“No,” I said, but the word had no strength.
“Yes,” Daniel said. “She crawled from the bedroom to the kitchen because you didn’t answer your phone. Because nobody else knew she had been left alone.”
“I thought—”
He took another step toward me. “Don’t.”
His voice was not loud, but it stopped me instantly.
“Don’t tell me what you thought. Don’t tell me you planned to come back. Don’t tell me you were stressed, or scared, or tired. Everybody gets tired, Marcus. Everybody gets scared. Most people don’t abandon someone who can’t get herself a glass of water.”
I looked away.
On the coffee table, one of the medication bottles had rolled slightly out of line, its white cap catching the light. I remembered filling that tray the morning I left. I had told myself ten days would pass quickly. I had told myself Lauren slept most of the time anyway. I had told myself she could manage more than she admitted.
