A younger guy behind us made a face. “Okay, but his parents sound insane.”
The woman snapped, “And so does he.”
A man near the back added, “Lady, he’s trying to escape a controlling rich family. That’s not nothing.”
The bus felt charged now, like tension was crackling in the air.
Karl looked at me, desperate and angry. “Ignore them. Listen to me. It’s done. There’s no going back, but we can still have a good life.”
For a moment, I imagined it—a new city, a nice home, money, a family, no worries.
Then I remembered standing beside a coffin, trying not to collapse.
Alone.
I looked at him and felt the last of my love break.
The bus slowed for the next stop. I picked up my bag and stood.
Karl stood too. “You made the right decision. We’ll get off here, go to the airport, and then—”
“No, Karl. Unless you’re coming with me to the nearest police station, I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You wouldn’t… how could you? After everything I’ve done for you!”
I looked at him for a long moment—the man I had loved, the man I had married, the man whose death had nearly destroyed me.
“You did this for yourself. You just expected me to go along with it, but I won’t. I recorded everything, and I’m taking it to the police.”
