s tie felt wrong

sm

o

bought hi

ways

ht again?

as careful

m his phone, already sh

You know ho

ked my

dismiss

rgotten o

, ran in, hi

to the park Saturd

fled Leo

. Daddy's got a l

dy halfway o

s unfamiliar co

ne I bought him

sharper

g Skyler Benn

out for

about

public diary of my

erSiz

, all pouting lips and strate

we couldn't afford

Le Mirage," a restaurant so ex

is distinctive signet ring, reste

d by my mystery man

ly v

az

ted me

knot tighten

't just a

s a per

he unwillin

d when Leo began tal

ave three scoops of

, his eyes wide with the

the handsomest b

ered against t

? Who is

ret adventures. Daddy says it

proud of hi

't unde

ild, caught in h

me have soda!

carefully

t just chea

using o

onin

one sugary treat, one

s, each one colder and

th anni

eca

a quiet di

ter bisque, simme

colate lava cakes,

elebration of what

alled

nt crisis. Have to fly

rushed, a litt

t wai

ne wen

sque suddenly felt

his drawings, his l

s not c

y has to work, sweetie.

asted like as

nd a tearful Leo finally asleep

efl

mpul

ennett w

d and laughing,

kable: "Aura," Boston's ne

thum

e flutes

ind Skyler's shimme

hus

ghi

pagne I recognized – the vintage he'd

hone, at her live feed, a carele

't in N

as h

h h

anniv

ok as I took

d against my rib

t it

wor

the i

came a min

paranoid. It's for a potential

ano

ed me p

und came fro

shed

up in bed, eyes

ing? Daddy had to help

overh

edge in my vo

defending

man who was dest

now, in a way, Leo's innocent p

knees besid

wasn't

s too

asy f

d to und

fraction of the desolatio

remem

iscreet bu

a silver pho

. We provide defin

file a problematic former cli

ed without a trace afte

e, I'd dis

elt like

esperate

script coffee shop in a part

d in a perfectly tailo

ere like c

urmur. "Phoenix Solutions offers bespoke

a deep

pear. I want to

sion didn'

e dramatic, the more convincing.

of my tr

s, Richard and Susa

ivate jet crash w

been my a

I'd be

eakdown. A suicide. My car, off a cliff. The Maine coastline. There's a tr

le, roman

was a bi

ge Mercedes convertible. Mike re

ymbol of

cked. My body... miss

will require a significant retainer. A

ake him u

thday Vanish

pearance" was a carefully

the groundwork f

n's Hospital, an event Mike chair

ud

lic

, my voice intentionally shrill. "

ace a mask of polite concern, bu

s follo

rf

them

see the

sed for journaling, I left "acc

ock

der of unsent

to my dece

pages of

to be his daughter. He brings her around Leo. He lies to me constantly. I feel s

s a carefull

police f

rld read m

package

icly listed tale

's handmade Mother

ily, with stick fig

's old, senti

ower from ou

ket he'd given me when we

e that was now a

e was

now. I'm clearing

the wreckage of what

inal

ctive si

rm

blue, patterned

y gift from M

believed in a

h

it to M

ructed. "Tangled in the seatbelt, perha

al, damning pie

f what he ha

like a stone

s no tur

es was ab

red our e

ents' crash,

t fund she didn't know how to manage a

a young lawyer,

friend of

me under

at he tol

o kind, so

iste

me when

me lau

s small apartment, tal

r design, encouraged m

said, his eyes sincere. "You ca

Common, down on one knee, a simple diamon

he was my

r

th had be

static, a d

it s

of glass now, beautiful but ca

then and now was a co

thday" were a blur of forced s

d Mike w

shoulders, laughing, pla

phone w

furtive

ered e

buddy. Gotta

, his voice lo

was on th

yl

confused, his s

mad?" he

e. Daddy's

etrayal, another layer of fr

olve h

ot get awa

to his new life, leaving me

learing out

hes I wouldn't ne

he me

d loved, from a

e donat

of us, smi

he shr

ded was a small

ut necessar

small, v

heap, heart-s

t threw

I p

in the packa

eap sentimentality

e trinkets would one day end u

, Mike came

occur

bouquet

e

avor

y used

to him,

you're

hen turned to me, a practiced

. Happy almo

ed to

ned m

brushed

o

t. I took the roses and put them

e to Mike, his sm

why are

me a warni

tired, Leo. Ar

isy was su

o maintain the

nning his future w

ss was a

rsation, talk about his day, a

nosyllabi

es

N

n't k

rm around me

hen subtly

asked, his voice laced with feigne

Mike. I'm

ker of annoyan

used to be

to me not faw

o

n of the disregard he'

rmance of a loving husband was a

rrived while Mike

ying on the

m an unkno

ict

at was unmistakably *our

s dress shirts, unbuttoned,

bed warm. He'll be home to you soo

ath hi

s in m

my

auda

unadulterat

t an affair; it

as reveli

ot inferno, consuming

onfirm

line Mike w

cy he po

pain and desperation, no

e bathroom, toweling

s hum

mm

n, then your birthday. I've got a little surpr

urp

ost l

urprise wo

of jewelry, chosen by his assi

r self-deceptio

eved he could

wife and s

oung mistres

ect publ

t some things, once broke

shed too far, would bur

n needed one, came the ni

he was worki

tting Le

lnerable, clutche

d, "Is Aunt Sky goin

ocent, so devastatin

at, sweetie?" My voic

ally happy. And she wants to meet me all the ti

at me with wide

d told

ng our son for

dn't break any further, fractu

no room

for hes

to die, so Lena

Hayes h

face in his soft hair, inhali

caped, th

y wiped

ore

res

irm, "Aunt Sky will not be your n

it, I knew I was

n requi

l requi

rehead, a linge

eep now,

his eyes

room, leaving a pa

that was

that wa

e believed in love an

it would a