Yours to Savor by Scarlett Edwards Page A

straight A’s on every report card since elementary school; she’d been beautiful, with luxurious, raven hair and a perfect complexion; and, of course, she’d been caring—the most empathetic, loving sibling and daughter anyone could ask for.
    Chloe had dreamed of being a doctor. So, Sandra decided to set out on that path on her own. Her freshman year in high school, she doubled down and improved her grades, then worked hard all the way to graduation to get into a good private college. There, she’d done all the extra-curricular activities the medical schools liked to see. She’d gotten immaculate recommendations, and even graduated at the top of her class. She’d done it all just to be like Chloe. She wanted to do it, of course, but she’d always held out a sliver of hope that living the life her sister desired might help banish the dreams.
    That hadn’t worked.
    Sandra sighed as the memories began to run their course, looking over the neglected pile of envelopes on her corner desk. Most were unopened, but she knew what they were: admission letters from medical schools all over the country. She’d received them in her last year of college—the final triumph. Yet, even with letters in hand, the dreams kept coming. At that point Sandra had decided to take a step back to reevaluate her life.
    When Henry had proposed to her, she agreed to put her graduate school education on hold for eighteen months. Just like she’d told Brandon, Sandra had hoped that with her newfound free time, she could stumble on some other way to break free from the nightmares.
    But that had been a mistake. In fact, living in Dallas was the only time in her life that the nightmares became worse .
    The move to the new city seemed great in the beginning. The freedom of not having schoolwork was exhilarating. But it had been a false freedom.
    Henry changed after the first few months in Dallas. Sandra hadn’t shared that part with Brandon last night. When they’d been in school together, Henry had always made time for her. But in Dallas, he became closed off. He stopped being available for serious discussions, and avoided all-but-the-most-banal conversations. He started treating Sandra as just another pretty thing he possessed—as a way to fulfill his ambitions. Sandra’s feelings became unnecessary obstructions to his career, and she’d been forced to keep everything to herself, again .
    Even worse, in Dallas, Henry revealed a side Sandra never knew. He became cold and pragmatic, dismissing anything to do with feelings and emotions as silly frivolities. His world was the material world of possessions. Nothing else seemed worthy of his attention.
    As those months in Dallas passed, Sandra had begun to loathe her life. The frequency of her nightmares increased and increased, until, in the final month leading up to the anniversary, she saw the burning terror every night. Maybe it had been her psyche’s way of telling her things were going in the wrong direction. She’d wake up panting, heart racing, barely able to suppress unbidden screams… but Henry had never noticed. He’d stopped paying attention to her long before.
    So she had to leave him. And she did. It had been the best choice she’d ever made.
    But Sandra didn’t just leave Henry. She left everything.
    On the one-year anniversary of his proposal, she’d told him how she felt, and then run. She’d run from the life she’d built up for herself, run from Henry, and run from all her previous achievements and accumulated possessions
    She needed time to find herself. For that, she forced herself to forego contact with her parents. It had been heartbreaking… but necessary. She had to be on her own, removed from her old surroundings. Still, she’d sent them a postcard every few months to let them know she was alive and well—but made sure it came from an unmarked address.
    She didn’t want them tracking her. Because no matter how hard it was on them, it was no easier for Sandra.