She laughed again.
And something happened in that moment.
I noticed the fine lines at the corners of her eyes, the small silver strands in her hair, and the way her entire face changed when she smiled.
For one dangerous second, I saw her not as Daniel’s mother, but as Karen.
A woman with dreams she had buried, a marriage she had trusted, and a future she had never imagined having to build from scratch.
I looked away immediately.
She noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Alex, you are a terrible liar.”
“I’ve been told.”
She smiled, then turned toward the window.
Neither of us knew it yet, but the night that began with a broken car had already changed something between us.
We just weren’t ready to admit it.
At 3:18 a.m., Karen’s phone began vibrating.
Michael.
She stared at the screen until it stopped.
Then it started again.
“You should answer,” I said.
