This Love | ✓

Part 16

"Dad didn't want Claire to know that Rita was coming over the next day," I said as I continued to reveal the truth behind the novels that Claire had given to the bookstore. "She brought these special edition classics in a beautifully wrapped box. There was a note, too. She gave it to Claire, who was still upset from the previous night."

I stared at the books that sat in front of me. They appeared innocent in their unmoving state, but the ugly secret that they held gave them a lifelike quality. I looked at the other books stacked around me, wondering what possible secrets they could hold.

"I knew something was wrong," I murmured. "It seemed like Claire didn't even want to touch the books. She was almost crying, but she looked furious."

Zach picked up one of the novels and turned it over in his hands. "What happened?"

"Well, Claire kind of exploded," I said, cringing at the memory. "She read the note from Dad and ripped it to pieces. She looked at us and said, 'He thinks he can just shut me up by buying me something expensive.' Rita and I just stood there, not knowing what to do."

I ran my fingers along the spine of the novels as I recounted how Claire had shoved the pretty box into Rita's arms.

"I don't want it," she hissed, a single tear escaping from her eye and rolling down her reddened cheek.

"But, Mrs. Faye," Rita faltered, her eyes wide with alarm. "I can't take it back. It's for you."

"No, please," Claire whispered, her voice cracking as the tears began to flow freely. "I don't want it."

Unable to digest the heartbreak and disappointment in her face, I reached out to hug her. My throat constricted with hurt when she pulled away. Mumbling an unintelligible apology, she hurried into her bedroom. The sound of her bedroom door being slammed against its frame echoed throughout the entire flat. 

"Don't," Rita interjected softly when I tried to follow Claire, placing the gift back on the coffee table. "She needs to be alone for a while."

"Okay," I concurred.

"I can't take it back," she said, referring to my father's ill-fated surprise.

"I know," I muttered glumly. "I'll put in my room."

"I've never seen Mrs. Faye like this," she mused.

I stood in front of Rita in silence, suddenly repulsed by the beautiful box and its contents.

***

"Things were never the same between Dad and Claire, but I was shocked when they told me about their divorce a few weeks later," I said to Zach. "Do you really think that that one present could have led to their separation?"

"I don't know, Leena," Zach sighed. "But one thing I do know is that even the smallest things can make or break a relationship. These things might seem silly to us, but a marriage is like a house of cards. You need time and patience to preserve one because all it takes is a little breeze to knock it down."

"I guess you're right," I murmured, pondering over Zach's words, wondering what incident could have given him his unexpected wisdom.

"Hey," he shouted suddenly, interrupting my train of thought. "If those books were with you, how did Claire give them to the store?"

"Oh," I said, relieved to know the answer to that question, at least. "A few weeks after the divorce papers were dealt with, Claire made arrangements to move here. I snuck the books into one of her boxes after she packed her things. She must've found them when she unpacked her things and decided to give them here. I don't know why I did that. I guess . . ."