With a trembling heart, she knocked on the door. Silence answered back.
Hesitantly, Eleanor tapped on the familiar oak door of the cottage. When no sound greeted her, she fumbled in her handbag for the key and turned it in the lock. Good Lord, how long had it been since she last stepped inside? Everything looked just as it had beforeunchanged, frozen in time. Yet now, the once-beloved home felt cold and unfamiliar.
Nearly a year had passed since the quarrel with William. Theyd argued before, of course. Eleanor would scoop up their little girl, Rosie, and retreat to her mothers house, tears stinging her eyes. Most times, William, unable to bear the separation, would come chasing after her the very next day, his words soft with regret. Life would right itself, and peace would settle between them like a gentle mist. But the last time had been different
Shaking off the memories, Eleanor marched to the wardrobe, determined to find the papers she needed. There they lay, untouched, neatly tucked into a folder just as shed left them. For two months now, a young manlong smitten with herhad been ardently pursuing her. Nothing had yet passed between them, but just a week ago, he had formally proposed.
All week, sleep had eluded her. Something weighed heavy on her chest, making the decision impossible. At first, shed expected the rift with William to mend itself. He would knock on her mothers door as he always had, gaze into the depths of her soul, and whisper, Ive missed you so.
But days turned to months, and life remained unchanged. William grew colder, more distant, the gulf between them widening. He visited only for Rosie, taking her by the hand without a word, returning her later with arms full of giftsa new dress, shiny shoeswhile Rosie squealed with delight. Eleanor would remember how his eyes had once sparkled when he brought presents for her, too. Now, he scarcely glanced her way. Their encounters became awkward, and she would hurry off to another room. Her mother, never fond of William, often reminded her, What will be, will be. Gradually, Eleanor had come to believe it.
Drawing a deep breath, she cast a final glance around the roomthen froze. There, asleep on the sofa, was William. He must have dozed off after his shift. Her first instinct was to flee, but something pulled her back. Every familiar line of his face, now rough with stubble, the dark circles beneath his eyes She sank slowly beside him. What did she truly know of this man shed shared her life with for so many years? What thoughts lay behind that furrowed brow?
In her mind, the face of a younger William surfacedbright-eyed, his smile warm and effortless. That smile had once turned her world upside down. Could this weary man really be the same? Yet it hadnt been so very long ago. The memory of that smile flickered vividly, an unspoken reproach.
God, where had it all gone? Desperately, she scanned the room, as if searching for someone to blame for the ruins of their life. Her chest tightened, flooded with sorrow. Their once-cozy, storybook world had slowly choked on petty grievances and bitter silences, drowned in tears and misunderstanding. William, forever exhausted, working three jobs to provide for her and Rosie, refusing to lean on anyone Shed had time to think, to realize shed lacked patience, the grace of a womans wisdom
Yet there had been days when theyd been madly, wildly happy. That was no trick of memory. Eleanor stood abruptly, desperate to prove it to herself. Her gaze landed on Williams hand, resting atop their wedding album. In the photograph beneath his fingers, they had been dazzlingly, unmistakably happy.
Her hand trembled, and the picture fluttered to the floor with a whisper. As she turned, she frozeWilliam was awake, his eyes alight.
Eleanor you came back? he murmured, joy lighting his face. The thought struck her like a blow: half an hour ago, she might have walked away forever.
