stay began.
Margaret lay awake and listened to the house breathe around her.
The furnace clicked.
A branch scraped the upstairs window.
Somewhere down the hall, Daniel’s voice carried low through the guest room door while he talked on the phone.
She heard the word transfer.
She heard the word timing.
She heard her own name, followed by a silence so careful it told her everything.
At 6:40 the next morning, Ashley knocked once and came into the bedroom with a suitcase Margaret did not recognize.
It was gray,
