Julian's POV
Elise went down at eight.
We both hovered in the nursery doorway for the usual thirty seconds, making sure she'd stay asleep. She did. She always did now, with the reliability of someone who had decided sleep was worth committing to.
We went downstairs. Nadia made tea she didn't usually drink, which meant her hands needed something to do. I sat on the couch and waited.
She sat at the other end. Not the far end. The middle distance, close enough that it was a choice. "I don't know where to start," she said.
"Anywhere."
She looked at her mug. "When I left. When I actually walked out with my bags and got in the cab. I kept waiting for my phone to ring. I told myself I didn't want it to ring, that I was done, that it was over." She paused. "It rang twice. Both times it was m
