Stephen King HW Part II- day 83

Man, I was a drunk our entire relationship. And a mean one at that. You should've seen the bruises she's wake up with mornings after a bender. We fought like crazy the moment that third drink touched each of our lips. She was the jealous type, who would always bring shit up the moment she felt liquid courage coarse through her bloodstream. She'd shove, she's slap, she'd shoot another shot, and sling the most vicious, vile words at me she could think of. As far as I could remember, I'd take it. Or apologize or try to calm her down... but I always black out when I drink. Always. 

So the next morning when I would see finger mark bruises around her neck, a cut on her forehead, painful inhales from broken ribs, I knew what I had done. 

When she was finally committed, I went to my first AA meeting. I found value in it, enjoyed the companionship especially since I was alone now. I continued to go because I liked it, but if I'm honest, I don't feel like I needed it. See, without her around, sobriety came easily to me. The yearn and urge and pull that the men in my group languished over was never present in my life. I stopped and never started again.

**FLASHFORWARD**

Scene: meeting up with an old college friend who knew him single and married, lost touch when marriage began to get insane

"Wait wait wait. You didn't know? You weren't in on it?"

"In on what? What are you talking about?"

"She was drugging you. I saw it. I think she realized what I had seen because she came up to me later that night telling me how you both like to roll together. I was kinda convinced at the time, seeing as how insane you had gotten with your partying. I thought you had turned into some drug dependent maniac I no longer knew, because after you drank what she had spiked, you became a monster. I've never seen anything like it... I can't believe you didn't know.."

I felt like I was looking at him through a tunnel, his voice sounded like it was underwater. Drugging me?

Who is he?

We find this man broken, but holding on and somewhat moving forward. After his wife has been committed and divorce has been finalized, he is traumatized but coming anew. His search for a fresh start on life is riddled with nagging questions about what the hell happened during the tumultuous years of his marriage. He is unable to move forward without addressing demons of his past. As pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together, a patient at the psych ward has escaped. And it's his ex wife.