One

My world is spiraling out of control over the horrifying reality that my marriage was a ticking time bomb, and I had no way of defusing it. "I can’t believe this is happening. I should have left when I had the chance. Now, look at me lying here in ‘All this blood! All this blood!"

Tears roll down my cheek while adrenaline courses through my veins, making it difficult to process the pain I feel. Lying on the floor, I am trapped in a nightmarish scenario with no escape.

I hear sirens in the distance, and urgent voices call my name. Through my tear-filled eyes, I see emergency workers rush toward me. The anxious expressions of the EMS team fuel my desire to survive, reminding me I am not alone in this fight, even as pain threatens to consume me.

The anxious voice of Jake, my brother-in-law, urgently asks an EMS technician, "How is she?" The technician replies, "We need to get her to the hospital. She's lost a lot of blood." His words hit me hard, deepening the dread in my chest.

As they gently lift me onto the stretcher, my watery eyes search for my husband. I see our shattered wedding photo on the floor and a wall damaged by impact. I called for my husband. A male voice responds, but it isn't Blake; it is Jake. "I'm here, Treasure," he says, squeezing my hand tightly to provide support as they wheel me toward the ambulance.

When I open my eyes again, I find myself in a hospital room. A nurse approaches me, and in that moment, I feel a sense of relief; I’m alive.

“Good morning, Mrs. Crenshaw. I’ll get the doctor in here to see you. Everything will be explained to you. It will be okay.”

“Thank you.”

The doctor comes over, “Good morning, Mrs. Crenshaw. I’m happy you are awake. Let me check your vitals.”

The only question I have for the doctor is, “Is my baby okay?”

“I’m sorry, you lost the baby; you had a miscarriage.”

When I was younger, I lost my parents in a fire. I thought I couldn’t experience a greater loss, but this emotional sadness and pain were so intense that it was unimaginable. My lips tremble, fighting back the tears as I ask, “Is my husband in the waiting room?”

“Ma’am, the only person who was here earlier was your brother-in-law.”

Hearing that Blake hadn’t visited the hospital, it was devastating. The suffering I’m enduring makes me feel so helpless. I burst into tears, turning my face into my pillow. Confined to this hospital bed, unable to confront the husband I married, now, bittersweet memories flood my mind. “How could I be so blind as to marry a heartless man like Blake Crenshaw?”

It’s a complicated scenario with no simple answers. I had recently attained independence and intended to move out of my uncle’s house, now that I was employed steadily. My uncle was unhappy with my choice to leave, as it interfered with his expectations of using me for money to settle his gambling debts.

Unbeknownst to me, there was a manipulator with an elaborate scheme to exert influence over me and maintain his grip, lurking in the background. I had become accustomed to shady men looking for my uncle to collect debt. So, it wasn’t surprising when this man appeared several nights a week, always clad in dark suits and his eyes concealed behind dark glasses, relentlessly pursuing my uncle. It was during his last visit that I started to question his motives.

“Innocent little lady, I see your uncle never told you that you shouldn’t talk to strangers?”

“Sir, you appear at my front door so often, I can hardly call you a stranger. But my uncle isn’t here. So, please stop disturbing my sleep.”

He chuckled. “You aren’t afraid?”

“No, should I be?”

With a mischievous grin, he replied. “No, not of me...”

“Loo,k sir, I’m tired and I must get up early for work. So good night,” I shut the door.

Months went by, and the stranger didn’t come back. I thought my uncle had paid him. Until one day he came home beaten to a bloody pulp, begging me relentlessly for money.”

“Come on, Treasure! My limbs are at stake!”

“You promised me you were going to quit gambling.” I cried out.

“You should feel obligated to help me after my only brother sacrificed his life to save you. I should have put you in an orphanage, but I didn’t because we are family.”

“This isn’t how families treat one another!”

“Please, Treasure. Do you want to see me cut up into tiny pieces?”

I always felt cornered to give him my savings. I was desperate to escape this situation. Months later, my uncle mentions a man named Blake Crenshaw.

“Treasure, have you ever heard of Crenshaw Banking in the northern part of town?”

“Yes, I’m aware of the bank. Don’t tell me you robbed that bank.”

“No, I know one of the owners, and he tells me he would like to take you out.”

“What! Why would the owner of a bank want to take me out? He’s never met before.”

“Treasure, I don’t know and that’s not important. Don’t you want to experience what it’s like to live a good life? A man like Blake Crenshaw doesn’t come around every day. It’s just a dinner date; give him a chance

He saw my puzzled expression. "Hey! He might be what you are looking for."

I pushed my reservations aside and concluded it’s just a simple dinner date; nothing will probably come of it. So, I told my uncle I would accept.

As I lay here in this hospital bed. Now I realize that was the biggest mistake in my life.

That Saturday evening, he was to take me out, I waited for thirty minutes, before a sleek black sports car with tinted windows parked in front of the house.

"He’s late." I muttered agitatedly.

But when this over six feet tall, handsome guy gets out of the vehicle. All my frustrations melted like butter.

My uncle peeked his head into my room, a teasing smile spreading across his face. “Did I hear you grumbling about your date, Treasure?”

“Uncle Tony, has this man ever been here before?”

“I don’t think so.” He chuckled mischievously.

I adjusted my conservative calf-length pencil skirt and white silk blouse.

“Don’t worry; you are just what he’s looking for,” he said, looking me up and down with an approving nod.

“Oh, really? I hope I can keep up with him. He seems… different,” I replied, glancing at my reflection in the mirror as I fixed the black, red, and white scarf around my neck.

“Different how? Niece, do you think he’s handsome?” Clearly intrigued.

“Very,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Then that's all that matters."

“But he’s just so well put together.”

“You’ll do great,” my uncle says, giving me a gentle nudge toward the door.

I watched this man glide toward me. Suddenly, I felt underdressed. My semi-casual outfit paled in comparison to how he appeared. I felt like a fixer-upper who needed complete renovation.

"Hi, Treasure, I’m Blake Crenshaw," he introduced himself, his deep tenor voice triggering butterflies to tussle in my stomach for the first time.

"Hi, nice to meet you," I replied, my nerves bubbling under the surface.

“Are you ready to go?" he asked, extending his hand.

I nodded, connecting my hand to his outstretched one. After dating this charming man for a month, he proposed. He had swept me off my feet, so I said yes. We shared a beautiful private ceremony in Cancun, his twin brother Jake was his best man and our witness. With such a perfect beginning, how did I end up engulfed in a sea of pain, lying in a hospital bed?