“Is Chloe okay?”
“I think so.”
That mattered.
Even before himself, Samuel asked about her.
“I’ll be there.”
I hung up.
Walter stared.
“You’ve ruined everything.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
“I opened a door.”
“The things behind it were already there.”
He left.
I remained in the apartment.
Then I did something I should have done months earlier.
I called Chloe.
She answered after three rings.
“Margaret?”
Her tone was cautious.
“I’m in your apartment.”
Silence.
Then.
“What?”
“I used a duplicate key.”
Another silence.
“Of course you did.”
The exhaustion in her voice hurt.
I closed my eyes.
“I need to apologize.”
“For breaking in?”
“Yes.”
“And more.”
She did not answer.
“I know about Walter.”
Silence.
Then Chloe whispered.
“Oh.”
“I found him here.”
Another pause.
“With Camille.”
Chloe exhaled.
“So that’s why.”
“What?”
“He asked me yesterday if he could use the apartment today.”
“He said he needed to pick up old tax files.”
“You said yes?”
“No.”
I froze.
“He came anyway.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the copied key.
Of course.
Chloe said.
“I’m coming.”
“You don’t need to.”
“Yes.”
“This is my home.”
That sentence landed.
Her home.
Not mine.
Not Walter’s.
Not even Samuel’s alone.
Hers too.
“I’ll wait.”
She arrived twenty minutes later.
