I raised my glass of Southern Comfort to the lone cupcake. "Cheers."

The whiskey was sweet and warm but didn't sit right in my stomach. Groaning, I set the glass back on the stained table, which was sad and bare except for the cupcake and the whiskey.

M…

I lay in the bed craving sleep. Even though I’d gone to bed at midnight, I’d woken up dozens of times, turning over and over, back and forth, continually searching for comfort that teased me. I felt groggy and gross. My body felt heavy as stone. I wanted …

I spun around in lazy, mostly elliptical, circles. Enough time had passed--years, decades?--that I couldn't remember being caught. Orbiting her was an honor, a duty, a pleasure, a pain. It was all I knew. I kept watch because I didn't have a choice. I was…