Page 85 of In Sheets of Rain

I shook my head.

“Well, all marriages do. There was one time, I wasn’t sure if I could keep at it. But we worked it out, talked it over with the pastor, and we’re better than ever now. Every relationship has its ups and downs, Kylee. Seven-year itches, that kind of thing.”

It’s only been two years.

I stared at the light switch on the wall opposite me.

“You just have to work at it, Ky. You’ve not even tried to fix this.”

“There’s nothing to fix.”

“How can you say that?”

I shook my head.

Sharon turned sideways on the couch to face me. I sat resolutely still, face forward.

“Kylee, marriage is a sacred thing. It’s not to be thrown away lightly.”

I said nothing.

“You will always regret this if you don’t at least try to make things right.”

I tried to breathe.

“You get what you put into a relationship, Ky. The more effort you make, the greater the reward.”

My heartbeat thundered through my veins, making me dizzy.

“You’ve always set yourself too high a standard. That’s your problem. Perhaps you expected too much from Sean. Cut him some slack, Ky. He’s just a man, after all.”

She laughed as if this was all some simple mistake. Easily rectified.

For a moment, I almost believed it. Believed her.

Let your heroine win.

“It’s over, Sharon,” I said.

“But…”

“It’s over.”

I got up and rinsed out my cup, then placed it in the dishwasher. Returning to the lounge, I took her unfinished coffee and repeated the process. The biscuits were the last to be put away.

I stood in the centre of the room. Untouched and not touching.

And wondered when my family had stopped being my home.