The sun had dipped below the Brooklyn rooftops, leaving the sky awash in soft mauve and dusky peach. Katherine stepped off the bus and wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself as a gentle breeze curled past her, lifting strands of her hair. Her café shift had run long—unusually busy for a weekday—and her feet ached in her shoes. She carried a paper bag with leftover pastries tucked under one arm, the scent of cinnamon and sugar still warm and comforting.

But her heart? Her heart was a ...