Punishment

He thought that it must be a punishment; he was still alive and his wife was tearfully looking down at him in the hospital bed, clutching his hand happily.

"Oh, I am so glad you're okay! God is definitely watching out for us! [sniff] I'm so happy that He's given us more time together."

He smiled weakly.

_Well, I can't tell her right now, can I?_

"How's the car?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it. I'm just so glad you're okay... I love you."

_I'm a scumbag._

~ ~ ~

After a few hours (or minutes?) of unconsciousness, he awoke to a different visitor.

There she was, smiling down at him.

In that moment, he was horrified — not of her, but of the thought that his wife and one-time mistress could be in the same building. But in the next moment, he liked that she had come... that he could look at her.

How _did_ he feel about her?

"How does it feel? ... Now that you're a bad person too, like me." She pursed her lips briefly, as if she were catching a gust of laughter before it could fly out.