The voice belonged to Nora.
She stopped halfway up the stairs when she saw me holding one of the cash bundles. For several seconds neither of us spoke. Then she closed the bedroom door and finally told me the truth. Kang Jun had died nearly seven years earlier after a long illness. Their marriage had been happy, but after his death Nora could not bring herself to call me and admit that the life she had defended so fiercely was suddenly gone. She buried herself in work instead, eventually taking over part of the import business Kang had built with his brother.
...
