Chapter 139

• Julian did not tell me right away. For a few days, he kept whatever he had found to himself, letting me move through the boutique and the house as if everything was the same. I noticed the shift in him almost immediately. His replies were slower. His eyes lingered on things in the room without really seeing them. He still asked about my day, but the way he listened felt like he was only half in the conversation, the other half working through something in his head.
• I didn’t push. Over the years, I had learned that Julian worked like a tide when it came to difficult truths. Sometimes he crashed them onto the shore without warning. Other times he pulled them back, letting them gather force in private before he let them out. This time, I could tell he was holding them back, measuring his words before he let them come near me.
• When he finally spoke, it was late in the evening. We had both showered after a long day, and the living room was lit only by the low lamp in the corner. The television was on, but muted, some old documentary running in the background. We sat there with our mugs of tea cooling between us, both of us pretending to watch the screen until he finally turned to me.