The Replaced Lover's Thirty-Day Silent Escape

ia's

rty seconds later, Damian walked

is dark hair, soaking thro

even gla

the coffee table, landin

cked it, and his thumbs

to the study, never

ing room doorway,

ilence, "it's past two in the mo

't turn

ogs," he said, eyes glued to the

int out that he'd claimed h

allway and watched him thro

message, a rare, gentl

g together, I'd never s

always stern, ex

had been lodged in my chest fo

ly obtuse. He wasn'

l his tenderness

locked it, and lay down o

me in months, I

ng, put on a trench coat, and

rought him a black coffee, a

ian was already sitting at the kitche

the paper bag from me, and starte

ancing at his watc

p of tea. "It's Saturday. Two weeks ago, you promised

The butter knif

oat and looked awa

st-minute emergency. Professor Vance called an

bagel calmly

ka

t I didn't show any

ther pout, or cook an elaborate meal to win him

was clearly ma

nd reached across the c

id, making another empty promise. "We'll g

espond to

rom my face to the wa

hick tear-off calendar-one I'd picked up f

bold, striking numb

the bright red digit. "Since when d

dar, and pinched the corner of

page marked "30" and dropped it in

below sho

d evenly. "The deadline f

sigh of relief. H

ding on that rebranding account

apkin, grabbed his briefcas

by that Broadway patisserie on the w

icked shut

ment, listening to his foot

that lemon tarts were Bl

rgic to ci

t date three years ago,

ent did I go into the storage closet and d

me to cle

with the

ceramic toothbrush cups, one I'd bo

blue. Mine

into the garbage ba

wberry body wash he'd complained was to

he livi

throw pillows embroid

llowcases and stuff

e graduation-where he wore only a faint, forced smile while I beamed with p

artment felt no

Amelia had ever lived there w

s been nothing but a convenient hotel-someone

started crumbling, he'd neve