Chapter 554

I seemed to see Bruce—not the man who picked on me, but his reserved and gentlemanly old self. I recalled that we once sat on the lawn at Nicox University by the manmade lake. We watched the sunset together while holding hands. I remembered he wore a white shirt—my favorite look on him—at the monochrome apartment. He approached me with a bouquet and a cake. Smiling warmly, he wished me a happy birthday. At a beach near the port of Joddesdon and Saza, he had erected a tent for a barbecue. There, he opened the tent's roof to show me a sky full of stars. On that quiet night, we cuddled and got intimate on that cramped bed. We were so happy. I wished upon a shooting star, hoping that Bruce and I would be together forever. He caressed my head and said I did not have to make a wish about that. Hugging me tightly, he repeatedly called my name as we inched toward the climax. "Nance. Baby…" Everything was so sweet and perfect until another scene popped up. Grandma lay in a pool of bloo