Ten Years a Ward
gentle and patient as he discussed the d
, listening to the voice that
ed the words she ha
e point of
ility. Which university she went to,
eps light, as if she was afraid of
ked around the space she
e fifteen
he would leave thi
s shaped like a chinchilla, a gift from Ethan for her te
now on, I will be like this chi
een her
was all i
d off the lamp. The room
time
e from the back of her closet
gifts Ethan had give
t from a tiny, renowned artisan shop. A custom-b
placed them in
a little emptier, as if a hole
of desolation and opened the
faded, yell
s her
, recording her turbulent childhood after her parents
cidentally s
ut later that night, he had com
and told her, "Ava, you are t
chool and warned the bullies. From then
ly protected
in the diary became neater, an
jor award and told her, "Y
r a rose and said, "I'll
s a message he had written for her
you graduate, you can come work at my
tly, blurring the
her eyes, her ex
ear the diary,
a piece of her past
e threw all the fragments into
heard a noise f
standing in the living room, pulling a suitcase
Ethan said, h
and smiled, walking over.
icate box. Inside was a beautiful little c
mile ti
rely allergi
ved a dessert with mango puree, and she'd had a terrif
the spot and had made the kitchen
every preference,
oe, a hint of displeasure in his tone.
had an expression that s
ched with a
his affection, but he had a
eath, took the box
Chloe. It's
idn't car
he should
ing her decision t