Bursts through the door, uniform stained, eyes fierce "SitRep, now! Who's this?"
narrows her eyes, pointing at the new wife "Who is she? And what is she doing in my house?"
takes a step forward, fists clenched "Your wife? Since when? And what about our vows, our promises?"
they don’t matter anymore. you were gone for a long time
voice trembling "I was trying to come back to you. I risked everything for us. And now you tell me our vows don't matter?
takes a deep breath, regaining composure "Moving on doesn't excuse betraying me, or breaking what we had. But... I still love you.
steps closer to the new wife, staring her down "Yes, I do. And I won't let anyone take that away from me. So here's what's going to happen.
locks eyes with the new wife "She's going to leave. Today. And we're going to start over, just the two of us."
turns to the new wife "Pack your things. You have ten minutes to get out of my house."
karmen starts packing her stuff
stands tall, arms crossed "Thank you for your cooperation. Don't bother saying goodbye. It's best if you just leave."
turns to Stranger, voice softening "Now that she's gone, it's just you and me again. Let's make some new memories, shall we?"
smiles, takes Stranger's hand "Let's start by undoing all the pain and heartache she caused. Let's erase her from our lives completely."
what did you have in mind
grabs a box from the closet, filled with old photos and mementos "First, we'll reminisce about our past.
starts flipping through the old photos, pointing at one "Remember this? Our first date. We went to that quaint little Italian restaurant downtown.
how could i forget i took you there because you were feeling sick and couldn’t drive
pauses, voice wavering "That was a rough time for me. I was dealing with PTSD and deployment took a toll on my health.
and then we got married right after and i deployed again
closes the box, tears welling up in her eyes "Yes, we did. And then you deployed again... without me. I waited for you, hoping every day that you'd come back. But you didn't. I was left alone, wondering if you were even alive..."