Lenore began the separation without turning it into a spectacle.

Crispin came back to the house one afternoon to collect a few things — no tuxedo this time, no Odette.

He walked into the kitchen and saw the formal table was no longer set.

“Is there really nothing I can do?” he asked.

Lenore stood by the sink.

For a moment the scene looked too much like the night of the gala — except there were no stacked dishes in front of her, and her hands were dry.