The Wife He Thought He Buried

ill had long lectures, difficult assignments, crowded classrooms, and deadlines that never seemed to end, but something had changed

nd with it, the bullies who had spent years making her feel as tho

enever she finally finished a piece she'd struggled with for days. She would even miss some of her lecturers. But she wouldn't miss the w

place of her own, painting whenever she had the time, and finally becoming the person she had always w

n from

tucked inside the cardboard box beneath her bed. She didn't draw him anymore. She didn't spend hours thinking about him. Every now and then, th

d to the King family. And somehow, a small part of her s

hlo

etchbook on her lap. Mary

Hm

u busy t

k her head.

ith me t

htened immedia

ghed. "Ye

ca

. You'll

hbook and stood. "I wan

never ask

r invited

gain. "Then now

made her unusually happy. She liked the idea of spending the day with Mary, seeing

me are we

lev

Ok

"Wear somethin

wi

nging to Derby King, was in one of the wealthier parts of the city, far from the noisy streets

se was e

in photographs. It was simply beautiful, the kind of place t

ed out of th

iled. "C

eswax, polished wood, and fresh lilies. She glanced down at h

used to it,

softly. "I don'

e too d

'm

cloth into her hands. "

Chloe

windows, swept, and helped with the smaller things Mary usually handled alone during the week. She didn't

," Mary said later, when Der

ight, sheer veil covered part of her face, making it difficult to s

r dau

e coming to cle

r hands and greeted her

rightly. "Good

have classes," Mary continued. "She's in her

ear?" Der

Ye

do you

Ar

nt. Very talented, too. She's always drawing and painting. She's hardworkin

, embarrassed, heat cr

r. "She's always

, a warm, melodic sou

er to stop. Another part was secretly pleased. Mary

Chloe again. "S

es,

st be int

t i

want to do aft

ork somewhere I can use my art. Maybe a gal

figure

iled. "I

u wi

o simply that Ch

seemed to grow. Nothing particularly important. But Chloe found herself enjoying the woman's company. Derby was warm in a way that made conversation easy. She h

her work, leaving Chloe to fin

elves and carefully wiping the framed photographs. She wasn't parti

e cloth suspended in

beside a man Chloe recognized instantly

was

n from

t, she forgo

se he was smiling. Really smiling. His dark brown hair was neatly styled, and his g

beside him, and the ease with which he h

omething about her that made Chloe look a second longer than she meant

back to him, then to

elieve he'

ame before she

thinking about fo

He'd stopped for a stranger in the rain, picked up her drawings, and spoken to her as thoug

wn his name. She hadn't spoken to him for more than a few minutes

od there for a moment. It shoul

graph and continued cleaning. S

fai

of it again. She glanced toward the doorway. No one was

the photograph, just as it had beneath the rain. Then she fou

s is

ve a go

doin

oaked through his clothes, yet he'd barely seemed bothered by it. And she'd never fo

her lips, then disappeared. Her eye

lass. Her faded clothes. The ink stains on her fing

herself. Did you really th

away from t

the room with the young woman smiling from the photograph. She had no idea the house belonged to hi

is heart: the wife he went home to, the woman who own

vening had settled over the e

quiet on the journe

're t

litt

joyed yo

r head against the cool g

Go

oment before turning her

image of his smile, and the wo