"Mia, come inside." He released my shoulders and took a half step toward the house. "It's going to rain heavily. I need to help Vanessa, so for the time being, please wait."
I looked at the man standing before me and did not recognize him. He was a stranger wearing my husband's face, speaking my husband's words, but hollow where it mattered. He hesitated, his jaw working as though searching for the right thing to say, some phrase that might bridge the distance between us. But nothing came. In the end, he simply squeezed my hand once, let it fall, and turned on his heel, disappearing back into the warmth and light of the Salvatore estate to tend to another woman.
My phone buzzed in the pocket of my coat. Jane Salvatore's message glowed on the screen.
You can come inside now. Earlier I just assumed things.
A second message followed almost immediately.
Let's not waste this dinner party.