Elise’s phone rang on the kitchen counter.
She was standing by the sink, staring absently at a coffee cup she hadn’t touched in over an hour, when the sound jolted her back into herself. The screen lit up, and the moment she saw Daniel’s name, something inside her loosened.
Her lips curved into a smile before she could stop it.
She picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?” she said, her voice soft, warm—sweet in the way she had perfected over the years.
“Elise,” Daniel said on the other end. His voice was calm, controlled. Distant. “We just came back from the therapist. Isabella is sleeping right now. We’ll drop her off tomorrow morning.”
For a second, Elise held onto the warmth of hearing his voice.
Then one word caught.
“We?”
Her smile faded instantly.
“We?” she repeated, the swee
