Chapter 6Three weeks passed. Carl wondered how they managed to behave like other couples. They went through the rituals of life—work, meals, and evenings in front of the TV, making the most of their Britbox and HBO Max subscriptions.
What was different was that they didn’t talk. Not much, anyway. They spoke only when necessary.
“What shall we have for supper tonight? Do you feel like pasta?”
“Can you turn up the volume a bit?”
“Do you still have that business trip to New York in March?”
“I’m going to the store. Do we need anything else besides bread and eggs?”
“One of us needs to tackle that laundry. I’ll do it.”
The kisses goodnight—one, two, three—stopped. Roberto developed a sudden case of insomnia. When Carl woke most nights now, he’d find himself alone in the bed. The TV in the
