At two in the morning, a rhythmic mumble pulled me out of a thin sleep.

The left side of the mattress was cold, the duvet pulled back neatly as if no one had slept there at all.

I slipped out from under the heavy quilt, keeping my bare feet on the braided runner so the floorboards wouldn’t creak under my weight.

The hallway was dark except for a slice of pale blue light spilling from near the high arched window.

Daniel stood with his back to me, framed by the glass panels overlooking the black valley pines.