She watched it burn and raid, “Yes. I am
They stood there in silence, watching the essence of the past fade into nothingness.
Later that afternoon, she was seated at the dining table flipping through an old scrapbook- she hadn’t intended to dredge up anything else, but it seemed that once that door opened, it was impossible to shut it again. There were pictures of her parents during her childhood, pictures with friends in college, and some with Devlin, too, from the early years of their relationship
She caught on one of those pictures: Devlin, arm draped casually around her shoulder, both of them laughing at something outside the camera range. His eyes had been so clear back then, so alive. She couldn’t reconcile that version with the man she had seen on television last week sanken–eyed, with shaggy stubble, shouting from a distance.
She tumed the pape
Heberth caught.
Tucked in between the pages was another letter. But this one was not for her
It belonged to Devlin
“Jenniler, I know I don’t deserve your longleton. I don’t really do carve to waite this, but if you ever read this, it means I finally found the courage to say what I couldn’t when we were together
I messed up let the covetous ambition metale me. 1ot others come between us. Let her in between us. I told myself less I wouldn’t have to face the truth that was losing you, and
You’ve always been better than me, Jen Kinder. Bowers, I never said it enough, but I loved you. I still do.
Maybe someday we can talk. Maybe someday I can try to fix what i broke.
She stared at the page with a pounding heart..
The lecter boce node. It was folded in hall. The ink was slightly seated, but it wasiral
The bouquet still had a trace of his cologne, the an afterthought on the paper. Did he mean to give that to her? Did he lose his vel
The morning after the berak–in is tense, muted, as if the would sell wore holding its breath, Jennifer walked around the house in a door, going back over the shattering glass in her mind, again. Theron hadept on the couch again, but she hardly even saw him; bet thoughts were drowned by the shadow of fear and confundon that followed her
She ambled into the guestroom that’s now all dasty, the one that used to be her writing room, and the stood her old de memories. She hadn’t come into this imm since she left Devling too many memories. Too many glusti.
imary dust while the corners
comers still held bars of
As it some invisible thread drew her to it, she knelt down beside the boxes and began to paw through them. Letters, journals, photo albums, pieces of a life she no longer claimed. Her fingers shook as they the across the papers, until they found an envelope aged and yellowing with age; across the front was her nume scrawled in her own handwriting
Jennifer knew it immediately. It had been wollten years back during the hard, dark time in her marriage with Devlin. A love letter. A request. An accounting of all the things she hadn’t been. beenough to say aboud.
Hands trembling, she opened it
I know we ate not who we used to be I know we have hurt each other in a thousands all ways. But still love you, I st
who held my hands during every storm. I want to believe that we can find our path back want to believe that you still love me, too
look at you and remember that boy who used to make me laugh in the
“but if you don’t, if we’ve truly lost it all, let me go Don’t keep me here out of guilt. Let me go so I can find myself again” Love, Jennifer.” Cher. Twice Apain. The words feh foreign and intimate at the same time.
Trait came to be eyes. Not because the still loved Devlin, Because once, she had loved him so very much. Enough to talk him into it. Enough to bak
She walked out en lure feet, dutching the leger tightly in her hand.
byrom was out front, trimming broken branchers off the tree. 10e had seen her come out and had looked up, but he hath‘ spol.
Jenner lifted the letter. “I never sett
Soe went over to the fire pit, squatted down, and struck a match, Watching without blinking as the flame devoured the edge of the letter, paper curled up, blackened, and ash Byron malked over to hurt and shod Sentide fari
“Do you deel any delegend?” he asked gristly.
“I don’t know,” she said in the faintest whisper. “But I think Fly in the start.”
He did not piens, Quietly, in remained close, not crowding her while the ghosts of the past faded to wisps on the als.
That nipot,she would sleep well.
Prate was a commodity how in supply.
down paused by the leuke widow as the moon teached the eth and the house lay tranquil.
This fine, though, the figure belt sancthing behind. –
Jennifer make up toile sight of the single Mom, His fumably dew–coveredates and deep, ruby red petals. There was not a single note, nos amuskindicating who had put in there. She stood before the window, huerta, lei paze tastened in the cracked upper winden. Bynum approached for fisam behind, observing the rigidity of her posture. “What balP She presented kim with the flower–liyion’s equa nut towed “Was at there last night?”
jennifer necked whale wrap my underst. “What do they wan
“We are going to find pet. Andance we do, they will wish they had come
Jennifer invisided as if she yapın sonuntes cold with tenter. This was the secondjes çin alomi two consecutive nights. Whoever they were, they water becoming bokler Bettelija on and jemiter now arrived home lates that day aftes visjjing police oftients who had left them with almost nothing but an empty ceport and a promise to patrol much more déten The silence in the car was heavy with unspoken trai
The was tied Tiedad being seated. Tied of holding back
(the door open and walked fuck, followed by Byron, mijo larkedli liom frakke
jemidler tiptedio fare him “i de’t want to be scared anymore “
o keep pretending that I don’t feed monelling”
I woke dropped “Whut ate you saying?”
Chapter 11
