Intertwined

I let out a sigh and looked around the bar, the strangers, the lights, and the soft music playing in the background.

“Well… I just thought I’d have a change of scenery,” I said, motioning toward the space around me. Then toward him. “And, you know, just try not to think about the mess I just got into. Try not to think about the fact that the life I knew… is over.”

He nodded like he understood exactly what that meant.

“The Bennetts weren’t much help, were they?”

I don’t know if it was the drink, the exhaustion, or the anger that had been simmering under the surface.... but suddenly, I just wanted to pour everything out.

“I cannot believe them,” I said, my voice shaking. “I loved them. I loved my mother-in-law. I know people say mother-in-laws are wicked and all that, but I was close to mine. I loved her. I thought… she loved me.”

My voice broke. And for once, I didn’t try to hold it in.

“I treated them like my own parents,” I whispered, my voice heavy with betrayal. “I thought of them