A Love Like Ours

PROLOGUE

The water was still running.

I stood in front of the sink, watching the red disappear between my fingers.

One by one. Slowly.

Like it could erase what happened tonight.

It couldn't.

"Do you regret it?"

I stopped.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the water hitting the metal sink. I looked down at my hands.

They were clean now.

Almost.

"No."

The answer came easier than I expected. There was a long silence behind me.

"You don't even feel bad?"

I shut off the faucet.

I grabbed the towel beside the sink and dried my hands, taking my time.

"I didn't say that."

"Then what are you saying?"

I looked at my reflection. I barely recognized the person staring back.

Maybe that was the problem. Maybe we were both very good at pretending to be people we weren't.

"I said I don't regret it."

Another silence. Then a quiet laugh.

"You're going to hell."

I smiled faintly.

"Maybe."

I walked away from the sink. Before leaving the room, I stopped and looked back one last time. There was still a tiny drop of red near the drain.

I could have cleaned it. I didn't.

Because some things were never meant to disappear completely.

Especially lies.

And this was the first one.