A marriage gone cold in the Swedish winter

The Himalayas pulled Sarita one way, the Baltic Sea the other, leaving her torn in between.

The grey Swedish twilight filtered through the triple-paned windows of their Solna apartment, casting a sterile blue light over the IKEA furniture Sarita had lugged up three flights of stairs herself. Outside, the Stockholm winter tightened its grip. Inside, a quieter frost had settled between them.