And she starts recording me.” A cold weight began to settle in the center of Marcus’s chest, a weight he did not yet have words for.

He dropped to one knee, slowly, so that he was eye-level with his daughter, so that she could see his face and understand it was safe.

“Recording you,” he said.

“For what, sweetheart?” Lily pressed her lips together, the way she did when she was frightened of saying a thing out loud.

“She says,” the little girl whispered, “that she has to show you how I act when you’re not around.”

Chapter 3 — The Weight in His Chest