't say

isible hint of discomfort tigh

to video chats and finally to a barrage of texts,

ing to answer

ned it off without checking the screen,

ll a bit warm. Go back to sl

ver and sh

my breathing

pped out onto the balcony. I heard his voice, low and h

inside, grabbed

the second the

actually f

. Once a man's heart changes, it's like a fruit w

n the morning,

a breath of relief. He felt my fo

into the

be, climbed into bed, and wrapped

n him. Those features still looked so perfect. The lips, the defined jawline.

ne had stabbed me

t the body that had been defile

through my mind. Maybe if I pressed a pi

*

d me in t

and was setting ou

eat,' I sa

n bed and rested.' Cary walked over and tried

rious.' I undid the apron and

at his empty hand

to you about som

e asked, taking

hy, I smiled and explained, 'I've spent the past few years buried in work. I'm

to figure out if I was being serious.

ink I'm some kind of masochist who doesn

. 'Alright, you staying home is fine. It

ed instead

me as your baby-making machine while you sneak

ing around Europe with Portia. It's

busy with work t

re she'll make time for

head. 'A trip could be nice. I'll make the arrangements for yo

smile on my face

booking, and I'll han

k a few extra days of leave. I didn't want to go into the off

Clothes, shoes, bags, all the little personal thin

ull wardrobes were clearly thinning out.

s completel

didn't look up once. He was too busy chuckling at whatever was on

to glance up fo

watching him th

lame began to sting my fi

our smiling faces, my joyful one and his eyes full of me, flickered in the fl

hard to breathe. Watching the ashes dis

ry finally realised someth

ack, stuffing my e

rned toward him, my eyes slightly red bu