My hands paused. I looked up at her.
"What do you mean?"
She leaned against the doorframe, her tone casual.
"On your wedding day, outside the hotel, I told Arthur how I felt. I said I regretted turning him down and wanted to be with him."
She looked straight at me.
"He said no."
I stared at her.
"Then he spent an entire month looking for you. He went everywhere you could possibly have gone before he finally found you here."
She straightened and slipped her hands into her coat pockets. There was a mix of emotions in her eyes that I'd never seen before.
"So are you happy now?"
I lowered my head and straightened the stems in my hands, then gently shook my head.
"There's nothing to be happy about."
Irene tilted her head.
"Why not?"
I looked at the flowers. My voice was quiet.
"H
