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I opened my mouth wide

“Tongue”

I lifted ue to show there weren’t any pills squirreled away underneath

“Good girl” He picked up his briefcase froe, then his coffee He stood there waiting, and I scurried to do the expected

I hurried to his side and kissed his cheek He patted fully “I expect dinner on the table at six sharp I ht not be Either way, I expect the food to be hot, so keep it waret rubbery I hate that”

“Of course” I smiled Pleasantly Vacantly

“Good girl”

“Have a good day at work, darling”

He ignored h the door to the garage and let it slam behind him

I stayed still, e door open and then shut again

And then I ran to the bathroo up the pills I counted, only breathing out in relief when I saw all five of the in the toilet

I sat back on the cool tile as I flushed Not for long, though I got up and brushedworn by thisroutine, but I didn’t see any other way Besides, it was a short-terht months

The withdraas a bitch, that was for damn sure

I looked atblonde hair Under thirty The trophiest of trophy wives

As long as you didn’t look too closely at my wrists and the scars from the deep slashes there Bruises could be hidden with concealer, but scars were more difficult I wondered if any of our so-called “friends” ever wondered why I alore long sleeves or else a watch and heavy bangles on ain, they didn’t need to wonder Jeff told anyone ould listen that I’d tried to kill myself It fit well into the narrative he painted of ile”

I’d been on the cocktail of pills ever since I’dthe withdrawals last fall, I couldn’t say I wasn’t teain Jeff had finally allowed ain after year two out from The Incident So I had access I could have done it