I locked my wife in the pantry under the stairs

No throne. No mother watching from a doorway.

I arrive with flowers.

Emily takes them, places them in water, and says, “If we ever try again, it will not be because I forgot.”

“I know.”

“It will not be because Nora needs a father in the house at any cost.”

“I know.”

“And if I say no, or stop, or leave, you will not make your pain into my prison.”

The words continue reading …