The day felt unusually long.
Not because anything went wrong, but because everything between them seemed delicate—like a sheet of glass that might crack with one wrong movement.
Marnie tried to distract herself:
She cleaned.
She arranged books on the shelf.
She reorganized the vanity table he prepared for her.
But her mind kept drifting back to Michael’s ex.
A woman persistent enough to call.
A woman bold enough to demand a meeting.
A woman who once held his affection… or at least his attention.
Marnie didn’t know the details, and that uncertainty gnawed at her.
By late afternoon, Michael returned to the living room after a call with the hospital. He loosened his tie, exhaustion showing in the slight slump of his posture.
When he saw her on the couch, he paused.
She sat with h
