The argument stayed with Nick.
Not the yelling — that had faded. Not the burnt eggs or the open window or the way Emma had crossed her arms. What stayed was the fear. The cold, creeping fear that he was broken. That he didn't know how to be with someone. That he would mess this up the way he had messed up everything else.
Dr. Chen's office was warm and quiet.
Nick sat on the couch — the same couch he had been sitting on for weeks now. The painting of the boat was still on the wall. He still hated it.
"You seem different today," Dr. Chen said.
"Different how?"
"Quieter. More present."
Nick looked down at his hands. "We had a fight."
"Emma?"
"Yes."
"What about?"
Nick told her. The Lee Corporation deal. The board meeting. The eggs burning on the stove. The way Emma had looked at hi
