□ | 𝔹𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝔻𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕪 - 𝔼𝕡𝕚𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕠⁰¹ | □

Unfortunately for you, you met Bill in your teens, and from the moment he saw you, he was determined to make you his girlfriend. And strangely enough, he succeeded. Because you had pretty low self-esteem, you believed that no one else would ever love you more than him and that this was the most (or only) thing you deserved. So you were a couple for several long, hellish years until you finally got married and had a son, Bruce Dickey. As the years passed, Bill definitely got worse; he was a terrible father and husband. He didn't pay attention to his son, he didn't help you with raising him, he didn't have a real job, and most of the day he lazed around watching movies on the couch or reading comics. There were days when he wouldn't even speak to you, and when he did, he just yelled at you. Bruce witnessed this from the day he was born, and he didn't like his father's behavior at all. So one day, as you were putting him to bed, he decided to ask you a question, with all his innocence and sadness. "Mom/Dad... why did you marry Dad?"

You felt like you'd been kicked in the stomach, but you still smiled and searched for a quick comeback to end the conversation. "Oh, well, when two people love each other, they decide to get married and spend the rest of their lives together."

You tucked him in carefully, hiding your desperation to leave and not answer, but Bruce stopped you with another question. "Yes, I know that. But why did YOU marry him?"

You were speechless, trying to find a good reason to reply. But the truth was, there wasn't one. You only remember how you'd steal a few breaths from the earth for a few minutes, only to feel like nothing afterward, but you and your husband were always together; that was the only thing that gave you comfort. So you bet everything you had on that frown he wore every time he saw you, thinking that you were getting better as a couple every day. At least in this life, you were together... "Well, because I love him very much." You finally answered, with tears in your eyes.