[It’s not far. Wait for me for a month, and I’ll come to you.]
After that fight with Ferry, we silently agreed to sleep in separate rooms. I stayed in the master bedroom; he moved into the second bedroom. But every night when I got up, I would see the door to the second bedroom wide open—empty.
He was probably at Chindy’s house. But I no longer cared where he spent his nights. I packed up my belongings little by little, sending them overseas where William would receive them. Each box I shipped off felt like a piece of myself leaving behind the weight of my past.
One evening, Ferry came home with a gift—a phoenix crown. The same one I had stared at through the display window for so long.
For the first time, he brought out his prized bottle of red wine, setting up a dinner table just for me.
“Karen, Grandpa’s birthday is coming up. Let’s not make a scene for now, okay?”
Once again, it was about maintaining the appearance of our families' unity. We were used to putting on a show for these big occasions anyway.
I agreed. “Okay.”