After lunch, the olddy led Madge and Norris into a freshly arranged room.
"This used to be Madge''s room," she exined, a fond smile on her lips. "Now it''s yours, both of you. The beds have been changed, and all the linens are new."
All these years, she''d kept this room just as it was. From the big things, like the furniture, down to every little ornament and porcin figurine, she wouldn''t let anyone touch a thing.
Not even the cleaning was left to anyone else—she always insisted on doing it herself.
Even living abroad didn''t stop her; she''d make a point of flying back every six months, just for the sake of cleaning this room in person.
She treated it with the utmost care, as if it were a priceless treasure, and because of that, the room had remained almost perfectly preserved.
And sure enough-
The moment Madge stepped inside, a rush of familiar memories washed over her.
From innocent childhood, to her teenage dreams, to the first awkward flutter of romance...
This room was filled with her past.
But then-unwee images shed through her mind.
A shattered vase. A shadowy corner. Bloody shards of ss, and... a woman''s tear-stained face...
"Madge? Madge! Are you alright? Do you feel sick?" Norris was the first to notice something was wrong.
The olddy hurried over, concern written all over her face. "What''s the matter? Is it too stuffy in here?"
As she spoke, she quickly opened the window.
A cold gust swept in, jolting Madge back to herself.
"I''m fine... really, I''m alright..." she said, waving them off with a pale hand. "Just felt a sudden headache, but it''s gone now."
Only after the olddy had checked on her several times did she finally rx and leave.
Before she went, she called back, "Madge, Norris, you''ve had a long trip. Get some rest, both of you."
Norris smiled. "We will, Mom. You''ve been running around all morning too-go put your feet up."
Once the door closed, it was just the two of them-Norris and Madge, husband and wife.
"So, what was that about?" Norris asked, sitting beside her.
She might have fooled the olddy, but there was no hiding things from her husband.
Madge let him help her to the bed. "I... I think I remembered something..." "Remembered what?"
“I''m not sure. It''s like something''s there, but I can''t quite reach it..."
Norris sighed, resting his hands gently on her shoulders. "Don''t force
it. When the time''s right, it''lle
ack to you. There''s no need to
rush." .
зим
"You''re right," Madge nodded, letting out a slow breath.
Norris''s gaze drifted to the cab opposite them, where all kinds of certificates,
medals, and trophies were disyed.
"My wife was really something, huh?"
Singing, dancing, piano, chess, academicpetitions...
"Is there anything you can''t do?"
Looking at all those awards, Norris could almost picture the Madge he''d never known—a version of her he could hardly imagine, let alone hope for.
"Of course! Maybe not a master of every trade, but I did pretty well at music, art, and everything in
between," she teased, a vyelone
in her eyes.
Norris shook his head in mock amazement. Honestly, I don''t know what kind of crazy luck I must''ve had to end up married to an angel. Feels like something out of one of your books-the kind of stuff that only happens to the main character."
Madgeughed. "Hardly. My main characters? They''re usually sociopaths, lonely detectives, or someone halfway to a nervous breakdown."
Madge got up, wandering around the room. The familiaryout, the memories
tucked into every corner, filled her with a sense offort and safety.
After a morning spent on trains and subways, they were both exhausted. Theyy down side by side and drifted into a midday nap.
When Madge woke, she spotted Norris flipping through her old photo albums.
He wore a serious expression,pletely absorbed.
She crept closer, ready to startle him with a sudden shout.
But before she could, Norris spoke up, not even looking her way. "Aren''t you a bit
too old to be sneaking around like a kid?"