120

DARLENE

I was alone when I woke up. The wooly cotton of the comforter was cold to my touch when I spread my hand over the space where my husband’s body was supposed to be.

”Saints!” I gasped, shooting to sit up on the bed, before groaning and falling into the covers.

What time was it? How long had I been out? Alexander must have carried me up to the room.

I felt the knot of tension in my belly unfurl at the thought of him still caring.

“Goddam it, Darlene,” I groaned, knowing I ought to strangle myself with the sheets but setting them aside instead to slide my feet into the soft, faux fur of my slippers.

The fire in the stone hearth had simmered down so that wisps of frigid air burned my nose and eyes as I paced about the space.

There were lavender petals etched into the overhead gold beams of the canopy that I hadn't noticed before, the potted plants beside the beds looking bigger and farther apart than I remembered.

I paused, turning on the balls of my feet to take in the room wit