Iris’s POV
My phone buzzed again in the morning before I was fully awake.
I reached for it on instinct, still half lost in sleep, and saw Maya's name.
I am coming over. I need to see you. Tell Marcus you are going to work.
I typed back before I could think about it.
Come at ten. He leaves at nine thirty.
I set the phone down and lay there in the gray morning light, listening to Marcus move around the kitchen. He was making coffee. He was humming. He had no idea.
When he came to kiss me goodbye, I let him. His lips were warm and soft, and I felt nothing.
"I have a meeting with my editor this morning," I said. "I will be back by lunch."
He smiled. "Good luck. Tell Linda I said hi."
I nodded. He left. The door clicked shut behind him, and the apartment fell into silence.
I lay the
