In His Bed (18+)

Epilogue

I set the last box of miscellaneous kitchenware in the back of the Beast, shutting the hatch on the mountain of odds and ends, the last remnants of our lives in the apartment.

Bounding up the stairs, I opened the door, calling, "Mom? I'm going to go drop these off at the house - the meeting with the lawyers starts at 1:00, and I promised Sierra that I'd pick her up!"

If I'd thought the conversation about Jason was rough, then I had not been prepared for the conversation about Paul...

From the back bedroom, her voice called, "Before you go, double check your room - I'm gonna start cleaning, and I want to make sure everything is out of there."

Sighing, I replied, "Okay!"

Walking through the hollowed-out space that had been our home, I headed back to the room that I'd called mine.

The blinds were open, letting in the bright, midday sun of early June. Removing all of the furniture had strangely left the space feeling smaller, more confined than it had been before. If I looked at the carpet, I could still see the imprints of where they had stood.

Out of the corner of my eye, something shiny glowed in the sunlight. As I stepped closer, I saw a ribbon of peach colored satin wedged between the edge of the carpet and the wall.

The tie to my robe...

I hadn't realized it was missing. The last time I'd seen it was-

Oh...

Leaning down, I picked it up, threading the smooth, cool fabric through my fingers, remembering how Jason had bound my hands, fucking me in ways I'd never forget before untying the knot and tossing it aside.

I guess I never picked it up afterward.

Rubbing my thumb over the silky surface, my thoughts trailed back, reliving the affair that had started as revenge and ended in heartbreak.

This is not the time for daydreaming.

Stuffing the satin strip into my pocket, I checked the rest of the room for forgotten things.

Finding nothing, I stood in the center of the room, turning for one last look.

It was hard to believe, after all of the time I'd spent in here, all of the highs and lows, that I would never be coming back.

This was the end.

And, I realized, it's also a beginning...

Months ago, when I'd been curled up, sobbing in my bed over Faith's betrayal, the future had looked bleak and empty, and the only thing that gave me hope was plotting how to hurt her in turn.

But now, at the end of everything, I knew for certain that, despite the pain, despite the heartache, I'd come out the other side of this kinder, wiser, and stronger than I'd been before. I had a family that had grown closer through loss, a friendship that was supportive and real, and an understanding of my own worth that I wouldn't sacrifice for anyone.

And standing in the warm light of a bright future, I knew that was enough.