It was almost dusk—Hunter should have been home by now. Dinner was already going cold on their blue-speckled plates. Grandma’s knitting needles clicked steadily in the living room behind her, an unhurried metronome to Evelyn’s unsettled heart.Three weeks ago, she and Hunter had cleared the table laughing, their hands brushing in soap and laughter, promising to build their love slowly, kindly. Now, it felt as though he was slipping through her fingers all over again.She checked her phone for the tenth time in half an hour. No new messages."He's just working, Ev," she muttered, knuckling the edge of the sink. But doubt, like a slow leak, filled her chest.Across town, Hunter swore under his breath as he fumbled with a velvet ring box, the hinge threatening to snap off in his clammy hands. He was standing in the tiny office above Marty’s florist shop, the scent of lilies overpowered by his own nerves.“It’s perfect, Hunt,” Marty assured him, smoothing back her gray-streaked hair as sh
Last Updated : 2025-10-15 Read more