I squeezed Martha’s hand, unable to speak. A heavy mixture of gratitude and intense guilt washed over me. Did I deserve this kind of love? I had accepted his proposal out of exhaustion, out of a desperate desire to not die alone. Was it fair to him that he was giving me a lifetime of devotion while I was only offering him my broken, weary pieces?
Shadows in the Small Town
By midday, I decided to walk into town to buy some groceries for dinner. I wanted to make something special, a proper meal to show Liam that I was trying, that I wanted to be a good wife.
The autumn air was brisk, rustling the fallen maple leaves along the sidewalk. As I walked down Main Street, carrying a canvas tote bag, I could feel the eyes of the townspeople on me. In a small town, everyone knows everything, and a forty-year-old woman marrying the local disabled bachelor was the biggest news in years.
I stepped into the local grocery store, pulling a cart behind me. As I was reaching for a carton of milk, I heard two familiar voices whispering on the other side of the dairy aisle. It was Clara and Evelyn, two women who had known my family for decades.
“I still can’t believe she actually went through with it,” Clara whispered, her voice carrying over the low hum of the refrigerators. “Sarah used to be so proud. Remember when she left for the city? She swore she’d marry a lawyer or a businessman. Look at her now. Forty, washed up, and settling for poor Liam.”
“Well, what choice did she have?” Evelyn replied with a sharp, judgmental sigh. “Her youth is gone. No successful man wants a forty-year-old woman with baggage. But honestly, I think Liam is the one who got the raw deal. He’s an angel. He doesn’t need a woman who only chose him because she ran out of options.”
Every word felt like a physical blow to my chest. My hands trembled against the handle of the shopping cart. The worst part wasn’t their cruelty—it was the fact that they were right. I had chosen him because I felt defeated. I had treated him like a last resort.
