Nobody would ask why.
Nobody would move it back to teach her a lesson.
She made tea.
Sat on the floor.
Called Sarah.
“I think I’m home.”
Sarah cried first.
That made it easier.
The red coat was returned when the appropriate people no longer needed to retain it.
It came in a plain bag with documents attached.
Chloe left it untouched for four days.
On the fifth, she took it to the shop.
Mrs. Alvarez looked at the damaged lining.
“Repair?”
Chloe ran her fingers along the seam she had opened in fear.
For a long moment, she considered cutting the coat into pieces.
Then she shook her head.
“New lining.”
“What color?”
Chloe looked at the shelves.
Blue.
Green.
Cream.
A ridiculous golden yellow.
She chose the yellow.
Mrs. Alvarez raised her eyebrows.
“Only you will see it.”
“I know.”
Chloe did most of the work herself.
When she finished, the coat looked almost unchanged from outside.
Inside, it was bright.
She wore it the day she agreed to meet Lorenzo for lunch.
Nearly a year had passed since the service bell.
Sarah knew where she was going.
Chloe chose the place.
A small restaurant with large windows and a door she could see from the table.
Lorenzo arrived on time.
He waited while she chose her seat.
Then sat opposite her.
For a moment, he looked at the coat.
“Would you like me to take that?”
Chloe’s fingers tightened around the collar.
He stopped.
“You can keep it.”
She nodded.
After they ordered, she unbuttoned it and placed it on the empty chair herself.
Lorenzo noticed the yellow lining.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“New?”
“The inside.”
