A Separation

by Katie Kitamura

it was a question of infidelities—betrayal always puts one partner in the position of knowing, and leaves the other in the dark.

It was a terrible thing, to love and not know whether you were loved in return, it led to the worst sensations—jealousy, rage, self-loathing—to all these lesser states.

charm is made up of surfaces—every charming man is a confidence man.

over time he had perfected a series of appealing looks, glances, expressions and gestures, a trait that was absurd and essentially unlovable.

this was why she was paid, not because of her vocal capabilities, not even for the considerable strength of her emoting, but because she agreed to undergo suffering, in the place of others.

But death is still abstract when you are twenty. The age difference would have meant nothing to Maria,

this was possibly why men were attracted to women who were so much younger than they were.

They made them feel young not because of their own youthful bodies, but because they were incapable of perceiving the mea...

he made his life very busy. I think he was worried that if he stopped, he would realize that his life was empty.

once she gave in to Stefano, the remainder of her life would be delineated in an instant, the entire future known.