Chapter 4

“Darling…”

She came to me and pressed a kiss to my cheek, and the flowery perfume she favoured filled my nostrils. Forever after I would associate the fragrance of mimosa with her.

“I’m sorry, James. Daddy is right. I thought being married would be…” She hesitated, and I wondered if the term she was looking for was “fun.” But the word she wound up choosing was, “…different, but you’re away all day, and I’m home all alone.” There was remorse in her voice but also relief. “I’ll write you, I promise.”

“Of course, darling.” My throat was so tight I could barely get the words out, and my eyes burned.

“And you’ll see. Two years will fly by.”

“Of course.”

It wasn’t until she was gone that I remembered the flowers. I stared at them for a moment, then picked them up out of the shopping bag and tossed them in the bin.

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