Her Reluctant Wife: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

Coralyn laughed and there was spring in the sound. The

hints of the winter thawing, of her grief already starting to

edge away, of her desire to want to live again. It made sense,

since her eyes were so blue, like the skies in summer. Giana

was struck by that first. First and always. “Only someone like

you, who went through all this trouble, would say something

like that.”

“I had it delivered. It wasn’t much trouble at all.”

A giggle floated out of Coralyn effortlessly. It was the first

time Giana had really heard her laugh. “That’s bullshit. Nice

try. I saw the pots beside the sink when we walked through the

kitchen.”

Giana set down her fork. All her annoyance felt forced.

“Alright, so talk, then. Let’s have a rousing discussion. We’re

married, after all.”

Coralyn rolled her eyes. She kept eating, careful bites, a

little of this, and then some of that. She savoured everything.

“I feel like I’m alone a lot now. The quiet is the worst. I know

I’m not truly alone, but I feel that way. Until I come here.”

Jumping right into it, I see. Of course she would. Aside

from the lie that started this all, Coralyn was entirely uncaring

and unflinching about her honesty. She made it so that she was

an easy target, easy to land arrows, but Giana had never even

truly notched one.

Coralyn probably didn’t expect an answer. She kept eating.

Giana finally picked up her fork and did the same. It can’t be

different. It won’t be different. She’d learned at fourteen that

wishing so damn hard that you could cry tears of blood

wouldn’t make things any other way. Regret and bitterness

wouldn’t change the past and wouldn’t bring anyone back, not