05
Julian took Stella to the adjacent room and didn’t return all night.
Nurses passing by would glance at their tightly shut door, their faces flushing, and exchange knowing glances. Some things were better left unsaid.
I watched it all with cold eyes, silently retrieving my confiscated phone from Julian’s abandoned bag.
It showed multiple missed calls, all from my best friend, Riley.
We used to learn to paint together.
She’d pose, and I’d capture her.
Unlike my retirement at 25, she remained unmarried and childless, pouring her heart into mastering new painting techniques, slowly becoming a chief art critic in our country.
She’d heard about Julian’s absurdity and enthusiastically invited me to submit my own artwork.
She said, “A natural talent like you, it’s a crime for your talent to be buried under household chores.”
“You should shine brightly at international art exhibitions. I’m organizing an international art exchange conference, would you like to come?”
The word “come” swirled in my mind for a long time before I finally made up my mind and dialed her number: “Yes!”
That’s why we’d agreed to meet yesterday, but Julian had delayed me.
I called her back. “Got held up a bit. Meet me outside the cathedral tomorrow afternoon. You can congratulate me on being single again!”
Riley’s surprised voice came from the other end of the line. “Really? You finally decided to get divorced? That’s
fantastic!”
06
