Dinner passed in polished silence.
Evelyn spoke about donor lists and seating arrangements for the fundraiser at the Art Institute. Luca nodded at the right moments, tasted wine he barely registered, and watched candlelight flicker across crystal glasses while his mind replayed a single sentence from the doctor over and over.
It was never her.
By midnight, he stood alone in his office overlooking Lake Michigan.
Chicago glittered beneath him.
He remembered Nia in fragments now.
Bare feet crossing hardwood floors.
Her laugh when she beat him at cards.
The way she used to fall asleep on the couch waiting for him to come home, pretending she wasn’t worried about the life he lived.
He remembered the fertility appointments most of all.
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