We spent our honeymoon at the Bed of Roses Inn, a century-old monstrosity on the outskirts of my hometown. It had been a private home when I was a child, but it had been sold and converted into an inn. Despite the garish exterior, it was a lovely place, and the innkeepers were friendly and welcoming. It was surrounded by lavish gardens that featured, naturally, an impressive variety of roses. Our room was a little on the small side, especially furnished as it was in heavy old Victorian furniture, but it was comfortable and quiet. We spent most of our time at the inn, but we ventured out for a few excursions. I showed Cam all around the area, and we visited a few of my old friends. We even joined my parents and brother for dinner one evening, after a tour of the farm and a short ride through the nearby hills. All too soon, it was time to return to our home on the mountain.

Eileen had been busy in our absence, finishing the final renovations and repairs to my farm. So a little less than a week after we returned, I closed up the farmhouse in Konohana and we moved back to Bluebell. Soon afterwards, Ash proposed to Laney, who joyfully accepted—to both Howard's and Jessica's delight and to Cheryl's dismay. Georgia and Kana were dating by then, as were Nori and Hiro—finally. I had not seen Mikhail since my wedding night, though I had heard that he was still residing in Konohana.

The Sunday after our move, I woke up feeling very out of sorts. My head ached, and I felt strangely irritable, even going so far as to snap at Cam once or twice at breakfast. He seemed surprised, but he didn't say anything about it, just gave me an odd look.

After breakfast, I got up to clean up the kitchen when suddenly the floor seemed to shift under my feet. The next thing I knew, I was doubled over, heaving up my breakfast onto the kitchen floor. Cam came running, and held me up until I was done. Then he helped me to bed and brought me a damp washcloth, and he even cleaned up the mess on the floor. Afterwards, he came and checked on me, asking how I felt and peering closely at my face. I guess he didn't like what he saw, because the next thing I knew, he was telling me to stay put—he was going to get Dr. Ayame to take a look at me.

While I waited, I wondered if I could have picked a bad mushroom, but then I remembered I hadn't eaten any mushrooms recently. I wondered if I could have caught a virus, though I couldn't think where—no one else in the area had been sick lately, that I knew of anyway. I couldn't come up with any other possibilities, so I just lay in bed waiting for Cam to return. I was so tired, much more so than usual, and before long, I dozed off.

I was awakened some little while later by the doctor gently shaking my shoulder. "Alice? Wake up, kiddo. Cam says you're feeling under the weather." I struggled to sit up, but I suddenly felt ill again. Dr. Ayame saw it coming, though, and managed to grab a bin just in time. When I was finished, she sent Cam to wait out on the porch with Hiro and proceeded to examine me—took my temperature, listened to my heart and lungs, the usual things. Then she asked me a bunch of questions—where I'd been lately, if I'd eaten any strange foods, and so on. Finally she asked when I'd last had a pelvic examination. She was a little shocked when I told her I'd never had one, so she performed one right then and there, despite the less than ideal situation.

When she was done, she packed up her black bag and called for Hiro to bring Cam back in. He hurried over and sat next to me on the bed, holding my hand as he turned to the doctor with a worried look. "So what is it, doctor? Is it a virus? Food poisoning? How long until she feels better?"

The doctor gave him a serious look, then looked over at me and back to him. "Well, it's not a virus, nor is it bacterial. As for when she'll be better.... When was the first day of your last period, Alice?"

I blinked, wondering what that had to do with it. "Ummm, I'm not sure. They... they're not very regular. I think it was just before I went on my trip a couple of months ago? Yeah—I remember now, it ended just before I left."

They both looked at me in surprise. "That long, eh?" Dr. Ayame mused. "Well, if your cycles aren't regular, that makes it harder to be sure. But I'd say you should be feeling better around late summer, maybe early fall, of next year."

I just stared at her, not comprehending what she was getting at. She sighed and smiled at me. "Okay, let's try this again. Cam, Alice, you're going to have a baby. Congratulations, you two!"

I looked at Cam, too astonished to speak. However, I certainly didn't expect what happened next.

Cam jumped up, his face as white as a sheet. "Th-that can't be right! No way, it's too soon! Are you sure, doctor? She's definitely pregnant?"

The doctor looked startled by his outburst. "Of course I'm sure," she replied sharply. "I did examine her. There's no mistaking it."

I sat up and climbed out of bed, confused by his reaction. "Cam...?" I said, reaching out to him.

He whirled and glared at me, pushing my hand away. "Pregnant? This soon? How do I know this baby is even mine? You shouldn't even be feeling sick for another week or two at least—unless you were already pregnant when we got married!"

I gasped, feeling the blood drain from my face in shock. "What do you mean? I was a virgin! You know that!"

"Do I?" he said, a strange look in his narrowed eyes. "You certainly didn't seem to feel any pain, and I remember noticing there was no blood on the sheets the next morning. Virgins hurt and bleed the first time—I should know, as I've had a few! Tell me the truth—you slept with him, didn't you? You said yourself that you were all over him that night! You lied to me, didn't you?"

I stood there, too stunned to speak for a minute. "Cam...." Dr. Ayame said, trying to intervene, but he shook her off and glared at me.

Then I regained the use of my faculties. I slapped him with all my might—which, as a farmer, was not negligible—sending him reeling backwards from me. "How... how dare you? How can you even think that?" I screamed. Then, sobbing, I turned and ran out the door into the falling snow.

As I raced down the long driveway, I could hear Dr. Ayame and Hiro shouting my name. I ignored them and sped out of town towards the tunnel opening. I ran through the tunnel to Konohana, instinctively heading for my farm there as a refuge. Blinded by tears, I couldn't see anyone or anything until I ran straight into someone, knocking us both down.

It was Mikhail.

He picked himself up, brushing the snow from his clothing as he clicked his tongue in irritation. He looked down at me, and exclaimed in surprise, "Alice? What are you doing here? And why are you bowling passersby over in this manner?"

I wasn't able to answer, I was too choked up. So I drew my knees up and hugged my legs, sobbing as I rested my forehead on my knees, mindless of the snow that settled over my head and clothing.

"Alice?" Mikhail repeated, sounding concerned this time. "What is it? What happened?" He held out a hand to help me up, but I just sat and sobbed, shaking my head. He knelt down next to me and patted my shoulder, a little awkwardly. "Alice, you can't stay out here in the snow like this. You'll make yourself ill. Come, now. Why don't you go home, get into some dry clothes, make some tea..."

I jumped up then, and shouted, "No! I'm never going back! He can have the farm, he can have the animals, he can have all of it—I don't care! I never want to see him again!" Then I burst into tears again as I sank back down to the ground.

Mikhail exclaimed, "Ye gods, Alice, what on earth happened? Where were you heading when you ran into me?"

I sniffled and mumbled, "To my farmhouse here."

"But... isn't that locked up? You wouldn't be able to get into the house without obtaining the key from the mayor."

"Don't care," I snuffled.

He sighed. "Alice... be reasonable. You can't sit out in the cold and snow. You'll get sick. I don't know what happened between you and... and Cam, but I know he cares very much for you. If you get sick, he'll be worried."

I stood up and glared at him. "You don't know anything," I hissed, then I turned and stalked away towards my old home.

He stared after me for a moment, then leaped and grabbed my hand. "Alice... is it really as bad as all that? You've only been married for three weeks. What could possibly have happened so soon to cause such a drastic change in your feelings?"

I stood there stiffly, pulling away from him as he held me by my wrist. Then I gave up, my shoulders slumping in defeat. I looked back at him, and said, "Fine. I'll tell you. But... but not here." I started shivering violently then—I'd run off with no coat, wearing only my jeans and a sweatshirt and the thick fuzzy slippers I usually wore around the house in cold weather. My clothes were damp from melted snow, and my toes were starting to tingle painfully.

Mikhail looked me over, frowning in concern, then nodded. "Yes, we need to get you indoors as soon as possible, or you'll catch your death. Let's see... if you don't want to go home just yet, maybe Ina can let you use the other guest room in the town hall. Follow me."

He half-led, half-dragged me along the road to the town hall, and we stepped inside. It was cozy and warm in the hall, thanks to the small but efficient wood stove Ina had installed several years ago. Mikhail pulled me over to the counter, and Ina turned around, her customary smile turning into an expression of surprise. "Oh! Alice? Well, this is a surprise! And hello, Mikhail. What can I do for you?" She looked expectantly from me to him and back again.

Mikhail spoke up. "Alice... needs temporary shelter, just for a few days at most, I should imagine. Is the other guest room still avail—"

I pushed past him and stood directly in front of Ina. "I want to file for divorce. The sooner, the better."