I woke before the light had fully spread across the room. The curtains were only half closed, which meant the rising sun had a way of slipping through the opening, painting a long golden line on the floorboards. The stillness of the house wrapped itself around me, so soft and steady that for a moment I did not move at all. I listened to the quiet, to the faint hum of the city that seemed distant at this hour, and to the sound of Julian’s breathing beside me. His chest rose and fell in a ...