ed, a kind, pro

Mrs. Davenport.

ity clinic I' d chosen for its anonymity, not the

oomed in my chest, a war

anniversary, though Ethan

held, was from that one

constructed walls between us had

ost like the Ethan I sometimes glim

. A baby.

ght, a flicker of anticipation lightin

shattered almo

on room, my mind still reeli

ha

area, not for me, but

eetheart, the one he

y on his arm, a pictur

ile joy from moments ago cur

or three months, and her pre

ooked up, saw m

arded, flickered with something I couldn'

oftly, one hand pre

graine is just unbearable.

ed with concern. "Just hold on, C

owledged me, j

rted tea. It' s the only thing that helps her migraines. Go to that d

ask, he

n assistant,

just found out she w

Chloe the damsel, Ethan her k

was a pact, a

ew t

arp and clear,

r, a formidable ma

was to see E

closest friend, had ge

uiet archivist, sta

ptly leaving him for a "career o

ge of co

he' d handed me the

lready on the divor

armth. "With a clear exit strategy. You'll get a fair sha

ity he offered, a stark contras

an, with his easy charm and hidden vulnera

t out a small, pained whimp

triumph in her eyes before she h

l here? Ethan, darling,

but the underlying message w

urge of fr

not so subtly, ch

l place, a

han I expected, "I can't go to the deli righ

a lie, I needed t

nnoyance clea

e difficult. Ch

izing her, making me fe

st demeaning, it was a

but steady. "Or you can get it for

greement, remember? A partnership. Sometimes partners help e

loveless marriage against me, d

l stung, sh

t. The bre

nal decision cl

clinging to his arm, and a

d, my voice devoid of emotio

in the sterile waiting room, the scen

Done hoping.