Liv Constantine

spick-and-span

Parts of that first night we spent together are still a blur. I hadn’t planned on making love to him—I had felt it was too soon. But before I knew it, we were naked and tangled up in the sheets. He held my eyes the entire time. It was unnerving, like he was staring into my very soul, but I couldn’t look away. When it was over, he was tender and sweet, and he fell asleep wrapped in my arms. I watched his face in the moonlight and traced the outline of his jaw. I wanted to erase all his sad memories and make him feel the love and nurturing he’d missed as a child. This gorgeous, strong, and successful man that everyone looked up to had shared his vulnerabilities with me. He needed me. There is nothing more enticing to me than being needed.

m?”
“Daphne, you need to come home. Your father’s had a heart attack

the space of a few short weeks, he had become indispensable to all of us.

“Daphne, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
My mother gasped and clapped her hands together.
I threw my arms around him. “Yes! Yes!”
He slipped the ring on my finger.
“It’s gorgeous, Jackson. And so bi

* * *
“Don’t you think it’s time you let me in on the big secret?” I asked as we boarded his plane for our honeymoon. “I don’t even know if I packed the right clothes.”
He leaned in and kissed me. “Silly girl. There are suitcases upon suitcases full of clothes I’ve bought for you already on board. Just leave everything to

“Daphne. I have some bad news. Your fa—” The sound of her crying came over the line.
“Mom! What is it? You’re scaring me.”
“He died, Daphne. Your dad. He’s gone.”
I started to cry. “No, no, no.”

I was learning that emotional intimidation could be just as unsettling as physical. Little things had begun to grate on his nerves, and despite my best efforts to please him, nothing was ever good enough. I’d chosen the wrong wineglass or left a damp towel on the wood table. Maybe it would be that I’d forgotten my hair dryer on the counter. What made it even more difficult to live with was the uncertainty. Which Jackson was I talking to now? The one with the easy laugh and charming smile that put everyone at ease?

What if something’s wrong?”
“We’ll know. They’ll do the testing, and if it isn’t healthy, we’ll terminate.”

He sighed. “Yeah, that’s another thing. It’s disgusting. Your breasts are like two overblown balloons. I don’t want your tits hanging to the floor. Enough is enough.”