Chapter 5

The next time I saw Charles was at a major streaming giant's annual slate presentation.

Julia showed up hanging off his arm, her belly visibly rounded—no mistaking she was pregnant.

When Charles spotted me, he lifted a hand to wave, but Julia quickly pulled his arm back down.

I took a closer look at him. He looked terrible—skin pale, lips tinged blue. From a distance, he seemed fine, but up close, he looked hollow, like someone had scooped out whatever was left inside.

During the mid-conference break, I caught up with him by the snack table. "Have you been to…