Chapter 7 - The Routine Resumes
That evening Ethan came home carrying flowers.
White roses.
My favorite.
For eight years, he had bought me white roses whenever we celebrated something.
Never when he apologized.
Until now.
He set them on the kitchen island.
“Peace offering.”
I looked at them.
“They’re beautiful.”
“Can we reset?”
“Reset what?”
“Everything.”
I trimmed the stems.
He leaned against the counter.
“I talked to Vanessa.”
Of course he had.
“She feels awful.”
“I talked to her too.”
Ethan froze.
Only slightly.
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
“What did she say?”
Interesting.
Not what did you say?
What did she say?
I arranged the roses in a vase.
“She apologized.”
His shoulders loosened.
“She cares about you.”
“I know.”
“Then maybe we can stop turning this into something it isn’t.”
I filled the vase with water.
“I’d like that.”
He stepped closer.
For the first time all day, he smiled.
“Really?”
“Really.”
He kissed my forehead.
I let him.
That night, I put my wedding ring back on.
Ethan noticed immediately.
He looked relieved.
That was the point.
Because if something was happening, I didn’t want him defensive.
I wanted him comfortable.
Comfortable people make mistakes.
Sunday passed peacefully.
Monday too.
By Tuesday, Ethan had returned to normal.
He left his jacket over dining chairs.
Complained about traffic.
Asked whether we wanted Thai food.
He even mentioned Vanessa casually.
“Vanessa might come to Marcus’s thing next month.”
“Sounds fun.”
He glanced at me.
I smiled.
Wednesday night, I made pasta.
Ethan opened wine.
We watched half a movie before he fell asleep on the couch.
At 10:16 p.m., his phone buzzed on the coffee table.
He woke instantly.
Not fully.
Just enough to reach for it.
He looked at the screen.
Locked it.
May you like
Then fell asleep again.
I kept watching the movie.
