It was laughable, really. Thirteen years ago, he had taken a rose and brought her home, and made her a promise.
"I will buy you the finest, most beautiful home in the world. I will give you the warmest, brightest light. I swear I will make you the most lovely, most cherished rose that ever bloomed."
Even then, the rose was already breathtakingly beautiful.
She whispered, "I care nothing for those things. All I want is your love. Give me all of it, every day."
"It is done." He had not hesitated for even a moment. He held her close, gently in his arms, against his heart.
They crossed the sea to a new land, far from all she had known. In those early days, he had kept his word. But what happened after that? Barely ten years had passed. Why had he suddenly decided she was no longer beauti
