The house was empty.
David and the kids were still at the hospital, and for the first time since Nina's ordeal began, she had the place to herself.
The silence wasn't innocent anymore... it pulsed with anticipation, as though the house itself knew what they were about to do.
Or a test, she thought. To see if I'm brave enough to claim what I want.
She stood before her closet, the doors open wide, surveying her options with an intensity she hadn't felt in years.
What do you wear for something like this?
Her fingers drifted across hangers, dismissing one outfit after another. Too formal. Too casual. Too motherly. Too obvious.
She needed something that said I didn't try too hard while also making it impossible for him not to notice.
Her hand paused on a silk blouse. Deep blue. The color that always made her eyes look brighter. It had been hanging untouched for months, maybe longer.
