Love to the Brink, Only Empty Joy

He handed me the scarf. It was blood red, glaringly bright.

Ironically, that was Selah's favorite color.

But for me, it was the color I hated most.

Cora had a congenital heart condition, and the sight of red always terrified me.

"Get that stupid scarf out of my face!" I snapped.

Oliver clearly hadn't expected me to be so angry.

He frowned and said, "If you don't like it, fine, but there's no need to make such a fuss.

"If it's because of Cora, I'll arrange for dinner tomorrow or the day after. That work for you?"

He tossed the scarf and its box onto the floor.

To him, even a half-hearted gift was nothing more than trash.

I said, "Oliver, have you ever noticed that Cora isn't here? Don't you wonder where she's gone?"

He waved his hand dismissively and lay back down.

He said, "If she's not home, she's at the hospital. I've visited her there before."

He didn't care at all.

I'd misjudged him. That was on me.

I said, "Oliver, next month, go ahead and marry Selah. I'm done."

His face darkened, and his voice turned cold with a hint of threat.

He grunted, "Amber, my patience has its limits.

"If you keep this up, don't blame me for sending Cora abroad for treatment.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing. Ever since Cora came along, you've used every excuse to tie me down.

"Cora is a child, not some tool for you to manipulate."

He tugged at his tie, threw open the door, and stormed out.

And once again, it was like this.

He knew Cora was just a kid.

But I was her mother who wished nothing but the best for her.

To everyone else, Oliver could be polite, refined even. But with me, he was a bully.

He used Cora to threaten me, to make me back down, to force an apology, and to beg for his forgiveness.

Not this time.

I packed Cora's things, and without a backward glance, I left.