I continued to snip the dry branches with my pruning shears, moving slowly and carefully just as he had taught me when I was a little girl. He always told me to work without a trembling hand but to never cause unnecessary harm to the plant.
He had planted these specific rosebushes on the day I married Simon, telling me that white was the color of clean beginnings. Looking back at it now, the irony was almost unbearable as they stood there witnessing the end of my twelve-year marriage.
The flowers remained steadfast even after my ex-husband had left me for his assistant, the very woman who now stood before me smelling of perfume and radiating arrogance.
“Good morning, Misty,” I said quietly, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a direct look.
She flashed that fake, sugary smile she always used when she intended to humiliate someone with a whisper.
“Harrison’s will is being read tomorrow morning, and Simon and I think it would be best if we talked like adults before things get uncomfortable.”
