. His eyes, once so full of love

the past, Eva

. "My son is dead. I lost three years

d in a vise, every beat a new spike of pain. I swayed on

saw a flicker of concern

ow warning. He took a quick ste

A cheerful, cartoonish ring

n, and his entire posture changed. The flicker of co

, his voice gentle. "Yes, I' ll pick up h

silence in the r

ed for a cookie before dinner and David had sent him to his room withou

aryn' s child, got co

ep myself from collapsing in front

gering on me for a moment

st. We' ll ta

, then paused. "The alarm code

y home? The thought was a

he house into a deeper twilight. My world, once

, but I had nowhere else to go. An

s, my legs heavy, and

as e

te stories was gone. The pale blue walls, once covered in his crayon drawings of

ad era

ispered to the empty room.

w paint cold against my back. A raw, animal sound tore

raw and my eyes were swollen shut. Exhausted, I

have kept something of Leo' s in here. A

avy curtains, the same king-sized bed. My clothes were still hang

if he had a new family

ghtstand, my hands shaking. I did

en I s

small, unopened box of lingerie. Expensive. Silk a

stant, exactly what it was. And

playground. They would come here, to our bed, surrounded by my ghost, a

e was nothing left but bitter bile. My body was weak, my spirit shatt

ugh the window. I was in bed. Someone had move

ession was one I hadn' t seen in years. It was soft. It was pa

me want to be sic

"Why didn' t you th

g the sheets aro

David? Was it more fun for you and Karyn to scr

The brief moment of

he said. It w

e cemetery. With h

t stood there, a statue ca

d, yes," he sai

bled into finer dust. Every memory of his love, his promis

go, promising to protect me. I thought o

sked, my voice barely audible.

e during a mayoral campaign are not good, Eva. A gr

bout Leo. Like a

ce chillingly reasonable, "and the election is secured,

is words. He was keeping me. Like a spare suit in the back of the closet. A comfo

ruthless boy from the slums, willing to do any