Daniel lay in bed at 2:14 AM, staring at the ceiling of his apartment while his mother slept peacefully in the room next door. The thin walls meant he could hear Mrs. Gonzalez’s television from the unit below, some late-night movie with dramatic music that matched his restless mood perfectly.
Tomorrow was Emma’s fourth birthday. He knew because he’d been counting the days despite himself, marking the passage of time like a prisoner counting down a sentence he’d imposed on himself.
Four years old. Walking, talking, probably asking a million questions a day the way Lindy had at that age. Emma would be developing her own personality now, her own preferences and fears and dreams. And Daniel knew none of it.
He rolled over and grabbed his phone from the nightstand, his thumb hovering over th
