What She Sees

Morning arrived with the ordinary sounds of a full house.

Water ran through the pipes. Cabinets opened and closed in the kitchen. Sofia’s lighter laugh drifted down the hallway, followed by the lower murmur of Noah’s reply. I stayed in bed a few minutes longer than usual after Ethan rose, staring at the ceiling while the residual memory of the elevator pressed against the inside of my thoughts like a bruise I could not stop testing.

By the time I came downstairs the kitchen smelled of coffee and toasted bread. Ethan stood at the counter buttering a slice, hair still damp from his shower. He smiled when...