Free Butterfly Dreams by A. Meredith Walters

was feeling a little guilty about Caleb!”
    Wait. What? Who the hell was Caleb?
    “Guess I shouldn’t have bothered hiding the fact that I’ve been screwing him for the past three months!” she shouted and then stormed from the room.
    There was a lot of banging and slamming from the other side of the apartment. I didn’t follow her. I didn’t want to escalate the fight further. Maybe I should have demanded to know who the hell Caleb was. But honestly, I just didn’t give a fuck. The fact that she had been sleeping with another dude didn’t really matter. Sure, my pride was hurt a little, but my heart was fine. Not even a scar.
    It was sad that after being together for so long, after sharing a home and a life, I couldn’t care less that she had been getting spread-eagle for the mysterious Caleb. I was just relieved that she was leaving.
    The pain in my chest subsided. I sat down in a chair and listened as Sierra tore apart our bedroom.
    I covered my mouth to try to stop myself from laughing. And failed.
    Because this whole thing was pretty damn funny.
    Sierra was in the other room, throwing things around, yelling at the top of her lungs as though I had just told her I was leaving her for her best friend. She was doing her best to play the part of the spurned girlfriend when she had, in fact, been cheating on me for months.
    The irony was hysterical.
    I was still laughing when Sierra came back to the kitchen, two bulging duffle bags in her hands. She scowled at me as I tried to stop snickering. “What’s so funny?” she demanded.
    I shook my head. “Nothing.”
    “I may have broken the stereo in the bedroom. Oops,” she told me, glaring.
    I started laughing again. She was that ridiculous.
    She threw her hands in the air in frustration. “I don’t think this is funny, Beck! I’m leaving! Don’t you get that?” she shrieked.
    I schooled my face into a more neutral expression even as my lips continued to twitch. “Yeah. I get that.”
    “I’m going to Caleb’s,” Sierra announced with a sneer, wanting to hurt me. “He’s my boss, just so you know.”
    Of course he was.
    “He has a house by the river and a summer home on the beach. He wants to take me hang gliding next weekend.” Why was she still here?
    “Well, have a good time,” I said.
    “Ugh! You’re such an asshole, Beckett! Good luck finding another woman to put up with your bullshit,” she huffed. “And don’t bother to call me ever again. I’ll come get my stuff when I know you’re at work. And don’t think you’re keeping the TV! It’s mine!” Sierra yelled a few minutes later.
    Like I cared about the TV. I just wanted her to get the hell out already. This had been a long time coming, and all I could feel was relief that the moment was finally here.
    “I deserve so much more than you,” Sierra seethed.
    “I hope you found it with Caleb,” I replied, trying to sound sincere. I don’t think I succeeded.
    Sierra glowered and then stomped out of the apartment.
    And when the door closed, I felt better than I had in a long time.

Chapter 6
    Corin
    The tears just kept falling. I couldn’t stop them.
    No sooner had they dried on my cheeks than they were replaced with new evidence of my grief.
    My mother had been sent home from the hospital two days ago at her insistence.
    “I won’t die in a hospital, Neil,” Mom had argued. Dad had fought her, insisting that the best place she could be was at the hospital, surrounded by doctors and nurses.
    “What’s the point? I’m dying. Nothing is going to change that. And I’d rather leave this world on my terms. In my home. With my family.”
    My mom was dying.
    In a matter of weeks, days even, she would be gone, and I’d never get to see her again.
    I lay beside her on the bed, holding her hand, her cheek rested tiredly on top of my head. We had been like that for hours. I couldn’t leave her. And I didn’t want to sleep. I was terrified that the moment I did, she’d slip away, and