The Night Love Kept Us Awake

Mark Winter had always believed his marriage to Katherine Landon was nothing more than a perfectly timed distraction. But she often looked at him with the hopeful eyes of a wife waiting for her husband, and little by little, he began to think that maybe spending the rest of his life like this wouldn’t be so bad. It wasn’t love. He only pitied her. Until one day, he realized Katherine had never truly been part of this marriage. She had never given him her heart. His rival, Calvin Winter, a man he had always looked down on, a man who fell short of him in every way, only had to reach out, and she followed without hesitation. On the day they finally ended things, Katherine said to him, “Calvin needs me.” Mark stood there in silence and watched her walk away. Watched her go over and take Calvin’s arm. But he needed her far more than Calvin ever did. — Katherine had always thought that after she left, someone as calm and controlled as Mark would probably only feel relieved. It wasn’t until years after their divorce that she finally saw the email he had sent. “Katherine, it’s four in the morning back home. I can’t sleep. I’m thinking about you. I miss you so much.” Tonight, love spread quietly through the dark. Tonight, no one slept.