The room was dim, with city lights slipping through the curtains. He helped me take off my coat and told me I looked beautiful.
No one had said that to me in years.
My heart was beating so loudly I could barely breathe.
We did not talk much after that.
There are moments when words only get in the way.
For one night, I let myself forget my age, my loneliness, my empty house, and all the years I had spent pretending I no longer needed tenderness.
I fell asleep beside him feeling nervous, warm, and strangely peaceful.
But when I opened my eyes the next morning, the room was cold.
Adrian was gone.
At first, I thought he had gone downstairs for coffee.
Then I saw the chair near the door.
My handbag was open.
My wallet was on the floor.
My phone was missing.
