Yasmin quietly withdrew her gaze and casually sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the workgroup messages on her phone. After five years of marriage to Caleb, all her thoughts outside of work had been devoted to him, so now, even holding her phone, she had no one to chat with.

Sophia was always busy with the news, making their opportunities to talk even rarer. At this moment, Yasmin felt like a drifting weed, rootless, without a home. In the midst of all the noise, she was ...