Chapter 9
234 Words
Chapter 9: Sparks Ignite
Theodore invited Anne to a poetry reading at the library, a guest poet from the city reciting verses about grief and renewal. They sat side by side in folding chairs, the room dim, only a spotlight on the podium. As the poet read a line about “love rising from ashes,” their hands brushed accidentally on the armrest. A jolt of electricity passed between them—warm, startling, alive. Afterward, over coffee at a diner with cracked vinyl booths, Theodore confessed, “You have a beautiful soul, Anne. The way you talk about art… it’s like you see the world in color when everyone else is stuck in gray.” Blushing, she opened up about her marriage’s woes—the cold silences, the perfume, the hotel. He listened without judgment, stirring sugar into his coffee slowly. “You deserve someone who chooses you every day,” he said simply.
Vincent, meanwhile, deepened his affair with Aria, oblivious to Anne’s budding connection. He bought Aria flowers, took her to rooftop bars, lied to Anne about “team-building retreats.” Aria sent him playlists—sexy R&B, songs about secrets and desire. He saved them all.
Aria clung to Vincent almost every day making him feel adored and loved but at her young age she didn't know that probably one day Vincent might actually go back to his wife one day.
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