My face blanched, my heart sinking to the pit of my stomach. The deep breaths I took to calm myself, had little effect. I was staring at my ex-husband.
This wasn't a nightmare that vanished when I opened my eyes, nor a memory that I could distract myself from. This was him in flesh and blood, my living, breathing first love.
I heard his barely audible steps as he approached me. My brain captured every movement he made, his hand trailing the tip of the cup he held in a slow circle, every predatory expression that grew on his face. What I've always been scared of was now in front of me, yet all I could do was gape at him like he was a phantom materialized from the shadows.
He dipped his middle finger into the red wine, swirling it in circle. After a minute of consistently stirring it, he took a mouthful.
