The moment he stirred, Doris was wide awake. She didn’t want to miss his goodbye, she didn’t want to risk a moment that might haunt her forever. All night she had woken at the smallest movements in fear he would try to leave without kissing her one last time. She wouldn’t allow that.

Doris got up silently when William did. He dressed himself in the dark and kept his back to her as she did the same. It was too early for any sense of goodbye, the sun hadn’t even started to poke out of the sky yet and it felt like only minutes had passed since they shared a...