Everett pushed the door open, his eyes rimmed with exhaustion. He let out a long, theatrical sigh.

"Evelyn, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept the trip a secret. If you still want to go, I’ll clear my calendar with the office right now and take you."

I let him in and set a glass of water down in front of him.

"Everett," I said, "I don’t want to go anymore."

He leaned back against the sofa with his eyes closed, rubbing his temples. He clearly didn’t view this as anything more than a fleeting temper tantrum on my part.

In the middle of our conversation, he pulled out his phone. Without a hint of hesitation, he tapped out a message to Hailey Silva, telling her to get some sleep.

Only then did he glance at me, his expression airy and dismissive.

"Fine, let’s go home then."

He walked a few paces toward the door before realizing I hadn't moved. He paused, looking back at me with a frown of genuine confusion.