Chapter 20

Marie’s POV

Day Seven

Tristan's asleep by the time my phone lights up on the nightstand, and I take it out to the balcony before it can wake him, cigarette already between my fingers.

"Hey." Dean's voice, low, careful. "Sorry, is it too late?"

"It's fine. I'm up." I exhale toward the dark water, invisible this time of night, just the sound of it somewhere below. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just — wanted to check in. Been a week."

I'd gotten a couple texts from him already — short, plain things, everything okay? twice, maybe three times — and I'd answered each one with a thumbs-up and nothing else. It wasn't that I didn't want to say more. I just didn't trust myself to write anything that wouldn't say more than I meant it to.

"I'm okay," I say. "Sorry. I know I've been bad about te