I choked on my words, unable to finish. My voice trembled, swallowed by the weariness of it all.
“That’s because you’ve been taking too many painkillers! Riley was only trying to look out for you. Last night was just an accident.”
Vernon quickly leaped to her defense, his voice defensive.
“Is she more qualified than a doctor? Did the doctor ever tell me not to take painkillers? Should I have just suffered and died from the pain instead?”
I could no longer hold back the bitterness that had been building in my chest. My voice cracked, and I let out a hoarse, desperate scream.
“Alright, alright,” Vernon said, his tone softer now like he was trying to placate me. “I know you’re upset after the miscarriage, so I won’t argue with you. Get some rest. I’ll come back another day.”
With that, Vernon turned to leave, dragging Riley along with him. He always did this; whenever he stirred up my emotions, he would quickly change the subject and walk away, leaving me alone with this suffocating frustration as if I were punching into cotton.
It felt like a dull blade cutting into my skin, constant, relentless pain that never quite killed me, but it kept me bleeding, little by little.