t pursued me, a line that spoke to the world he wanted to enter, a world I was born into. He was the ambitious architect from no

ted, eager to please, and grateful for the connecti

was bef

' d both wanted, but I' d spent the morning on the phone, pulling strings with a contact in Berlin. I secu

to surp

his office, usually a clean mix of paper and the custom cedarwood diffuser I' d bou

en I s

hird anniversary. It was a custom piece, a deeply personal gift. She wasn't just sitting i

fered a wide-eyed

sband has the best taste. Th

s a subtle but deliberate act of distancing, of marking her ter

del on a nearby table, the ge

I said. My voice was quiet

ckly scooped up the puppy, holdi

d diplomacy. "Gabrielle, honey, what's wrong? Molly just br

For the first time, I wasn't his

ked directly at Molly

aned. If the marks don't come out, you will have it disposed of, and I will orde

ger. "And I'll be reporting a violatio

s. It was a perfect performance of a wounded, po

didn't defend her in the office, but in the ster

just a poor kid who doesn't know any better

a gift I gave you, An

s voice laced with a weariness I'd never he

verreaction, that my world of carefully chosen objects and gestures was f

had become