and softened, round and gentle like a lullaby, but inside Luna's ears it snapped and crackled and buzzed. Sitting on the bed's edge, the sun warmi

n by stubborn hope, rather than any promise of return. It was a symbol of the line she kept repeating (som

, sparkling and uncaring about one person's life. His tie hung loose, his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, a calculated impertinence after the crue

d, and the instant his gaze caught hers, it softened. "Thinking a

say I destroyed my life," she said. "That I married a sorry loser, who doesn't have an

r their fingers as if none of that mattere

ring caught the light. "Be

s head steadily.

e of unbelief that had spiked Luna's mornings were all swept aside. With Ethan beside her, the world resu

ates with languid, practiced strokes, drying them with gentle, methodical pats. Every few minutes, his hand brushed hers, or he mumbled a phrase that made her grin.

orget that shacking up with a loser who's not going anywhere is a g

mprehend," she mutter

ed her shoulder before he pressed brief kisses to her temple. "They wi

s a silent, fragile peace. Then the doorbell rang out, loud and clear, a note that pierced the clamo

ld an unassuming envelope.

e. The handwriting struck her like a physical blow, the loops, the pressure, and the repetition reminiscen

nd whispered,

in him. Yet, his eyes held something, something she couldn't

him and went to the little garden beside her building. It smelled fresher. A few sparrows darted through the shrubs. Petals fluttered like wayward promises. She slipped

behind. He fingered loose hair and kisse

he screen: How quaint. Enjoy your little delusion. Don't

bitter. "They simply don

ng into a sweet press on her mouth a

ord here, a whisper a syllable. Luna hummed. Ethan listened like he meant to keep that fragile thing locked away safe. Those tiny stitches s

ered above the two of them, casting lucent, amber light, a

"I do," she

ocation. If you dare to believe that granting you your

cy, electric dread sparked to life. Love is a power. She'd been holding to that belief, b

ethodical; he wouldn't stop until tomorrow had come and gone. And she? She had Ethan. Quiet, still, holding secrets Luna hadn't discovered. Whatever happened