Donald rode a black horse.Once he mounted, he snapped the reins, and the horse reared up on its hind legs with a sharp, ringing cry.The field went silent.Men admired, women marveled.Leon rode a chestnut horse.He stepped into the stirrup, settled onto the saddle, and sat with steady ease.Hearing everyone praise Donald, he only smiled, calm and unbothered.His hands brushed lightly over the horse’s mane, as if soothing an old friend.Outside the ring, Angela watched the two men competing in silence, her feelings a tangled knot.She really had loved Donald once, even more than she loved herself. When he was sick, she wished she could take the pain for him.But now, when she looked at him, all she felt was ash and emptiness.She had known Leon for barely a month, yet she felt a closeness and understanding unlike anything before.The most obvious change was that since meeting Leon, she had only smoked two cigarettes.Nina walked over holding Dolly’s hand. “Angela, I’m curious, who ar
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