By late October, the days had grown shorter, the air sharper.

Rose’s health had steadily declined. Fearful that she wouldn’t live to see a matching kidney donor, she brought up the idea of traveling the world—a fleeting dream she hoped to grasp before time ran out. But Julian refused. Just a little longer, he’d said, as he always did.

Rose had begun to notice how distant he seemed. Though his body remained by her side, his mind wandered elsewhere, his heart ...