It is much harder to abandon someone else’s when you are the only one who knows they are still alive.

Chapter 21 — Exactly What I Allow You to Have

By nine the next morning the fog had rolled in off the bay, coating the black iron gates in a greasy film of salt, and Jonathan was waiting by his sedan with his black gloves on the wheel, the engine idling.

He rolled the window down three inches.

“The regional bank flagged three inquiries on the old construction accounts yesterday, Clara.” I was verifying the interest amortization schedules for the June tax filings, I said, my hands deep in my pockets.

“You were digging through files that do not concern you.” He reached into his breast pocket and drew out the supplementary card he had given me for the wedding expenses, and with a slow deliberate pinch of his thumbs, snapped the plastic in half, and let the two pieces fall onto the gravel between us.