The memories came back without pause. After Daphne died, he wore her necklace close to his heart. Every time he looked at Lila, he saw the resemblance between the sisters and resented her simply for being the one who had survived.
He agreed to marry her, but after the wedding he used the words "You were the one who wanted this marriage" to silence her again and again. She explained. She cried. Eventually, she stopped trying to explain. He thought she had finally learned her place.
He even remembered one winter when she was sick but still sat up all night with him. When he woke, the first thing he asked was whether anyone had replaced the flowers at Daphne's grave.
All those days he had cast aside so easily now came back one by one, pressing the air from his lungs.
Last came the burning
