Most nights, Cadence either dreamt that Jack was chasing her or had no dreams at all. This night, however, she dreamt that she was with Elliott. They were at a basketball game, and though she had very little interest in the sport, she recognized Larry Bird and Magic Johnson on the court. He was sitting next to her, clapping and cheering, and soon she found herself cheering right along with him. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him so happy. Every time the Lakers scored, he jumped out of his seat, applauding and whooping along with the other Los Angeles fans.

Eventually, she leaned over, and shouting over the crowd into...