She Called My Cancer a Lie,Until I Died

Her pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"What are you doing!"

She had a cake in her hand, iced with blue waves.

Two little cartoon figures leaned together on top, sculpted out of mango.

Anyone could see it wasn't bought for me.

I'm allergic to mango.

William Simmons, on the other hand, loved mango.

Loved anything sweet.

Her hand shot out and clamped around the one holding the bat.

"You've lost your mind!"

"I've lost my mind?"

There were flecks of blood on my face.

I stared her down.

"You pretend you sold our home, but really you brought another man in to erase every last trace of me.

"Prudence, tell me who's lost their mind here."

Prudence gave a scornful little laugh.

"What, you're allowed to fake being sick to fool me, but I'm not allowed to fool you a little?"

I frowned.

Her smile turned even more scornful.

"If I didn't make a whole show of it, how could I possibly do justice to such a brilliant performance, Mr. Delgado?"

"You think I was faking it?"

"I don't think, I know. Someone showed me your real diagnosis. It's nothing but a little gastritis. Some medicine and you'll be fine."

"Who gave it to you?"

"Was it Mr. Delgado?"

A startled cry came from the doorway.

William looked at me.

"You… you've been discharged?"

He stepped forward and slid an arm around Prudence's shoulders.

"Mr. Delgado, don't get the wrong idea. You've been gone three whole years, so I've been helping look after Ms. Jenner for you.

"I'm her assistant, after all. I know her preferences better than anyone.

"I really thought you'd be back soon. I never imagined…"

He glanced at me.

"To think Mr. Delgado would lie in a hospital bed for three years just to force my hand…

"If I hadn't found out early that Mr. Delgado was deceiving Ms. Jenner, who knows how far she'd have fallen apart.

"And now, instead of reflecting on your own mistakes, Mr. Delgado shows up and starts smashing things. Mr. Delgado, you've really gone too—ah!"

Crack.

Without hesitation my fist landed square across his face.

The next second.

A tremendous force slammed into me and threw me to the floor.

Prudence planted herself in front of him, shielding him.

"That's enough, Vincent! When did you turn into this shameless brute!

"First you faked an illness to fool me, and now you're raising a hand to someone who's done nothing!

"Look at yourself. Is there anything left of the man you used to be!"

I raised my head, not believing it.

Her breath came fast and ragged.

The corners of her eyes had gone red.

As if I really were the one who'd changed first in what we had.

A laugh broke out of me.

"You're blaming me?"

Prudence went still.

"Prudence, what right do you have to blame me!

"The one who changed beyond all recognition first was you, not me!"

The girl who once ran with me through open fields.

The girl who rapped her knuckles on my head before the SATs and called me a slacker.

The woman who swore at our college graduation that she would marry me.

She had turned into someone I no longer knew, long before I did.

She stopped caring how I felt.

She took the boy she'd been sponsoring and pushed him up the ladder into an assistant's post at her side.

And when the boy got upset.

She tore up our marriage certificate without a second thought.

My fist clenched hard.

"Prudence, you're the one who changed. Not me."

Her mouth opened and closed.

"But I would never lie to you about a terminal illness."

"Lie to you?"

I laughed.

And as I laughed, tears blurred my eyes.

"Why do you think I lied to you!"

"Will said, you…"

"Will said, Will said…"

I shoved her away and pointed at William.

"You'll always believe him. You never once believed me!