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.

Nora looked at him as if she didn’t recognize him, then she left. Liam closed the door and he turned the lock.

At 3 a.m., he woke up with a horrible feeling. He reached out and touched Nora’s cold pillow. The room was dark, but through the curtain, he saw a shrunken shadow on the balcony.

He got up to open the door for her. Then he saw something that froze his blood.

From the apartment door to the balcony there was a wet trail, as if someone had entered soaking wet and walked to where his wife was. Liam ran, unlocked the door with trembling hands, and opened it.

The balcony was empty. All that remained was a footprint on the railing and, below, next to a tree, a white lump that seemed not to move.

Liam lowered his gaze and felt as if the world were splitting in two, without imagining that that night was only just beginning.