STORY SHOWCASE #18

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LOVE AND OTHER ADDICTIONS

by Kay Hanifen

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A little taster…

It’s been forty-seven days and six hours since you left me. But who’s counting? Not me.

I’m fine. Perfectly fine.

I’ve missed you, though. I hope you know that. My days have been drab and grey without your sunlight to keep me warm. It’s like all the joy has been sucked out of my life. And I keep asking myself what I did wrong.

Everything I did was so that I could make you happy, even when it made me miserable. I cooked all your favorite meals, was always sexually available even when I wasn’t actually interested, faked every orgasm, indulged in your kinks, and watched all your favorite movies without expecting you to do the same for me. I shaved off all my edges and molded myself to be your perfect woman. I gave up college for us and spent the rest of my time starving and cinching and primping myself. You know, I was on track for medical school when you convinced me to drop out.

But of course, you do know that. You were always intimidated by my intellect. I remember how, when we went to parties with your colleagues, I would always ingratiate myself as their intellectual equal. You hated it, didn’t you? It offended your masculine sensibilities that I was more impressive to your bosses than you were without even trying. So, you convinced me to become a homemaker. A stay-at-home wife.

About the author

Kay Hanifen was born on a Friday the 13th and once lived for three months in a haunted castle. So, obviously, she had to become a horror writer. Her work has appeared in over one hundred anthologies and magazines. Her first anthology as an editor, Till the Yule Log Burns Out, was published in 2024. Her first novel, The Last Ballard, will debut this year. When she’s not consuming pop culture with the voraciousness of a vampire at a 24-hour blood bank, you can usually find her with her black cats or online at kayhanifenauthor.wordpress.com.

X: @TheUnicornComi1

Instagram: @katharinehanifen

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