The screaming, the screeching, the un-godly wailing that echoes down the hall – it’s deafening. Splashing hot coffee onto my shaking hand, I howl in pain, adding my minor wound to your egregious suffering. The scorching brown fluid beads upon my skin. The hours, they seem to never cease, passing by slower than time should allow. Will this night never end? Your breathing harsh and ragged, my fear beyond measure. Should there be this much blood? My expectation was of a few difficult moments, sweat dripping, faces smiling… but the screaming, the agony – no one told me of these things. If I had known, I would never have let him touch you. I would never have agreed to this – the price too high. Dragging myself through the hall, fighting the buffeting waves of fresh torment tearing from your body, I arrive at the room once more, just as the screaming ceases, just as the tears begin to flow, just as the wail erupts. A first breath taken, the beginning of what will forever be our new life.

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