I Married You For Your Brother's Face

na

n the air of the master bedroom, an ac

and seeped into my hair, a stark contrast to the sterile, expensive f

grandmother used to swear by, a dark viscous sludge mean

r click

the cup down on the nightsta

od in th

Friday. Fridays were for the

othecary," he said, w

f his shirt was undone, his tie hangi

I said, wiping a str

. He studied my face, searching for someth

o stay with her t

, here y

ld he

. Like he had conquered a nation just by sleepi

," I

lways did. He reached into his jacket pocket and p

it onto

e old house. I was going to throw it ou

ched

d violently as I u

pture of a bird taking flight

g was c

knew every groove. I knew the exact moment

made

year of university, sitting on th

watching me closely. "Bu

ou," I w

est, pressing the hard

d, just a fraction. A dan

ght," he said. "Is that all

the edge o

lay cold, but you keep my things. You drink

rand of hair behind my ear, hi

e obse

rrect him.

er, letting the wood dig i

eep, Luca

with his conquest, and

, the house

ed out

kitchen, the marble floor

ack of the fridge. It was a simple

ndles in the t

nty

ave been twen

staring at the wax numbers, letting the gri

re you

cked on, blin

art hammering a

ding a bottle of water. He was shirt

cake. He looked

date on the cal

rthday," he

, yes. They

voice was thick with sleep and surprise. "Sofia didn'

tic little cake sittin

alone to c

e, which was lying f

rab it, but

screen. The ga

ds of

hotos of a man sleeping. Ph

d, scrolling. "You have th

l Dante. Eve

only saw himself. He didn't see the gentleness in the ey

couldn'

bite in it. His ego was preening. He was bask

down and leaned

ht t

ha

es. Light

ok as I stru

red, illumina

ght, the hardness in his eyes seemed to s

ed my

ay to you," I

asn't seeing him. I was seeing

irthday,

e name. The name

irthday

dles. Smoke curled in

ish," he

read

m to rot, and f

r the futu

slice of cake and at

," he agree

was consuming a de