Part 2Echoes of a Silent Love

At the lawyer's request, I rushed back to the States and stiffly accepted Julian's ashes.

His background was a mystery; he had no living relatives. His assistant looked at the square box with deep sorrow and whispered to me:

"Mr. Thorne loved you for many years.

"His depression was severe. Only seeing you, thinking of you, brought him any relief.

"I thought... once he married you, he wouldn't be so pessimistic. I never expected..."

He stopped, not blaming me, but my heart clenched painfully.

The assistant handed me a key. "This is the estate Mr. Thorne prepared for you.

"It was the home he decorated himself."

The place where he died.