AllFreeNovel
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Despite myself, as I wait, I can’t help but notice the lack of anything overly personal from our decade together. There are no pictures of us as a couple on the walls—or anywhere else, for that matter. No displays of the love we once shared.
If anything, it looks like a staged home, ready for sale.
I don’t know why I never realized …
Maybe I was just too busy. Or maybe I was trying to shield myself.
Either way, it should have been a sign.
Internally, I jump at the sound of Seth’s key at the backdoor, and my hands immediately start to sweat.
Swallowing hard, I will my breathing to slow. It doesn’t listen.
Instead, it staccatos in type with my heartbeats.
Shaking off the extra energy, I take a seat on the couch and press my hands between my knees to keep them from shaking.
After the longest few minutes of my life, Seth walks into the living room.
A shadow of a smile flits to his face and he takes a deep breath. “Hey.”
I mimic his inhalation and return the greeting.
“So,” he whispers, shoving his hands in his pockets. He doesn’t venture beyond the doorway and it makes me more nervous than if he sat beside me.
There’s a palpable tension in the air as his gaze drops to the carpet and his lashes flutter against his cheeks.
An unwanted thought springs to mind, making my own anxiety worse.
Does he know about London?
I blow out a breath and stand up. I’ll be the first to speak. It’s the least I can do.
“Seth, we need to talk,” I begin, my voice quivering. I pat the spot beside me in the hopes he’ll sit down.
His blue eyes flit to mine and he nods slowly.
“I know,” his reply is barely above a whisper.
On another deep breath, he accepts my invitation to sit on the couch beside me. For a moment, silence fills the space between us until it’s its own force.
When he doesn’t say anything, I gather my courage. If I don’t speak now, it will tear me apart.
“Seth, I … Things aren’t working.” I raise my gaze to his and tears threaten to emerge. “Between us, I mean.”
His mouth twists to the side and his nod is almost imperceptible. “You remember our fifth anniversary?” Seth’s voice wavers slightly but he holds my gaze.
I can’t help but notice the distance that’s still between us on the couch—he’s on one end, I’m on the other.
Rather than speak, I tip my chin in acknowledgment.
“We went to that fancy restaurant on the lakewalk—the one with the view of Lake Superior that everyone was raving about.”
“Va Bene,” I whisper.
“Yeah, that one,” he confirms, pointing at me. A small inhalation later, he continues, “I saved up for months to afford that dinner. I squirreled away a few bucks here and there so you never noticed it. I wanted everything to be perfect …” His eyes close and he makes a face.
“It was a beautiful night,” I respond, remembering what a surprise it was and how beautiful the sunset had been that night.
