The apartment had never seemed large to Gavin before.

Now every room felt too quiet.

On the first morning after Audrey left, he woke before six and reached for his phone before he was fully conscious.

No messages. He checked again twenty minutes later. Still nothing.

Miles came over that weekend with two other old friends.

They found Gavin in the living room with a laptop open and the divorce papers beside it.

Miles looked at the documents and shook his head. "You're still taking this seriously?"

Gavin looked up. "Why wouldn't

Paris was beautiful in photographs.

In real life, it was also stairs, uneven pavement, crowded trains, unfamiliar signs, and a leg that began aching long before Audrey wanted it to.

Her first week taught her that independence was not the same thing as ease.

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