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Instead of heading straight to the office, Ethan stopped at a small neighborhood grocery store to grab a bottle of water.
Standing in the checkout line was a woman he hadn’t seen in nearly eight years.
Olivia.
The woman who had quietly disappeared after their painful divorce.
She looked different now. Her expensive dresses had been replaced by a faded sweater, and the confidence he once admired had been hidden beneath tired eyes.
They smiled politely while holding a loaf of bread and a carton of milk.
Pennies.
Dimes.
She counted every coin twice.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Can you put the cereal back?”
One of the boys tugged gently on her sleeve.
Ethan felt a knot tighten in his chest.
“I’ve got it.”
Olivia looked up—and froze.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
“Ethan…”
“It’s been a long time.”
She nodded quietly but said nothing more.
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