The Scent of Letting Go

Ethan Shaw changed the door lock password.

The new password was sent to my email, and after trying twice, I got in.

The apartment smelled wrong. The air was filled with gardenia-scented fabric softener, not the one I used.

There were clothes in the washing machine that had not been taken out. One of his shirts and a floral dress. The dress was a size S, and I wore an L.

I took the clothes out, folded them, and placed them on the sofa armrest.

I glanced through the trash can too. Pizza for two, two cups of Coke, and neither was Diet Coke.

I only drank Diet Coke. He knew that.