nally found my vo

d, as if surpr

But you've loved me since we were

smissed my feelings,

switch flipp

fusion, it all coalesced in

with. Or perhaps he always was

hood. Playing house, I

n bird once. It was clumsy, i

andy ap

cheap, mass-produced music box.

mb in her hair. Jackson's handiwork was unmistakable. He'd told

kle twisting. Jackson hadn't even looked back. He'd been

yals, I'd excused them

m

no next time, J

evoid of the emotion

ok falling unnoti

ting through boxes. Things Jackson had given me over the

wooden bird. Its

ked in with

in my hand. His

an't stop thinking

boxes. "Going thr

e bird. Then I

the polished floorboa

g out the tr

our problem, Emilia? Why can

not B

is expression shifted, becoming sly.

ox from his pocket. Inside,

iful. And I'd s

polo match. She'd complai

old laugh

ough to wear Brandy's

flushed a

out especially for you. She said the gr

n his voice tu

e the lady of the house. My wife. If she wants

ir cr

voice tight. "And you seem to for

harsh, disbe

me laugh. He probably did it out of pity. Who el

He knew the shame, the socia

atorial whisper, "everyone assumes we were... intimate. A

ed, his smugn

And some of the other family asset

e-carat diamond from a hi

ost reasonable thing in the world. "She comes fro

The audacity. The sh

getting th