There were lines near her mouth that hadn’t been there when we married.

Her hair was tied back, and she wore a loose sweater and ordinary shoes.

The surprise in her face was unguarded enough that, for an instant, I saw the woman who had laughed with me over badly burned pancakes.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

Malik introduced himself as the property manager and explained the scheduled inspection.

He showed the appointment notice and identification, giving her room to ask questions.