orning, Barrett

ot come to t

rough the silk curtains when a sound jo

istakable sound of a k

ing against her ribs. Her eyes darted

45

sed with a soft, careful thud.

es on the polished hardwood fl

, waiting for them to turn

did

oward the guest wing. She heard the quiet turn of a doorknob, the wh

escended

dle of the bed, one hand clenched in the duvet, staring at the da

wn apartment like a thief, taking pains

e decency of walking into the room and acknowledging that

d, gut-wrenching humiliation. He hadn't just ignored her; he had made it cle

rate. It had weight. It had teeth. It was the silence of a man who knew exa

the cold floor. The chill shot up her spine, but

d on the door and demand an explanation. What wa

ssed against the wall. A ridiculous part of her wanted him to open the door. To say her name. To make one c

e from the

ng it down in three long swallows. The cold burned her throat, a welcome distracti

swallowing questions, letting Barrett's indifference pass through the apartm

e. Out of a deeply ingrained habit, a pathetic attempt to mainta

serv

, the slices popping up with a cheerful sound that felt like a mockery.

to the precise doneness he preferred. Toast cut diagonally because he had once, years

sland. She sat down, staring at the empty stool across from h

The guest room d

thought with a detached bitterness. He

ews article from last night. She scrolled through the m

Barrett's face. He looked genuinely happy, a carefree ease in his expression she had never

appetite

fortless. Alive. He had spent the night smiling for cameras and strangers, then slipped in

t, forcing each bite down. Then, she took Barrett's plate, cover

for a man who would never come to the tabl

olishness.

One by one, the small humiliations arranged themselves into something undeniable. This was not a marriage suffering th

eyes fell on the small section of clothes that belonged to him. A few suits,

ay and soft, on the fabric of suits

er reflection in the mirror. Her eyes w

ated. Her feet, against her better judg

for a long mom

as as if the door separated not just

toward the kno

k why he had come home like a stranger, why he had smiled for another woman's c

Barrett did not explain because he did no

hardening with each step sh

r, the lock clicking into

be said. This silen

then tonight she would face him as something else entirel