Cherry looked up at Gilbert, still trying to understand what he had told her about Gwyneth.
There was more behind her silence than an engagement or something other people had said. She had heard things herself, words that had stayed with her long after he left.
"That night you went abroad for Gwyneth," she began, "I overheard the call."
Gilbert's smile faded.
Cherry lowered her eyes.
"Before you left, you were drunk. I heard you say her name."
She pressed her lips together, then forced herself to finish.
"It hurt."
For a moment, he said nothing. Cherry watched his expression tighten, afraid that speaking about it would bring back the distance between them.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I don't remember calling her name."
She looked at him again.
"I was drunk. It must have slipped out, but that doesn't mean I have feelings for her."
Cherry wanted to believe him, but she needed to understand the part that had seemed so clear to her at the time.
"You left that night."
