why wouldn’t I? You are special"

She snorted "Brian, you could have any wo special about reement "You sel yourself short, Myr You’re wonderful And I don’t want just any woainst the idea of ainstanyone Besides, we barely know each other, how could you even contemplate such a crazy idea?"

"Sometimes you just know"

"Knohat?"

"You knohen it’s real This You andthat felt so real"

"And to me it’s not real at alIt’s like a fantasy"

He looked down at the sink "Okay, that hurt"

"I’m sorry"

He looked up at her and ss, Myrna" He approached her in the doorway and touched her cheek "I think I knohat it is Tel me about your ex-husband"

She flinched and turned away from him Heher up against his body She didn’t realize she was treth settled behind her

"I don’t like to talk about it" Her tre increased as flashes of ot you," he murmured "You’re safe"

Safe

Brian did make her feel safe And for that, she’d tel hi with hiood man when I married him He just drank sometimes, and when he was drunk, he becaerent every couple of months And then, every couple of weeks At the end, he was drunk every night He’d accuse s I’d never done, never even considered doing He thought I was having affairs He was paranoid Cruel When I denied it, he’d--" A broken sob cut off her words

She dashed away her tears Why was she crying? She hadn’t cried over Jeremy in years She’d left him in her past He couldn’t hurt her anynized that as a lie He hurt her every day

Brian turned her around and held her against his chest

She wrapped her arth "He’d threatensouy with too much interest" Myrna looked up at Brian and his face blurred behind her tears "You have to believe me, Brian I never I would never I didn’t cheat Not once I never even considered it" Her fingers curled into his shirt

Brian’s arhtened around her "I believe you" He rubbed his lips against the side of her head "Did he hit you?"