After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage By Cassila K

Chapter 28

When I got home from the hospital, I dug out a few dusty camera bags from the depths of the bookshelf.

They held remnants of a life I had deliberately buried.

The touch of the camera's casing felt unfamiliar, and the batteries had long since drained.

While waiting for the charger to finish, I inserted the memory card into my computer and opened those long-forgotten photos.

The first photo showed me treating a Black woman receiving cholera medication on the street.

The second was of a five-year-old child soldier, so small the rifle towered over him.

The third captured refugees in North Kivu province living under torn, tattered tents...

The smell of smoke and dust seemed to waft through the screen, piercing the present.

My heart clenched as if seized by sharp claws, the ache spreading through me.

Leaning back in my chair, I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing pulse. A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

If Jackson saw these photos, would he still describe me as "obedient and docile"?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, my phone buzzed twice.

It was a message from Jackson: the restaurant's location.

That's when I remembered tonight was the gathering he'd arranged with his groomsmen and bridesmaids.

didn't have many close friends, so these

I knew this wasn't just a casual

Sara had

arrived at the restaurant, they'd

saw Jackson seated at the head, with Sara beside

a

Sara noticed me, a faint, amused smile appeared on her lips. She

a chair and sit wherever

dragged a chair over and sat at

all unfold with indifference, never uttering

broke the silence, asking, "Sara, we thought you wouldn't make

kidding? This is Jackson's wedding! Even if I had to crawl, I'd be here to see what kind of woman he's

around the

You and Jackson do

revolved around Sara

her adventures: fishing for yellowfin tuna in the Mediterranean, trekking the Camino de Santiago in Portugal, and climbing

listened with rapt

a woman! How do you even dare

at me briefly, her

who only thinks about cooking, husbands, and kids." Her words

white liquor, the burning bitterness numbing my tongue,

the center of attention, the life of the

wore on, everyone's focus

had his eyes on her

gaze was tender, so soft it could

her recent experiences dealing with