Too Late For Your Grand Remorse

inn

Corinne," she asked, her voice barely a whisper, "

inst my skull. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, the silence of the empty house

to a time before the coldness, before

ocked to him like bees to honey, but he never gave them the time of day. He was always surrounded by a posse of guys, a natural lead

me," he' d snarl, his arm casually slung around my shoulders, pos

le that we would end up together. But our marriage, when it

happened. A drunk driver. Grant was critically injured. The doctors said he migh

ked him through grueling physical therapy. I was his shadow, his pillar of strength

le in his own right, his mother looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Cori

he whispered, his eyes filled with a raw, grateful emotion.

pensive gifts. He took me on lavish vacations. He performe

e me to work, but drop me off three blocks away, complaining about traffic, never waiting to see me safely inside. Our intimacy was a schedul

ls it with ingredients I can' t stand." They' d shrug. "That' s just marriage, Corinne. After ten years, it' s normal. Don' t be so

ylee a

a revelation. With Kylee, I saw the

ere installing to the firm' s back entrance. "This is for you, sweetheart," he was saying, his voice soft, almost tender. "So you don' t have to stru

cussing a band with Kylee, their voices low and intimate, their shared laughter echoing down the hallway. He knew a

o me, glowed on the screen. It was a language learning app. I clicked on it. It was

y. He was at his desk, his back to me. He was murmuring into the phone, his voice a low thrum

s practicing. Practicing for her. Practicing the words he had never once uttered to me. Not i

said "I love you"