I.
You're tired, so tired. Dudley no longer needs his mum. Vernon buries himself in work, talking only of drills and business deals, even in the bedroom. There are days you even miss the boy you've spent years ignoring.
You're tired, so tired of being lonely.
II.
She opens her door to you, opens her heart. Maybe she's a crazy cat lady. Maybe it's not the sort of steamy affair you've read about in those trashy novels you'd never admit to owning.
But Arabella is just as lonely, and her touch gives you something to look forward to when you wake.
III.
You look at the key, trying not to see it as some burdening weight in your grasp. A key means commitment. A key means admitting that you've fallen out of love with your husband, and you've taken this plunge headfirst.
"I can't accept this."
Arabella smiles. "Just tell yourself it's just in case I go out of town and need someone to feed the cats."
It's an innocent denial, something to make the bitter reality easier to swallow. Slowly, you nod. "I think I can do that."