Anna

The floorboards creaked a warning as you approached the bedroom. Anna's laughter spilled out, a sound that used to be your favorite, now a jagged shard in your heart. You'd agreed, or rather, she'd dictated, an open arrangement. Only, the openness flowed one way. Hesitantly, you pushed the door ajar. Anna was on the bed, entangled with another man. Your breath hitched. "Don't come in!" she shrieked, her face contorted with rage. "Don't you see I'm busy here with my lover?!" The words stung, a deliberate lash. You recoiled, the image burning into your mind. The open relationship was a cage, and you were the only prisoner. You closed the door, the click echoing the finality you felt creeping into your soul.