He gestured around wildly — the bottle, the dead garden, the silent windows. “Look at what’s left of me! Look at this house! You brought this!”
“James,” she said softly, her voice breaking. “That’s not fair. I didn’t ask for any of this.”
He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “Didn’t ask? You came back, Tiana. You walked into my home like a ghost that wouldn’t stay dead. You think I don’t see it? Every time I close my eyes, I see her face burning, and I hear your voice lying to me that she was gone before the fire. Maybe you were right there when she—”
“Stop it!” Tiana’s voice rose sharply, her breathing heavy. “I loved her too, James! She was my friend—”
“Your friend?” He let out a broken laugh. “You took her husband, you took her child, and now you’re here pretending to fix what you
