After the First Snow

My husband Julian Mercer had been gone from Seattle for nearly a year, following his ex-girlfriend and first love's family across Europe while her father was treated.

When he came back, he made me breakfast, waited for me after work, showed off our relationship in public, and took care of everything, as though nothing had happened. But I kept pulling away.

Friends asked why I wouldn't give us another chance.

For me, love had no room for cracks. During the days when his indecision left me neglected and hurt, what we had between us had already begun to fade.