A year before, I might have nodded yes, then said, “But what’s important is on the inside!” Now, though, I was overcome by just how beautiful Sylvie really is. I let it all in: her skin, her eyes, her teeth, her perfect ears. I felt as if this was why I’d had her: to be close to that kind of beauty as often as I can.

“Yes,” I answered. “You look so, so beautiful.”

Anna Solomon is the author of the novel The Little Bride.

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