Architect of Her Own Life

My hands methodically folded a sweater, placing it into an open suitcase on the bed, sharp creases betraying the inner turmoil I tried to hide.

Outside, New York City glittered, oblivious, my life' s soundtrack of distant sirens and traffic hum now signaling its end.

An email confirmed it: one-way ticket, New York to Rome.

Then the elevator dinged. He was home, and he wasn' t alone.

Liam O' Connell, my partner of eight years for whom I' d put my own promising career on hold, walked in with his protégé, Chloe Davis, draped over his arm, their laughter about a private joke stopping short at…