The last pieces 1

Tabitha 

“I’ll see ya’ll in the morning. Don’t forget I’m 

* bringing doughnuts!” I call out as I walk out the 

back door. 

I walk to my car, wrapping my jacket closer 

to me. Even though it’s April and we should be 

getting warmer around here, the evening can still 

get chilly. I get in and turn the heat on, hoping 

that the car will warm up in the ten minutes it 

takes me to get home. Living close to work has 

some advantages, but heating up and cooling 

down a vehicle isn’t one of them. 

I think about the finishing touches I have to 

make on dinner and hope that Kyle is happy with 

the chicken and dumplings I’ve made. He’s been so grumpy lately that I’m wondering if there’s anything I could do that would make him happy. He’s saying it’s all related to this case he’s taken 

on, but I don’t know if I believe that. Kyle has 

Chapter 1 

always been one to hold things in since we were 

kids. I thought that over time he would get better 

about letting me share his burdens, but no such 

luck. He was as closed off as he’d ever been, 

and maybe even worse. 

People in town liked to think that we were 

the perfect couple. We met as children and grew 

up together as friends. Then once we were older, 

we became a couple. Kyle was with me when I 

lost both my parents during our senior year of 

high school. He stood with me while I tried to get 

myself together after such a tragic loss. The 

people in town thought that made him a saint 

and made his ego grow all that much more. 

I love Kyle. That’s something I don’t doubt, 

but I don’t know that he loves me in the same 

way. I’m always the one that works at keeping that spark alive in our relationship. I make sure to do everything possible to make his life easier 

and happy. The only thing that I lack is giving 

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him children. We tried for years and when we 

were unsuccessful; I suggested seeing a doctor. 

Kyle wouldn’t hear of it. 

“The whole town will know what a failure you 

are in that area! I won’t have you embarrass me 

like that!” He had yelled at the mere suggestion. 

I had never felt lower in my life. Kyle had 

always told me it was my job to keep the house 

in order and to give him children. He said as long 

as I would do that? 

we would be perfect. I knew 

very well the community would watch and wait 

for the new Pressley to make their debut. It 

seemed like such a simple task, but I wasn’t able 

to do it. Over the last few months, Kyle had 

gotten angry at the fact that I wasn’t getting 

pregnant. He swore it was my fault and that I 

needed to get my act together. 

The problem of children seemed to be the 

only thing that was ever there. We never fought 

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Chapter 1 

except for that. I never felt like he was stepping 

out on me or hiding things. All in all, I thought we 

had a great marriage. I just needed to figure out 

how to give him children. Easier said than done, 

right? 

I pull up to the house and see the garage 

door is open and Kyle’s car is already in there. 

He’s home early. Kyle rarely gets home until 

around seven at night. Hope floods my system 

as I think that maybe he’s home to spend some 

time with me. I haven’t seen him much over the 

last few months and I miss him. I haven’t said 

anything because I knew he was under a lot of pressure with this case. Tonight, I will work hard 

to give him what he wants most, a child. 

Chapter 2 

Chapter 2