A laugh escaped her before she could stop it. Matthew turned toward her, surprised. For one brief second, they smiled at each other in the dark. Then Rebecca returned to her room.

Chapter 3 — Concrete Doesn’t Lie

The days settled into an unexpected rhythm. Matthew left before sunrise and returned with sawdust or concrete dust on his clothes. Lucy attended kindergarten three blocks away.

Rebecca, who had spent years managing charitable committees and sitting through financial meetings where no one listened to her, began walking Lucy to school.

The child remained suspicious. She answered questions with shrugs. She corrected Rebecca’s route. She refused help tying her shoes even when the laces tangled.

On the fourth morning, Rebecca found Matthew’s insulated coffee flask on the counter. Lucy refused to stay with their elderly neighbor, so the three of them drove to the construction site where Matthew was working.

The rising building stood near the river, surrounded by cranes and steel. Rebecca expected him to disappear among the laborers. Instead, people came to him.