Hollow

ater. Jasper never came bac

Our dream home. Every line, every window, every shade of white had been a joint decision, a test

miliar scent of my vanilla and sandalwood candles. It was a cloying, sweet floral perfume. Kim

d of soft humming t

my favorite silk robe-the one Jasper had bought me for our anniversary. My jewelry box was

rl necklace, letting the delicat

and feigned innocence. She didn't look ill. She looked vibrant, triumphant. "J

He said you wouldn' t mind. Since, you k

ld my engagement ring and wedding band. The ring was a custom piece I had designed m

around the platinum band. She tried to sli

a smug little smile playing on her lips. "How he p

chest, burning away the numbn

tant, crocodile tears. "I-I' m sorry. I was just admi

, put it

s goin

on, the one with the silly 'Kiss the Architect' slogan I' d bought

d face to my cold, hard expression. His

d. "Can' t you see you' re upsetting her?

rous? I was being asked to be generous to the w

dangerously low, "is mine. I wa

over to Kimberley, gently taking the ring from her grasp. For a h

ening. "Don' t worry, darling. I' ll buy

g-our ring, our promise, our entire history-into the open, h

"Kimberley needs this room. It has the best light and the en-suite bath

rley and led her out of the room, murmuring soothing words to

' s favorites: pan-seared scallops, lobster bisque, grilled asparagus. Every dis

were cooked i

in a panic after I' d accidentally eaten a cookie with peanut butter filling. He' d held my hand while the docto

tiny piece of shell from Kimberley'

s if just remembering I was there.

who once memorized my every preference, my every fear,

ling as I picked up my chops

photo albums. He led her to the study, a place that had always been our p

began to pack the few remaining belongings that he hadn' t already discarded. There wasn' t m

study downstairs, followed by

d down

g shards of glass was the torn, crumpled photograph of my mother. It was the only picture I had of her

and to her chest. "I am so, so clumsy. I just wan

. "It' s just a picture, Kimberley, don' t worry about it,

The negative was lost years ago. T

g to piece together the fragments of my mother' s smiling face. A sliver of glass sliced into my fingertip. I didn' t ev

and hot, blurring the sh

fussing over Kimberley, completely oblivious to th

twenty years, I didn't see the man I loved. I saw a stranger. A crue

-