The Wife Who Blocked My Lifeline

Summary

I spent our wedding night sitting upright in an armchair, watching the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows turn from ink-black to a pale, bruising gray.

Early the next morning, Jessica walked in, tossing a cardboard box onto the duvet. Inside were fifty scratch-off lottery tickets.

"Go ahead, Larry," she said, her voice dry and thick with fatigue. "Scratch them. Whatever you win, I’ll match it ten-fold and wire it to your father’s company."

I reached for the quarters on the vanity with numb fingers.

First card: Try again.

Second card: Try again.

Third card: Not a winner.