Hampton, Virginia

October 26, 1850

It has been over a year since I landed on these shores. As predicted, I have stayed far longer than I originally planned. But there was something in Mary’s eyes that night, something that pulled me in and refused to let me go. For what it’s worth, I’m glad I stayed. Waking up to her radiant face each morning makes me feel at peace with myself. In the short time we’ve been together, she has helped me regain the humanity I thought I lost.

There is nothing I don’t love about this woman, everything she does makes my bleak world so much brighter. The way she snorts when she laughs, the way she crinkles her little pug nose when she’s mad, utterly adorable. Buy what I love most about Mary is the way she loves me,...

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