Under Her Roof: 5. Ashes Between Us

The house was quieter now.

It had been months since that night—the one that ended everything—and yet Ethan still found himself waking before dawn, expecting to hear the faint clatter of Clara’s footsteps in the kitchen, or the soft hum of his wife’s voice drifting from their bedroom. Silence had replaced both. It wasn’t the silence of peace, but of ruin—thick, heavy, and honest.

He lived alone now. The walls still smelled faintly of rosemary and lemon, remnants of the cleaning products she’d favored, and sometimes, if he let his mind wander too long, he could almost imagine that she was still here, moving behind him, brushing her hand against his shoulder the way she used to when she passed.

But she wasn’t. None of them were.

After the truth came out, it had been chaos. His wife had not screamed—she had simply stared at them, her face breaking in slow motion. The quiet horror in her eyes had been worse than any storm of anger could have been. Clara, trembling, had t