Evelyn found Leo packing his duffel bag in the basement. She looked smaller without her armor of perfume and silk. Her hair was in a simple braid. She looked, for the first time, like a real person.

The next morning, Richard was gone again. But this time, he had left a note on the fridge, addressed to Evelyn: We’ll talk when I return. And Leo—find a new place to live.

But Leo was young, and his heart was not as guarded as hers. He began to confuse the game with love. He brought her coffee in the morning with a shaky hand. He touched her elbow in the hallway, a gesture far too tender for the script they’d written.