Five days before the wedding, Zach’s mother asked me to meet her to review the final tattoo design.When I arrived, Julie was already there.She was sitting in the tattoo chair, holding up her left hand under the light.The rose on her ring finger had begun to heal, a thin layer of scabbing covering the ink. Hidden among the petals, the letter A stood out with startling clarity.Zach’s mother smiled warmly. “The rose looks beautiful on Julie.”There was no way I could put on a smile.I had gone through seven revisions with the tattoo artist before settling on that design.We had decided upon the number of petals, the flow of the hidden lines, and the exact petal beneath which the letter would be concealed.I had drawn every detail.Back then, Zach told me the rose represented me, passionate yet covered in thorns.Julie noticed me and quickly lowered her hand.“Miss Annie, please don’t misunderstand. Madam Cross wanted to see how the tattoo turned out, so she asked me to come
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