The next morning, Noah avoided her.
Ava noticed immediately.
Of course she did.
She noticed everything about him.
That was the problem.
It had become impossible not to.
At breakfast, he left the room whenever she entered.
When Sarah suggested they go grocery shopping together, Noah suddenly remembered an errand.
By lunch, he had disappeared entirely.
The message was obvious.
Distance.
Space.
The very thing they had both agreed they needed.
The very thing Ava discovered she hated.
The house felt different without him.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
Too large.
She spent most of the afternoon pretending not to care.
Pretending being the important word.
Because she cared far more than she should.
By four o'clock, frustration had completely replaced sadness.
By five, she was angry.
