"What's that smell on you two? It's way too strong."
Neil lifted his sleeve and sniffed, then went rigid.
Kent answered for him.
"It's gardenia! Daddy said it was Mommy's fav—"
Before he could finish, Neil clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Just regular detergent. If you don't like it, we'll switch to something else tomorrow."
Neil explained it away, careful, measured, watching my face the whole time.
By the next day, the scent was gone.
Replaced by a fruity fragrance. The kind I used to hate.
And Kent kept tugging at my sleeve, asking if I liked it.
I looked at that small, eager face.
I lied and nodded, and told myself one more time to let go of the past.
I wasn't Rachel anymore.
I had to play the part of Lucy, and play it well, until the day she came back.
Slip in quietly. Slip out the same way.
That way, I could still fool myself.
At least in my memories, our little family would stay perfect, untouched.
For Neil and Kent now,
"Lucy's" feelings mattered most.
Because they thought "Lucy" wouldn't like it,
Neil took off his wedding ring on his own. A pale band of skin remained where the gold had been.
Because they thought Lucy wouldn't want to see anything connected to Rachel,