Scatter My Love to the Wind

"Ann, why'd you delete all the photos from your social media?" Colin asked as he emerged from the bathroom, drying his hair.

I locked my phone and set it aside.

"No reason. They felt kind of cheesy, so I got rid of them," I said lightly.

Colin walked over, slipped an arm around my waist, and pulled me against him.

"What's cheesy about that?" he chuckled. "Changing my username to make my wife smile—that's exactly what a husband should do."

He rested his chin on top of my head, his voice warm with affection.

I turned my face just enough to avoid his touch. "I drove your car to pick up my mom today. There was a new bluetooth device in the paired list."

I looked him straight in the eyes.

The hand rubbing his hair paused for the briefest moment.

"What device?" His expression didn't change.

"It's called 'LoveHasAThousandKnots,'" I said, emphasizing every word.

Colin didn't react at all.

"Oh, that." He tossed the towel onto the back of a chair. "That's our new intern, Dakota Delacruz. A few days ago we had a department dinner. She caught a ride home with me, so she probably paired her phone by accident."

The explanation came without the slightest hesitation.

"Kids these days really come up with some ridiculous usernames." He turned back to me with a grin. "What? Mrs. Richardson, are you getting jealous?"

I stared at the face I'd loved for five years. It suddenly felt like I was looking at a stranger.

I lowered my eyes, hiding the chill spreading through my chest.

"No. I was just asking."

Colin wrapped his arms around me again and kissed my forehead. "Don't overthink it. You're the only one in my heart."

His touch was as gentle as ever.

I closed my eyes, but all I could see was that photo of a man's hands holding an armful of lipstick.

I'd searched three different jewelry boutiques before I finally found that limited-edition wedding band.

I eased myself out of his embrace, saying I was going to get a glass of water.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, I took out my phone and opened the short-video app again.

The girl who called herself "LoveHasAThousandKnots" had dozens of posts on her profile.

I scrolled through them one by one.

The first was a bouquet of red roses. The caption read: "He says he's allergic to pollen, but he still bought me flowers."

We'd been married for three years. Not once had there been fresh flowers in our home.

I'd always believed he was allergic to pollen, so I'd never once asked him to buy me flowers.

The second post showed a bowl of tomato basil pasta that looked like a complete disaster. The caption read: "Working late again. Someone insisted on cooking for me. It tasted awful, but it made me so happy."

It had been posted on the fourteenth of last month. That was my birthday.

Colin had told me there was an urgent project at work and he'd be pulling an all-nighter. So that was his overtime—not at the office but cooking dinner for someone else.

The third post showed a matching pair of mugs. The caption said: "One for each of us. No stealing."

My eyes drifted to the mugs on our dining table. He'd told me they were too flashy and would be better kept at home.

The fourth post was two movie tickets. "He said this romance movie was boring, but he still slept through the whole thing with me."

I drew a slow breath, my chest tightening with pain.

I'd begged him for two weeks to go see a movie with me. He'd refused, saying theaters were stuffy and too noisy.

It turned out he didn't hate going to the movies. He just hated going with me.

I closed the app, filled a glass with ice water, and drained it in one gulp.

When I returned to the bedroom, Colin was already asleep. I stood beside the bed and watched him in silence for a long, long time.