Sera arrived at seven with Dante and knew within ninety seconds that Roman was not yet in the room.
She knew the way she had always known things about him, before the information reached her brain. The room felt like a room that had not yet changed. She greeted the hospital director at the entrance, accepted champagne from a passing tray, and moved into the fundraiser the way she moved into every room now. Fully. No part of herself was held in reserve.
Several guests photographed her and Dante near the entrance. She noticed on the third one when Dante leaned down slightly and said, "Third." She adjusted her angle without breaking conversation.
The hospital director was talking about a new cardiac unit. She was genuinely interested. She asked a follow-up question that surprised him, then
