The blue screen of his phone cast a sharp glow over his cheekbone and the side of his neck.

He held the phone flat on speaker, turned down so low that I pressed my shoulder against the wall to catch the words.

“The timeline is falling apart, Daniel,” Evelyn said, her voice coming through like dry paper sliding across glass.

Daniel rubbed his thumb over his wedding ring in a frantic, tiny motion.

“She’s taking longer to settle than we calculated,” Daniel said softly.

“If this goes on much longer, we could lose her before the papers are ready,” Evelyn whispered.