Chapter 5

"Claire?" he called out, dropping his keys into the ceramic bowl by the entrance.

The apartment answered with a dense, unbroken stillness.

He flipped on the kitchen pendant lights. The counters were wiped clean. Her water bottle was gone from the dish rack, and her prenatal vitamins were missing from beside the sink.

He took the stairs two at a time. In the closet, his suits hung in their usual order, but the left side was stripped bare—her winter coats, work trousers, and bags were gone.

"She's just trying to make a point," he muttered to himself, his chest tight.…