It broke Lucius’ heart to do so, but when he saw them picking up the more elaborate stolae, he walked over to them. “We can’t wear anything that will draw attention,” he told them. “Please choose only simple tunicae and cloaks.”
Adara turned to him and the look in her eyes was gut-wrenching. She had been excited to shop with Calliope, not because she wanted to spend, but because it provided them with a shared moment, because by putting on a stola once more, she could feel some sort of normalcy.
“I’m sorry,” Lucius said when he saw the look in his wife’s eyes. “It’s not safe.”
“What should we buy then?” Adara asked.
“Just pick a thin tunica. There are some linen and silk ones over there.” He pointed to a rack of plain coloured tunicae without brocade or other ornamentation.
“So we can
