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PROLOGUE

ABIGAIL CAMPANO SAT in her car parked on the street outside her own house She was looking up at the o

The house was huge-too much space for three people, especially since one of thee in less than a year What would she do with herself once her daughter was busy starting a new life of her own? It would be Abigail and Paul again, just like before Emma was born

The thought made her stomach clench

Paul's voice crackled through the car speakers as he caan, but heras she stared up at the house When had her life gotten so s questions of her day turned into concerns about other people, other things: Were Paul's shirts ready at the tailor? Did Eht? Did the decorator order the new desk for the office? Did so to spend the next twenty allons of pee off the kitchen floor?

Abigail sed, her throat tightening

"I don't think you're listening to me," Paul said

"I'" She turned off the car There was a click, then through the y, Paul's voice transferred froail pushed open the door, tossing her keys into her purse She cradled the phone to her ear as she checked the mailbox Electric bill, AmEx, Emma's school fees

Paul paused for a breath and she took that as her cue

"If she doesn't ive her a car? Why did you take her to a place where you knew ail said the words as she walked up the driveway but she didn't feel theut like she had the first few times this had happened Her only question then had been, Why ah?

Now, her only question was, Why are you such a needy bastard?

"I just needed a break," he told her, another old standard

She dug her hand into her purse for her keys as she climbed the porch stairs She had left the club because of hie and lunch with her closest friends because she was mortified that they had all seen Paul out with soall to take to their favorite restaurant She didn't know if she would ever be able to show her face there again

Abigail said, "I'd like a break, too, Paul Hoould you like it if I took a break? Hoould you like it if you were talking to your friends one day and you knew so the before they finally told you that they saith another man?"

"I'd find out his fucking nao to his house and I'd kill him"

Why did part of her always feel flattered when he said things like that? As the irl, she had trained herself to look for the positive aspects of even the e remarks, but this was ridiculous Besides, Paul's knees were so bad that he could barely take the garbage down to the curb on trash day The biggest shock in all of this should have been that he could still find a twenty-year-old to screw him

Abigail slid her key into the old es squeaked like in a horror movie

The door was already open

"Wait a h Paul hadn't been talking "The front door is open"

"What?"

He hadn't been listening to her, either "I said the front door is already open," she repeated, pushing it open wider

"Aw, Jesus School's only been back for three weeks and she's already skipping again?"