Chapter 42
Rain tapped against the windows through most of the afternoon, soft and steady enough to make the apartment feel smaller and warmer than usual.
Cole came home early, shaking water from his jacket before hanging it by the door. Without asking, he moved through the kitchen and set a pot on the stove. The smell of mild broth soon filled the space. From the couch it was easy to watch him work, sleeves pushed up, movements unhurried and certain. There was nothing performative in the care. He simply did what needed doing, the same way he had for weeks.
That ordinary certainty was becoming harder to resist.
Helen’s earlier warning echoed while the rain continued outside. Care like this was not casual. It built rooms inside a person whether permission had been given or not. And thos
