Evelyn stopped breathing.
For one terrible moment, her mind transformed the scene into something monstrous and impossible to describe. The women’s shoes, the clothing scattered on the floor, and the two bodies in the bed appeared to be fragments of a betrayal that made no sense.
“Daniel…” she whispered.
He opened his eyes.
He did not jump up.
He did not pretend to be startled.
He simply looked at her with such profound sadness that her knees began to tremble.
Then he tightened his hand gently around Noah’s shoulder and said,
“You came back early.”
The shoe slipped from Evelyn’s hand.
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Its impact against the floor woke Noah. His bloodshot eyes flew open, and he screamed as if someone buried for months had suddenly returned from the dead.
Noah sat up violently and scrambled backward until his body struck the headboard. He fought for breath. His eyes were fixed on Evelyn, but he seemed unable to recognize her.
