ith Olivia, bringing his expensive suits and self-satisfied smile with him. Ethan was relegated to a sp

d carefully designed to be warm and inviting, and made a dismissive gesture. "This is all a

taste, readily agreed. "You're right

to read to the kids when they were younger, was hauled out to the curb. The custo

d as a massive, minimalist black leather sofa was

ox of books Ethan had curated over the

ia on their first anniversary. He remembered spending a whole weekend sanding and staining the wood for those shelves. He remembered re

han used to sit. He would tell jokes, and Olivia would laugh, a bright, genuine laugh that Ethan hadn't h

host at his own feast. If he spoke, he was often

the children ate the charred meat without a word of complaint, praising his effort. Ethan recalled a time a few months ago when he had slightly overcooked the s

asking for his instructions, ignoring Ethan complete

lly taking over, i

"You can see how much happier Mrs. Hayes is. Poor M

light, every act of dismissal, was another reason solidif