After the funeral, I stayed for another 4 days.
On the 1st night, Vera woke up crying at 2 a.m.
On the 2nd night, it was 1 a.m.
On the 3rd, midnight.
By the 4th night, she finally slept until morning.
That afternoon, I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up, there was a blanket over me, and my coffee had been replaced with water.
Conrad was sitting at the dining table on a video call, speaking in a low voice.
When he noticed I was awake, he only nodded toward the cup. "Drink some."
He didn't come closer. He didn't touch me.
On the morning of the 5th day, I came downstairs and found him frying eggs.
They weren't burned.
"Big improvement."
He said, "Get roasted enough times and eventually you learn."
We both laughed.
Vera happened to come downstairs right then. The moment she
