ya

on my finger, fracturing the ligh

ver his eyes, his breathing deep and rhythmic. He slep

cked up my phone and opened the cloud sto

days, holidays, the day he p

ect

le

rm de

e

limb, but it also felt l

ast night. The "Realm of Maya" necklace. A custom piece, glittering

t jewelry; it

e velvet box and sn

hoto of us from the nightstand and placed it face down in the drawer. I took the dri

we had built out of exist

ay

his boxers. He looked rumpled and undeniably sexy-the specific brand o

d," he murmured,

wave of revulsion rolled thro

st, my skin crawled. I flin

. "What's wrong? Y

y to fold a towel that didn't n

carded jacket on the chair and pulled out a black card

bed. It landed on the pristi

ed, staring at the plastic. "Yo

s," he said, his int

sser. He lunged for it, his

e. "I have to take this. Emergency

nday m

ver sleep

room, shutting the door

he had left his cufflinks. They wer

yesterday. Yesterday, he had worn

o from the unknown number again. I zoomed

he low light, were t

eft them

d in fresh clothes. He kissed my cheek,

he said. "Might

The silence of the pe

e smell of the beans made bile rise in my throat. The roo

n't just

my purse and went to the pharmacy three blocks aw

he cold tile floor, I waited for t

iti

of

lines.

c sticks. A baby. A li

about the silver cufflinks on the table in the clu

being cheated on an

baby was

t for him. For this tiny thing inside me

back of the closet. I put the "Realm of Maya" necklace inside. Then, I wr

ed it deep into the dark,

to play ga

now the rules h