her of her ravaging heartbreak and embarrassment three years ago.
She ’d been jilted, left at the altar in a flowing white wedding gown. She’d been excited to start a life with the man she loved, but it was never meant to be.
Later , when she’d confronted her fiancé Jack, when her heart had plummeted to immeasurable depths of despair, he’d said that he’d changed his mind. He’d realized they’d be no good together, that she wasn’t really his type, and that he didn’t love her. He’d come to those realizations an hour before their wedding. The horrible memory was as clear and tangible as though it had occurred yesterday. The scars were crusted over, but the wounds still throbbed as a painful reminder that she hadn’t been good enough.
She’d been cast aside like rubbish discovered at the back of a closet. Jack had decided to start a new life and it didn’t include her. Shortly after their breakup, he’d packed up and moved across the country, leaving behind the so-called garbage in his life in search of what he termed, ‘better things’. Chloe had been left to pick up the shattered pieces of her heart and soon after, her broken family. Thankfully, that had been before WMH. None of her friends here knew about that shameful day.
Richard predicted that she’d be alone forever and taunted that the reason she didn’t have a boyfriend, and hadn’t had one since Jack was because she was repulsive.
Repulsive . Chloe turned the word over in her mind. Unattractive would have been a gentler word. ‘Repulsive’ made her feel unlovable. He’d been unkind with his assessment of her life and it was all Chloe could do not to release a fresh rush of tears. She loved her brother and still saw the little boy who cried in the dark for a father he never knew and a mother whose heart was too broken to love him. She knew that his sudden eruptions of anger were his way of coping with their mother’s illness. But even with that rationalization, his words still sliced through her like sharp swords, cutting through a self-esteem that was already fragile.
Jack had been her first and only lover, and she had planned to spend the rest of her life with him. He’d been a sort of salvation for her. After her father’s death, she’d had little time to think of herself. There’d been no dating, no proms, and no sweet-sixteens. Jack had come along, like a knight in shining armor, telling her she was pretty and promising her the world. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t a sister, or a daughter, or a care-giver. She was a woman , and she was completely unaware of how or when it had occurred. Life had been a moving train, and although she’d ridden along, she’d never gotten off at any of the stops, never taken time to explore the scenery, or simply lay in a field and soak in the landscape.
Getting Jack’s attention had been like stepping into the sun after a long, dull, winter. But she soon realized that for her the seasons never change. The heavy coat of responsibility and independence that she’d always worn helped her to persevere, and she continued to manage the priorities of her family. Priorities that didn’t include going out on Saturday night.
Her head popped up when Susan rushed by in a panic, scattering her thoughts.
“Is everything okay?” Chloe inquired, rising from her seat.
Susan, whose face usually wore a sarcastic grin, now regarded her with frightening alarm.
“They ’re coming!”
“Who?” Justin, a male nurse who had been nearby, came to stand beside Chloe.
Susan took a deep breath. “The surgical team is making rounds!”
“What? It’s too early! They don’t usually come fo r an hour and a half—after we’re gone!” Justin’s eyes bulged in disbelief.
“I saw them . They’re making their way over here. Dr. Markson’s team.”
“Oh, fuck!”
Chloe’s eyebrows shot up as she watched Justin race away to make sure all was in order with his patients.
“I
She ’d been jilted, left at the altar in a flowing white wedding gown. She’d been excited to start a life with the man she loved, but it was never meant to be.
Later , when she’d confronted her fiancé Jack, when her heart had plummeted to immeasurable depths of despair, he’d said that he’d changed his mind. He’d realized they’d be no good together, that she wasn’t really his type, and that he didn’t love her. He’d come to those realizations an hour before their wedding. The horrible memory was as clear and tangible as though it had occurred yesterday. The scars were crusted over, but the wounds still throbbed as a painful reminder that she hadn’t been good enough.
She’d been cast aside like rubbish discovered at the back of a closet. Jack had decided to start a new life and it didn’t include her. Shortly after their breakup, he’d packed up and moved across the country, leaving behind the so-called garbage in his life in search of what he termed, ‘better things’. Chloe had been left to pick up the shattered pieces of her heart and soon after, her broken family. Thankfully, that had been before WMH. None of her friends here knew about that shameful day.
Richard predicted that she’d be alone forever and taunted that the reason she didn’t have a boyfriend, and hadn’t had one since Jack was because she was repulsive.
Repulsive . Chloe turned the word over in her mind. Unattractive would have been a gentler word. ‘Repulsive’ made her feel unlovable. He’d been unkind with his assessment of her life and it was all Chloe could do not to release a fresh rush of tears. She loved her brother and still saw the little boy who cried in the dark for a father he never knew and a mother whose heart was too broken to love him. She knew that his sudden eruptions of anger were his way of coping with their mother’s illness. But even with that rationalization, his words still sliced through her like sharp swords, cutting through a self-esteem that was already fragile.
Jack had been her first and only lover, and she had planned to spend the rest of her life with him. He’d been a sort of salvation for her. After her father’s death, she’d had little time to think of herself. There’d been no dating, no proms, and no sweet-sixteens. Jack had come along, like a knight in shining armor, telling her she was pretty and promising her the world. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t a sister, or a daughter, or a care-giver. She was a woman , and she was completely unaware of how or when it had occurred. Life had been a moving train, and although she’d ridden along, she’d never gotten off at any of the stops, never taken time to explore the scenery, or simply lay in a field and soak in the landscape.
Getting Jack’s attention had been like stepping into the sun after a long, dull, winter. But she soon realized that for her the seasons never change. The heavy coat of responsibility and independence that she’d always worn helped her to persevere, and she continued to manage the priorities of her family. Priorities that didn’t include going out on Saturday night.
Her head popped up when Susan rushed by in a panic, scattering her thoughts.
“Is everything okay?” Chloe inquired, rising from her seat.
Susan, whose face usually wore a sarcastic grin, now regarded her with frightening alarm.
“They ’re coming!”
“Who?” Justin, a male nurse who had been nearby, came to stand beside Chloe.
Susan took a deep breath. “The surgical team is making rounds!”
“What? It’s too early! They don’t usually come fo r an hour and a half—after we’re gone!” Justin’s eyes bulged in disbelief.
“I saw them . They’re making their way over here. Dr. Markson’s team.”
“Oh, fuck!”
Chloe’s eyebrows shot up as she watched Justin race away to make sure all was in order with his patients.
“I
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