I stared at it.
That mug had a crooked purple heart painted on the side.
Olive had been so proud of it.
Ben had kept it for eight years.
Now it was packed like something from a house he was leaving behind.
Then I saw the folder.
OREGON.
Relocation.
Salary.
Start Date.
Benefits.
Housing assistance.
I reached for it.
My hands were shaking.
I opened the first page.
Then the second.
Then the third.
There was even a checklist.
Relocation assistance.
Temporary housing.
Moving expenses.
School information.
Medical credential transfer.
I stopped breathing for a moment.
He hadn’t been thinking about moving.
He had been preparing to move.
There was a difference.
“Everything okay?”
I turned.
Ben stood in the doorway.
Coffee in one hand.
His face changed the moment he saw me.
He looked at the boxes.
Then the folder.
Then the lunch bag.
“Chelsea?”
I held up the bag.
“I brought you lunch.”
He didn’t move.
“You weren’t supposed to see this yet.”
I stared at him.
“Yet?”
He swallowed.
“Chelsea, let me explain.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“Tonight.”
“When were you going to tell Olive?”
“After I told you.”
“And when were you going to tell me?”
