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 were all his

this wasn't just a casual

Sara had

at

I saw Jackson seated at the head, with Sara

wasn't a seat for

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

chair and

dragged a chair over and sat at the farthest corner from

unfold with indifference, never

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

Even if I had to crawl, I'd be here to see what kind of woman

met with knowing glances exchanged around the table, their laughter tinged with

and Jackson do share a

conversation naturally revolved around

the Mediterranean, trekking

the table listened with rapt attention, their eyes gleaming

woman! How do you even dare to go

Sara glanced at me briefly, her

the kind of woman who only thinks about cooking, husbands, and kids." Her words hung in the air,

burning bitterness numbing my

of attention, the life of the

the night wore on, everyone's focus

Jackson, though mostly quiet, had

gaze was tender, so soft

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