I left my wife outside in the freezing cold because my sister yelled, “That woman is using you”; when I opened the balcony door I found a fingerprint, a cigarette butt and an unfinished letter, but what destroyed me the most was knowing who those $8,000 were really for.

On the third day, Nora woke up completely. Liam entered the hospital room with trembling hands.

He had bought flowers, but seeing her pale face, he understood the absurdity of the gesture. No bouquet could hide what had happened.

Nora was lying down, looking out the window. She had deep dark circles under her eyes and a bandage on her wrist where they had inserted the IV.

“Nora,” he whispered.

She didn’t turn around immediately. When she finally looked at him, Liam felt something break inside him.

There was no hatred in her eyes, which would have been easier to bear. There was weariness, an enormous weariness, as if she no longer had the strength even to complain.

“I know everything,” he said. “About your mother. About Paige. About her brother.”

Nora closed her eyes. “I tried to save him.”

“I know,” Liam replied.

“Nobody believed me,” she said softly.