As soon as I was done, I resumed staring at my notes.

A while later, Matthew returned to get the plates. His soft "good girl" coiled a tiny bit of warmth in my chest, but it did nothing to dispel the icy chill.

It took some time, but eventually it did. To keep myself occupied, I read over my notes once more, turning the pages every few minutes.

It wasn't until Mathew walked in and turned on the light that I realized it was becoming dark outside. I blinked rapidly against the unexpected brightness, but I kept my gaze averted as he came closer.

He said, "Brush your teeth and...