15
I slowly stood up, only to realize how tall the man in front of me was. I had to tilt my head back to see his
face.
The moment I saw him clearly, my breath caught. An unstoppable wave of sorrow surged into my sinuses.
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15.12
Chapter 1
15 12
He had a high–bridged nose, thin lips, and sharp, piercing eyes. His gaze was lowered, all his attention focus ed on the child in his arms. He expertly smoothed out a wrinkle on the boy’s collar.
I found my voice, trying to explain. “He’s so cute. I was just worried… about him being here all alone.”
The man finally deigned to look at me. His gaze was once again a mask of indifference, completely devoíc of warmth. He was still a man of few words.
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
Then, holding his son, he turned and strode away.
I stood rooted to the spot, watching him disappear down the hall. The child sat in his arms, cupping the man‘ s face with both his little hands.
I heard his small, milky voice ask, “Daddy, does your head still hurt?”
The man caught the boy’s hands in his. “Not anymore,” he murmured.
And then they were gone, vanished around the corner.
I leaned back against the wall where the boy had been standing. I thought about the man’s overly pale face when he’d come out of the restroom. I’d thought he was just anxious then. But now, thinking about it, a man who cherished his child that much would never leave him alone in a hallway just to use the restroom.
He must have been sick.
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