Potemkin Village

                As Emily gave her Victor to his Victoria, an odd sense of relief mixed with an odd sense of woe. It was finally time for her to accept Victoria for the lovely person she actually was rather than the Potemkin village Emily had always imagined her to be.

                No, Victoria was perfect. Victor was perfect. They were going to have perfect, living, beautiful children.

                She knew she was doing the right thing in stepping down. But it still shook her to the bone—for her, though, being shaken to the bone was easy.

                She might visit in a dream sometime.