
A Price for HumiliationOn our tenth anniversary, Evan Rodger and I decided to tattoo each other's names on our chests.
After the tattoo session, I woke up with my head still feeling groggy.
To my dismay, I found the words "Old Crone" tattooed in a bold font across my chest.
Upon noticing the way my expression dropped, Isabel Hawthorn, who was the tattooist, snickered, "You’ve been dating Evan for a decade, but he still hasn’t registered your marriage together. What does that make you if not an old crone?"
I smashed the mirror on the spot, which spewed broken shards in her direction.
Evan practically threw himself in her direction and pulled her into his arms to protect her.
He snapped at me with a ferocious scowl, "She’s just a young, naive girl who was trying to make a joke. Why are you picking on her?"
I stared intently at the parted collar of his shirt.
What was supposed to be my name tattooed on his chest had been replaced with "Isabel Hawthorn, My Only Love".
Isabel wrapped her arms around Evan. She expertly played the victim and appealed dearly to him, "Evan said he liked my name last time, so I was only trying to make a joke. You wouldn’t be upset at me, would you, Claire?"