When I woke up the next morning, I still felt stunned and incredulous. The room was pitch black, with the curtains drawn tight.

I stared at the ceiling in vain. My eyes were swollen, maybe from crying too much last night, or maybe because I went to bed too late. Dennis' words from the previous night replayed in my mind over and over.

No, there must have been some kind of misunderstanding. It couldn't mean what I thought it did... I slowly slid off the bed and ...