Cursed By Rebirth? – Installment 6

Cursed by Rebirth?

By

D.M. KURTZ

Installment 6: Pnuema

Ever so slowly, bit by tedious bit it had all been coming together. All the pieces were there, but even so it was like looking at a dim reflection in a dirty mirror: complete, but hazy and bereft of any clear understanding. It would take a miracle to bring the picture into focus, or perhaps a more than likely very unpleasant confrontation with a jaded and bitter woman.

Jason sighed as he scrolled through the Facebook profile of one Evelynn Sharpe, formerly Evelynn Pierce. Despite the separation, she had neglected to change her married name… the one taken after her union with Jason Sharpe. Why hadn’t she formally filed for divorce? Her digital wall was filled with the bitter and angry tirades of a damaged woman, directed at an abusive, worthless excuse for a husband.

Jason’s thoughts were flying in all directions, but the one that kept coming full circle to the forefront of his mind was disparaging, to say the least.

This is who I really am.

He didn’t want to believe it, of course, but the sentiments expressed on the screen left no doubt. Jason Sharpe was the worst sort of scum: an alcoholic, wife-beating lowlife.

The defeated man blinked back tears that fought to form in his light-blue eyes as he glanced to the still, sleeping form lying next to him.

I should leave… before I hurt her like I hurt Evie.

Jason blinked.

Evie: an endearing nickname from a happier time, before his darkness had revealed itself to the woman he’d duped with smooth words and slick romantic gestures. By the time she had discovered the truth of the man she’d married, it had been too late. Her doormat personality had kept her the helpless victim, at least for a while. A sort of ire had eventually developed, doubtless formed as a result of Jason’s cruel words and actions.

She threw me out.

Jason huffed as the memory of going home to find all of his belongings ablaze on the front lawn flashed through his mind. He couldn’t shake the feeling that that particular event had been somehow… significant, to his accident.

How much does Amanda know?

She’d never stopped supporting him, even after discovering the marriage license that still held true between himself and Evelynn. In fact, that particular piece to the puzzle had only strengthened their relationship.

Is that a mistake?

Jason glowered at the cruel words that mocked him from the small phone screen in his hands. He hated the new feelings that were brought by such harsh evidence of his former life. That angry man was there in the back of his mind, clawing from his subconscious like the insatiable itching of a bug bite that was just out of reach. For twenty-six years he had walked the path of darkness, destroying lives and ripping apart the joy of those closest to him.

Can an accident really wash away my sins?

Jason clicked the button located at the top of the device, and the room was plunged into darkness as he slid deeper beneath the covers. Amanda shifted slightly with a content sigh when he wrapped his strong arms around her slender torso and closed his eyes.

Only time could reveal whether his true nature had been changed, and that was the most frightening realization of all.

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Copyright © 2018 D.M. Kurtz

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