Dara lay awake in her bed and studied the ceiling.

Was it supposed to be like this?

They'd only be married for three years. Yes, the honeymoon period was over but…she'd never thought it would have been like this before they'd gotten married. Not after thirty years let alone three.

She breathed in and exhaled deeply before turning her body to face the empty space where her husband should have lain.

Her eyes flickered up to the clock on the bedside table and the sight caused her to sigh sadly.

Yet again, her husband was not home. Yet again, he'd missed the dinner she had prepared in order to rekindle their relationship.

It had been a whole year since they'd admitted their marriage was in trouble. Dara remembered the promise she had silently made to get this marriage back on track.

A promise that had lasted precisely four months and twenty-one days.

word count: 152