Rebecca folded her hands in her lap as they ate. Her stomach tightened with each bite they took, but she did not let her face betray the ache. She sipped water again and again, convincing herself that fullness could be borrowed if she pretended hard enough.
Her eyes burned, but she kept them fixed on her children, on the way Paige chewed too fast, on the way Jonah tried to eat slowly so the moment would last.
At a table near the corner sat a man who had arrived alone. He wore a crisp jacket despite the heat and shoes polished enough to reflect the dull overhead lights. His posture suggested long meetings and longer decisions.
His name was Michael Bennett. He was in Riverbend City on business, overseeing a transportation contract tied to several counties. He had chosen the restaurant because it was close, not because it was familiar.
At first, the family barely registered in his awareness. Then he noticed the way the woman divided the food.
He watched her drink water with intent, not thirst. He saw the smile that appeared only when the children looked at her, and the way it faded the moment they turned away.
Something in his chest shifted, slow and uncomfortable.