I woke to silence that first morning without Julian. It was not the peaceful silence of a slow Sunday or the soothing quiet of the boutique after the lights had been switched off at night. It was a different kind of silence, one that carried a sharp edge, reminding me of the absence that had taken his place beside me. The sheets were cool where he had usually been, and I lay there longer than I meant to, tracing my hand over the empty space, as if I could still find the heat he had left ...