I could tell something was on his mind,
but when I asked what was wrong, he said, “I’m sorry,” and stopped, which made my heart stop as well, which wasn’t well, for my heart or my mind, and I cried out in pain, which made him say, “I still love you, but I need to find myself,” and, being the good wife that I was, I wanted to help, so I gave him a mirror, but not a whole mirror, just a shard, which I drove through his heart.

This story appears as part of Betrayal, a PUNK NOIR Magazine series, originally published May 2024.
Bio
Linda Kay Hardie is a freelance writer in Reno, Nevada. She writes short stories in many genres including crime and horror, but not romance. She tried once, and everyone ended up dead. Tragic. She also writes recipes and is the reigning Spam champion for Nevada (yes, the tasty treat canned mystery meat). Linda also writes feature articles about interesting people for corporate clients. Her writing has won awards dating back to fifth grade, with first place for an essay on fire safety. In 2022, she was honored with the Sierra Arts Foundation Literary Arts Award for fiction.
PUNK NOIR, the online literary and arts magazine that looks at the world at its most askew, casting a bloodshot eye over the written word, film, music, television and more.
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