But no one, it turns out, is made of stone, and there is a quiet, aching relief in ceasing, even for one cold morning, to be invisible in a room full of people you had bought the roof for.

And I watched Stephanie’s face go from pale to a sickening, chalky white, because she understood, before any of her guests did, how far this was going to go, and how little she could do to stop it.

Chapter 12 — Section Twelve

“That’s a lie!” Stephanie’s voice tore loose, shrill and desperate, cracking across the garden.

“That is a filthy lie!

This is my daughter and son-in-law’s home!