CHAPTER 10
Since the confrontation between Robert and Cora over Mr. Bricker, their relationship vacillated between tolerance and indifference. Cora kept her distance from Robert and always seemed to be wearing an unreadable expression. In return, Robert drew his lines—Robert would stay in his room whenever Cora used the living room. He stopped caring about where she went at night and how she spent her weekends.
One night, Robert finished with work early. It was still dark when he arrived home. So, he went straight to the kitchen for a quick dinner, and took a quick shower. To while away the time he watched Netflix in the darkened living room. Halfway into the film, he heard a car drove to their front, a door closing, and a set of footsteps hurrying towards the house.
A minute later, Cora walked through the door, shrugged her coat off the foyer, padded in haste across the living room without switching the light on that she nearly tripped upon Isis's toy.
Robert looked up and noticed that her hair, usually well-combed, was quite messed up. Her expression invisible in the darkness.
"Cora, are you okay?" Robert called up to her from below.
"I am." She shouted curtly before closing her door.
"What was that about?" Robert muttered to himself.
Even in her rush Cora left a whiff of fragrance in the living room. If he was not mistaken he could smell someone else's perfume with hers. It smelled of musk.
Something tugged at his heart. Something like a stab of pain.
It took a lot of raw strength to will himself away from such emotion.
He climbed the steps to his room a little later and forced himself to sleep.
