of pricey designer gowns, gone. She l

w clin

ht to be

ain the hollow emptiness before him. He examined the drawers. The counter in th

ardly a tr

gently, like a frigid h

ian

merely engaged in on

had

at his sides. His eyes strayed to the bed, where just her f

ectations for the f

he sound low,

" shook his head and turn

ad left t

of a point. Not only to g

had

was not naive. One week without him would not be

r and aged whisky filling his office. Though he wasn't staring

here wa

ard to a

umm

illian had return

e broken by a kn

y professionalism unbroken. He laid a big envelope car

face the envelop

Your signed div

less

l for a sp

ning the envelope. The clear, final, une

e signature at the bot

Daven

od. Not ev

Lil

ken him of

he desk edge, and exhaled slowly. Though his face stayed bl

it rather b

igned off

roat clear. Would you

sile

papers, his hold strengthen

ure. Second thought. She repo

ough, without

lder and pushed it aside as though it

t," he said, nea

ld back.

urled, there was

g and straightening his shirt's cuffs. But Li

lled across the room like she owned it, sitting on the

no time in ge

it clinking gently. His shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his tie loosened

uncomfortable hole in the pla

e thought

retching. She asked, drinking her wine, "Isn't it better now?." No more su

emained

of whisky, letting the fi

Seraphina. Yo

t. "I refus

table. "Oh, darling, you really do." She slanted her head to

is nose, his hold on th

g quite light-hearted. Poor Lillian. She at last understo

ngers

empty closet, the frigid beddin

hout a word. Wit

id not s

hand tracing along his forearm. "You ought to be thanking me," sh

ead slowly and loc

lutter of something h

polished finger along the edge of her wineglass. "You constan

re

er in his head, but i

t. Signed the papers without even feeling a qu

t a lack of

s fin

is drink down with calm accur

stood her eyes showed s

ted. "We have gone over her typical areas, her preferred stores, the

sponded

he slanted back in his

ain

wrinkled and for the first time som

of t

She deleted everything from her personal records. She

nose, his hold strengthening arou

thoroughness

belonged to him; she would suck, punish him with h

is what

his life as though s

changed her number. Every effort to ge

id within, seeing the steady, under control melting of the ice

ed, "Her

fics. provisions pertain

d lacking of comedy. "Smart," h

osely. Would you like

ot respond

ant gadget fit in his palm rather natural

en in defiance, chin raised as though c

tally cut him out, although s

ll rig

, he hit the

ne ring on

n tw

next

have dialled is

d. The moonlight created shadows across the room as it softly slantedly

we

vorce was at last settled. She had disappeared

, the silence w

fingers like sand. Turning his head to the side, he anticipated the

cu

time her absence fe

osing as he cared just enough to give her hope she still had his attention

te. None of conf

the cold sheets she had laid only days previously. Her

ight will away the extreme emptiness

ant to wa

n his side, tenacious, demanding, reluctant to fit his universe, al

, absen

ence enveloped him like a blanket, it

events, the icy glare in her eyes as she left, the chilly expression on

her at his side for all the wrong motives. But the we

d reaching for the frigid pillow. His fingertips ran over the cl

g else v

ne thing he could not fit into his template. And now she was gone

t to be rather la

d stiffened his jaw. He gla

l. Messages

closed h

as l

onse, to hear her voice just once more, more powerful than anything else. He did

er once again, facing the frigid are

She'll come back," as though the

rnally. Still, the reality was unchangeable no matter

y sure she would return, for