ZERO
"Please," I say. "Please say you remember me."
"I DON'T!" She yells, and takes another swing with the knife.
I can feel a sob rising in my throat. I love you. I love you. I love you. "Please," I whisper.
"Stop SAYING that!"
"I love you. Please don't do this. This isn't you."
The knife shakes in her hand. "This is me."
"This was never you!"
"This is me NOW." She advances.
"I love you. Please, put the knife down. It will be okay. I promise you, it will."
"LIAR," she screams. "LIAR!"
She's close enough now to stab me. I want to tell her again that I love her. That I've always loved her. But I'm crying too hard to speak.
She swings again and I fall. Unhurt, but compromised. Vulnerable.
There are no tears on her face. Only rage.
She looks beautiful. This is not how it was supposed to go.
I aim the gun at her.
She gives a shrill laugh. "You won't shoot me. You love me." She's mocking me. But she's right.
"You're ill," I say. "This isn't you. Let me call the doctor. Let me help you. Plea-"
She swings again.
My finger hovers over the trigger. "Don't come closer. You don't want to do this."
But she doesn't listen. She's standing over me. I look up at her.
We lock eyes.
And I see nothing.
She is gone. She will never come back. She will never come back.
My finger twitches. "Say you remember me," I beg. "We were supposed to be happy."
"I never loved you," she says. Her hands are no longer shaking. They grasp the knife with a conviction that only makes me cry harder.
She lunges.
I pull the trigger.
