How long since I last had played with my daughter?

Since I had written a letter to my husband?

Since I had taken a long walk alongside Ace?

And why had I forgotten the pleasure born from each of those action?

The answer came to me in a tide of clarity. It washed over me, drenching my soul and turning relief into terror.

As I stared at the raggedy teddy in my hands, a scream choked in my throat.

It was all so obvious, and yet, I could barely admit the truth behind everything I had been pretending wasn’t real. The sense of an invisible touch, the unexpected crack of the floorboards, a draught of cold air carrying the smell of Conor’s aftershave, Ace’s growling panic. I had resisted the truth edged in each of those events for they could onl...

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