tle hum of silence that had become the third presence in their home. Mark had left

d into the city's rhythm. Her feet guided her to Le Claret, a quiet corner café she used t

ta recogn

ain?" he

st felt like coming

w, and opened her journal. But her pen hov

hen she

Wavy brunette hair. Heels too high for the rain. She laughed softly at someth

g about her... som

poli

harply. The woman reminded her of someone, or something, she could

diagonally across from Vanessa, scrolling through

udgmental, but this woman had a certain aura-effortless al

eye cont

a fli

looked a

sa couldn't shak

d kept replaying the way the woman laughed-confident, unbothered. T

d her of somet

pologies. He looked tired, but not the kind of tired that c

y," he said, tossing his

nodded

ask where

d, unbidden, to the

unravel and rethread its

she wrote in

yet. But I know. My body knows. Her confidence, her presence-it stung. I felt invisible beside her. Not

ar... I refuse t

ok gently and tur

identally knocked over Mark's gym bag. A folded sl

rembled as sh

But it was her. The wo

g besid

ghi

art didn't b

ame face that sat across from her just yesterd

ds began

dy to confront

cry when she

rint. She stared at Tessa's smile - all pearly teeth and glossy

room, she sat on the edge of the bed, hands clen

d down her cheeks like they had bee

t only b

humil

be his world, had become invisible in her own li

to on the dresser, the fading scent of his cologne in t

ldn't destr

re to scream

isten. She

uld strike - not with

ry came

afternoon, t

ng old movies. He had looked at her like she was the only woman alive. He

had l

like a cruel

he even rememb

rough the local park on her way home

fountain when she he

was

ss

tanding by a food truck, chat

ppost, her heart hammering.

h the barista, and walk away, sipping on a

ing so... constr

r bag. A calculated lo

een women lik

with her husband. And th

mall, leather notebook from her dra

a clean pag

Approx

near d

lattes and gr

h: l

ant but try

e: apparen

clos

bsession. Bu

erstand what made

tand the woman who thoug

h history that

rm rental

t infidelity wi

ional detachme

ent yourself a

se searches, she o

e thought she recognized fro

ment comple

w op

n't cal

idn't

ed at the map,

t

so