I cleaned the house. Lit candles. Ordered his favorite takeout. Put on the nice lingerie that had been buried in my drawer for months.
I even played the music we used to listen to when we first met.
At the last minute, I realized I forgot dessert.
So I ran to the bakery.
I was gone maybe twenty minutes.
When I pulled back into the driveway, Daniel’s car was already there.
I smiled.
Perfect timing.
Then I opened the front door.
And heard laughter.
A woman’s laugh.
A laugh I recognized immediately.
Esther.
My sister.
For a moment my brain tried to explain it away.
Maybe she stopped by. Maybe they were talking in the kitchen.
But the house felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too intimate.
I walked slowly down the hallway toward our bedroom.
The door was almost closed.
I pushed it open.
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