His Wife, By Contract

too quiet, too clean, too expensive. The marble countertop gleamed like untouched snow. The glass cabinets were fille

looking embarrassingly worn i

king sharply on a call. Something about a de

ding, the kind that made peop

snoop. This wasn't her house, not really. She was a pl

oft voice sa

ling kindly. Her short, grey hair was tucked neatly int

er. Mr. Wolfe asked me t

e human contact. "Thank you,

lara. I'll give you the short

-

e were pale cream walls, plush bedding, velvet armchairs, and a vanity with gilded edges. A bal

around in

to reveal a line of new c

ed," June said. "Shoes too. He said you migh

ed. "He thinks of eve

. Just guarded. You may find he's more bar

met plenty of men like him. The

e. "Well, dinner's in an hour. You can join him in t

ing room?"

get used

doub

-

at the head of the long, polished table while Clara sat several s

other perfectly pressed suit, scrolling through his p

t. "Should I wait for a

up. "Sit. Eat.

o this is m

is sarcasm a regular feat

ow I br

sement crossed h

iet for a moment. Th

undraiser this week

ow who we're raising money for,

ediately. "Children's lit

nked. "Se

e said, "but I don't

that when I se

"You always assume t

they give m

is fork. "You're

uld

most pe

"Maybe they confuse

rt, surprised lau

aster than

s an equation he hadn't qu

y. You can explore the house

"Got it, Capt

hint of amusement in his e

dn't a

-

ie quiet of the mansion. Everything was too perfect. Nothing fel

at the end of the west hallway

osit

mly lit room filled with canvases a

unfinished sketches-some abstract, some painfully detail

e edge of an easel and stoppe

open

rian. A broken swing set. A closed bedroom door with scratc

ached, une

ldn't be

ed with

expression like ice. His jaw

dn't me

ard. "That room

a said, defensively. "What

yes blazed

eep hiding parts of yourself? Yo

ped. "Emotions make people

hu

n being human. I'm in

hing with contracts a

burning into hers. "Don'

Clara said soft

g cracked. Then just a

bed,

-

feel like hers, Clara lay awake for hours.

artoons and pretending he wasn't in pain. She thought of Adri

hought of

sion, surrounded by mone

een them now-it was something deeper, s

ew, was not part